Copperbelt roads no longer a nightmare, Simuuwe says UPND means business
THE ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) has declared that the days of dusty shortcuts, pothole-riddled roads and abandoned infrastructure on the Copperbelt are now behind as the roads are now being worked on.
Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, UPND Media Director Mark Simuuwe proudly outlined what he described as the visible transformation of the Copperbelt’s road infrastructure, insisting that President Hakainde Hichilema’s government is delivering development with seriousness and not jokes.
According to Simuuwe, those saying President Hichilema’s administration is all talk and no action are deliberately ignoring a historic transformation of roads in mining towns that were once reduced to death traps.
The Copperbelt, once a stronghold of the Patriotic Front (PF), he said is now turning into a UPND development showroom.
“For the first time in many years, people in Kalulushi, Mpongwe, Masaiti, Lufwanyama and even in Kandabwe township are seeing real roads. Not empty promises. Not slogan shouting. We are talking about actual tarmac, bridges, gravel upgrading and safe road links,” Simuuwe said.
He cited the seven-kilometre stretch leading to Kalulushi across the railway line was already done, while roads in Kandabwe, a known hotspot for theft and copper heists, are now under the same infrastructure initiative.
Under the same drive, Simuuwe announced that each of the 22 constituencies in the province has received K3.1 million for road rehabilitation, while councils have been empowered to procure graders to quicken the works before the next rain season.
He further explained that the government’s focus on concrete roads will save the country millions in maintenance costs, saying the PF’s road model was built to collapse under inflated costs.
We are building roads without borrowing, and that is saving this country. For us, this is a success story for the people of the Copperbelt, and later for the people of Zambia,” Simuuwe stated.
By George Musonda
Kalemba May 16, 2025