By Isaac Zulu
Transport and Logistics minister Frank Tayali has attributed the accumulation of salary four months salary arrears for TAZARA workers to the damaged Chambeshi bridge in Kasama district.
And Tayali has said that TAZARA needs serious recapitalization.
In an interview, Tayali explained that TAZARA has not been fully operational from the time the Chambeshi bridge collapsed last July, thereby making it difficult for the rail company to generate income that can be channelled towards paying workers’ salaries.
“The delayed payment of salaries is because of the disruption of service due to the damaged Chambeshi bridge, which bridge is currently being worked on. And as government, we are spending about US$41.9 million so that this problem can be sorted out once and for all. We are hoping that once the bridge is worked on, TAZARA can start generating some income,” Tayali explained. “At the moment TAZARA is not generating any income, apart from the quarry which is at Mununga; which is also operating at 50 per cent.”
Asked when the Zambian government will pay TAZARA employees, considering the fact that workers at the rail company are in four months salary arrears, the Ndola Central member of parliament said that the UPND administration is committed to ensuring that it attends to the plight of TAZARA workers.
“At the moment as a ministry we are working hard. And in collaboration with the ministry of finance we shall soon attend to the plight of TAZARA workers by ensuring that their salary arrears are paid. There’s no way we can fail them. They are our esteemed workers. I just got back into the country. Let me check what was agreed upon during the meeting last week,” said Tayali.
And Tayali has said that TAZARA needs serious recapitalisation.
“There are a number of things that management and the TAZARA Board of Directors have suggested to the two shareholding governments. There is need to promote what we call Open Access Route where we can allow private rail companies to utilise the rail track of TAZARA so that TAZARA will be able to earn some money from the use of their infrastructure. An example is that of Calabash Rail Company from South Africa, which is already using the TAZARA rail. That’s one way in which we can help them. And there’s a suggestion of bringing on board an equity partner on the Mununga quarry. Mununga quarry has a special granite. And as the country is poised to massive road infrastructure rehabilitation, TAZARA can make money from the sale of those stones and be self sustainable,” said Tayali.
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