By Staff Reporter
The UPND administration is said to be in the process of taking over the operations of the Walvis Bay Port in Namibia, which was given to Zambia by that country but leased to billionaire James Ndambo.
And when contacted for comment, Transport and Logistics minister Frank Tayali told the journalist to wait for official communication as he had submitted a report and recommendations to President Hakainde Hichilema, and would not preempt what government is doing to the reporter.
Well placed sources in the UPND administration have told Daily Revelation that the port which is said to have been leased during the MMD times in which Dora Siliya served as Transport and Communications minister at one point, said some Zambians officers working in Tanzania are said to have already been moved to work from Namibia.
“In fact at one point authorities in Namibia were almost taking over the running of that port after raising observations that it was not achieving its optimal purpose. If you investigate further you will find all sorts of interests in that port including the Tshisekedi’s in Congo,” sources told Daily Revelation.
Contacted for comment and when put to him that the UPND administration had taken steps following their concerns on the operations of the bay and that some ZAMCARGO officer have since moved from Tanzania to workin Namibia, and asked if the port would no longer be run by Ndambo, Tayali said: “I am afraid you need to wait for official communication. I shall be issuing an official statement. Yah! Very very soon we will be issuing an official statement so I cannot preempt what steps government will be taking because I have submitted a report and recommendation to His Excellency the President.”
“But of course the government is taking over the port. That is not for debate, not so?” the journalist asked, with Tayali responding: “Who told you? Who told you?”
But when told that that was the information the journalist had, Tayali said “if you have the information then I will simply say no comment. Wait for the official position.”
The piece of land was given to the Zambian government by the Namibian government after that country’s independence to offer Zambia a port and corridor channel into their homeland. African Union, the company leased with the port, have invested and managed the terminal on behalf of the Zambian government.
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