14 Sep 2014

The Zambian government on Thursday, September 11, handed over forty new houses to forty families in Lumbo, Zambia, as compensation for their relocation to make way for the construction of the Kazungula Bridge.

Lumbo village is a village lying a few kilometres away from where the affected families lived before they had to pave way for the mammoth project, which is a partnership between the governments of Botswana and Zambia.

Botswana’s Minister of Transport and communications, Mr Nonofo Molefhi thanked the families for agreeing to move to the new site nearby.

He said: “You have made a sacrifice of monumental proportions for the sake of the citizens of SADC and beyond,” he said, adding that it was a milestone in the development of the project. 

On the other hand, Zambia’s Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, Mr Yamfwa Mukanga warned the families against selling the houses because if they did, they would lose them.

The minister advised them to look after their new houses for the benefit generations to come, explaining that a school had also been built at the new site.

The bridge relocation expenses were a result of a partnership between the Zambian government and the African Development Bank, he said, thinking the government of Botswana for its moral support. 

“This resettlement will pave way for the demolition of the old houses so we can get started on the project without delay,” he noted. 

A representative of the Project Affected People (PAP), who is also the headman of the Lumbo village, Mr Milimo, thanked the government for honoring their promise of building them modern homes after living in mud houses for ages.

“Now we have running water and electricity in our homes,” he celebrated, adding that they could never have asked for more. Ostensibly, the need for relocation of households on the Botswana side did not arise.

The affected families expressed their joy at the two countries’ cooperation to build such a bridge, emphasising that, as people affected by the project, it was imperative for them to cooperate rather than to resist.

The two governments have already signed a contract for the construction of the road/rail bridge across the Zambezi River at Kazungula, and, Friday September 12 marked the ground breaking of the project which is expected to be completed in four years time. 

The construction of the bridge is expected to improve traffic flow and increase easy crossing of various goods and services at Kazungula.

According to a joint press statement released after the contract signing, the two governments noted that the lack of a permanent crossing at Kazungula posed as a bottleneck to the smooth flow of traffic and hampered full development between the two nations and the SADC region.

Other expected benefits of the bridge include the reduction of transit time from 36 hours to two hours; integration of the economies served by the North-South corridor, as well as increased revenue for the two countries. 

The bridge will be 923 meters long with a railway line. Botswana has already announced plans to build a railway line that will start from Mosetse all the way to Kazungula for easy transport of goods. ENDS