ZESCO IS BUYING POLES FROM COMPANIES THAT USUALLY IMPORT TIMBER FOR THEIR POLES
By Amb.Emmanuel Mwamba
KAPALA’S ARGUMENT IS UNPATRIOTIC
Energy Minister, Hon Peter Chibwe Kapala says ZESCO will buy poles, associated electric materials and equipment from international and primary sources and not from middlemen.
He says ZESCO is importing the poles, driven by the urgent need to dismantle the backlog of 60,000 customers pending connections.
He has admitted that the approach to buy from South African and Zimbabwean “primary” sources may inadvertently disadvantage local entrepreneurs, middlemen and enterprises.
He says this is because ZESCO will not participate in political or empowerment schemes of growing local businesses. He says that ZESCO will also not be available to be used to meet political objectives.
He says buying poles from abroad will serve trees in Zambia and mitigate against climate change.
UNPATRIOTIC
I am appalled at the unpatriotic and subversive disposition of the Minister, the reasons given and his failure to recognise that ZESCO is a multibillion firm and one of the largest utilities in Africa.
Therefore both its core business and its huge procurement budget must contribute to the economic growth of Zambia and its value chains.
Hon. Kapala would rather empower foreign firms, foreign middlemen, and help create jobs in foreign economies than use similar institutions to provide capacity and create jobs for his own people.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Hon. Kapala’s biggest argument is that when both ZESCO and Rural Electrification Authority (REA) purchase materials from primary sources, they will save costs and efficiently connect more people on their pending list.
In his entire argument, Hon. Kapala didn’t place ZAFFICO or Copperbelt Forest Company in the government plans.
ZAFFICO having its own and vast plantations, has recently invested and opened a timber treatment plant.
There is also Copperbelt Forestry Company (CFC) with own sizeable plantations and doing similar business requiring such tender offers from ZESCO to help grow the company.
Similarly, companies Hon. Kapala is calling middlemen are fundamentally not different from the companies that ZESCO is buying the poles from.
I therefore took time to search on the ten (10) companies that ZESCO has hand-picked and shortlisted to supply electric poles from Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Here are my findings;
One is home-store shop, another is a general trader.
Others actually grow, mill and manufacture timber and timber products such as transmission, distribution and construction poles.
However the majority on the list hold timber and pole treatment plants that source timber from various suppliers and plantations in their country or outside their countries.
But what is fascinating is that when these companies have huge orders from the region like Zambia to supply poles, they also import timber from other countries especially from Swaziland and Brazil that have large plantations for Eucalyptus, Pine and Douglas fir trees, suitable for poles.
So here are ZESCO’s primary sources.
1. Lomagundi Poles- It’s a home-goods Store based at Mount Hampden Junction, Mashonaland East Zimbabwe.
2. The Wattle Company Limited is the only Wattle Extract producer in Zimbabwe with a capacity to produce 6000 tons per annum. The Wattle Company is a forestry company based in the Eastern Districts of the country. It is the largest kiln dried all round timber in Zimbabwe. It produces treated poles for fencing, telephone and transmission poles.
3. Border Timbers- Zimbabwe
Border Timbers is in the business of growing , milling and manufacturing timber from managed plantations.
4. Capital Timbers -Capital Timber (Pvt) Ltd -Zimbabwe – it is a specialists in production of transmission, telephone and fencing poles. It has a treatment plant in Mutare.
5. Hotspeck Enterprises -Zimbabwe-based at 106 Jotali Building, Mutare 020
Manicaland, Zimbabwe and exports creosote treated fencing, telegraphic, fibre optic, transmission poles and cross arms.
6. R&B Timber Group-South Africa. R&B Timber Group; grows, harvests, processes and pressure treats wooden poles to produce its treated pole brand called the HardPole. The company grows, harvests, and pressure-treating wooden poles.
7. Treated Timber Products -South Africa ; Timber Products (TTP) specializes in the production of Transmission, Telephone, Fencing and Building poles.
8. Vuka Timbers-South Africa-“Vuka Timbers is based in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.
It is sources from Eucalyptus forests and plantations in the area. Vuka manufactures and supplies pressure-treated wooden poles.
9. Timberg Quality Timber- South Africa- it has customers such as Electrical Contractors, Power Utility Companies, Municipalities, Retailers and Farmers
10. Lowes Creek Treated Timbers- South Africa-It’s has a vast pole treatment facility. It advanced production facilities – specializing in kiln dried, pressure treated, Creosote or Copper Chrome Arsenic (CCA) poles.
CONCLUSION
Zambia can be a primary producer of poles to supply ZESCO and the region.
As seen above,there is need to invest in large scale wood treatment plants which create value addition to the timber, imported, or grown locally.
Further if ZESCO is absent in this processes to empower local companies and local entreprenuers, it will continue to support jobs and industrialization in other countries.