. Sikazwe

By MILDRED KATONGO –

THE Government has commended Tomorrow Investments Limited, a Zambian company, for the good quality works on the 43-kilometre Vyamba-Chinakila Road maintenance works in Mpulungu.
Northern Province Minister Freedom Sikazwe said in Kasama at the weekend that it was encouraging to see a Zambian contractor delivering efficiently.
“I am coming from Vyamba-Chinakila Road and what I found there is very encouraging. Tomorrow Investments are doing an excellent job and they have gone on site with enough equipment to get the job done properly,” Mr Sikazwe said.
The minister, who is also Patriotic Front (PF) Mpulungu Member of Parliament, however, warned Max Industries, the minority contractors on the project, that the Government would recommend that their part of the contract be terminated unless they improved the quality of works they were delivering.
The Government through the Road Development Agency (RDA) earlier this year awarded Tomorrow Investments 80 per cent of the contract to gravel the 43 kilometre Vyamba-Chinakila Road, while Max Industries, another Zambian firm got the remaining 20 per cent.
Mr Sikazwe wondered how the company which had indicated that it had sufficient equipment at the time of bidding would resort to using axes for bush clearing, a situation the Government would not condone.
“Max Industries is being paid a lot of money. We don’t want Zambian contractors that will fail because it is an insult to us as Government. We want to see the equipment they said they would bring on site failure to which we will terminate the contact,” Mr Sikazwe said.
Tomorrow Investments corporate affairs manager Mutale Mwamba in an interview said as the lead contractor on the project, the company took full responsibility for the entire 43 kilometre stretch.
Mr Mamba said that they would engage Max Industries to ensure that the Government’s concerns on their performance were addressed.
He said Tomorrow Investments was known for delivering quality works on all their projects and they intended to do the same on the Vyamba-Chinakila Road.
“We pride ourselves in delivering quality works throughout. Government and the people should, therefore, be assured that we will deliver a formidable product on this road as well,” Mr Mwamba said.