CANCEL THE LUSAKA-NDOLA DUAL CARRIAGE WAY – PF
…as Mourinho labels the deal as daylight robbery
Lusaka, Tuesday, March 7, 2023 ( Smart Eagles)
As the country continues witnessing numerous “strange” deals under the New Dawn Administration, the opposition Patriotic Front has labeled the Ndola-Lusaka Dual Carriage Way deal as a daylight robbery.
PF Media Director Mr Antonio Mourinho Mwanza has struggled to understand the kind of deal the government of “angels” is striking that provides for the contractor to get toll fees for the next 25 years.
Mr Mwanza said this is because the deal is getting the funding from NAPSA.
He said this when he featured on UNZA radio today.
“Money for pensioners, that is the money they have gotten and given their Chinese friends to build a road from Ndola to Lusaka. And then these Chinese friends of theirs who a building a road using our own money from NAPSA are going to collect the toll fees for the next 25 years. In simple terms, it’s like mwayenda kumanga nyumba, mwatenga bricklayer, mwamulipila, nimangile nyumba, mwamupasa ndrama mwamupasa. Bricklayer asiliza kumanga nyumba then mwamuuza ati azankala landlord, azayamba kutenga ma rates for the next 25 years,” he said.
“It is daylight robbery, it shows of recklessness, the level of disregard for the Zambian people this government has to get money for pensioners, money for the Zambian people, give it to their Chinese friends to build a road and use the next 25 years for those Chinese friends to collect the toll fees. So tafa pabili. First of all, batenga ndalama zatu. Number two, tafa futi batenga ma toll fees yathu. We have never heard if such a crooked wicked deal in the history of this country. Why didn’t NAPSA for instance get that money, give it to ZRA to construct the Ndola Lusaka Dua Carriage Way?”
Mwanza said citizens would have gotten their money back had government engaged ZNS to build the road.
He however disclosed that PF is demanding for the cancellation of the deal.
“Because if NAPSA had given the money to ZNS, all the toll fees would have come back to us the people of Zambia through the collection of toll fees by the RDA and NRFA. Why should we get our own money, build our road and get the toll fees and give to the foreign company which built the road using our money? For us as the Patriotic Front we want to demand that this concession that government has signed should not go ahead,” he said.
“It’s a corrupt deal, it stinks of corruption, it doesn’t make any sense to the Zambian people, the Zambian people have been made to pay twice and this has never happened. And I am surprised that there are people who still want to justify this deal. Kulibe munthu wamene anatenga ndalama amanga nyumba, elo apasa bricklayer we akumangila nyumba malamulo ati no iwe manje bricklayer, uzankala 25 years ndiwe uzayamba kutenga ma rent.”
Meanwhile, Mr Mwanza warned the UPND officials that their days of perpetrating financial illegalities are numbered.
He tipped them that the investigative wings will be on them in 2026 seeking explanations as to what roles they played in the respective deal.
“This is the crime against the Zambian people. This is an abuse of authority and all those that involved in the abuse of authority towards this deal, all of them, should start counting their days, months. 2026 nipafupi maningi, they will start visiting DEC and ACC. They will start going to joint investigative teams to explain the roles that they played over this deal,” he said.
“Right now they feel comfortable. Right now they can do whatever they want. They can steal suggilite, they can steal manganese, they can steal our money through shady deals, but times are coming when they will be accountable. Where is the President on this? The President is quite. I have never seen a President who is quite on the issues that affect the Zambian people as this President. This is a President who said he will do things differently. But this President is doing the exact opposite of what he told the Zambian people.”