Abuse €50m EU grant at own peril, ZRL warned
By Thandizo Banda
THE Railway Workers Union of Zambia (RWUZ) has implored the Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) management to prudently and transparently use the European Union (EU) grant of €50 million for infrastructure rehabilitation.
RWUZ president Nathan Zulu urged ZRL management to create a new narrative from US$120m Eurobond, which was allegedly misused.
“The rehabilitation of the Zambia Railways track infrastructure brings with it hope for the revival of the rail system in Zambia, especially coming on the heels of the TAZARA concession,” Zulu said in a statement at the weekend.
Meanwhile, the union has thanked ZRL and the government for the milestone.
“Zambia Railways has undergone turbulences from the ravages of the retrenchments of the 1990s to the concession of the company in 2003, and this grant finally brings to the company in general and employees in particular some much-needed fresh air and positivity,” Zulu said.
He said the grant should be spent on the creation of a sustainable transport system that addressed modern development needs.
“Zambia Railways has had milestones like the World Bank project that saw the rehabilitation of the track to concrete sleepers from Livingstone to Muzoka, the cancellation of the Railway Systems of Zambia concession and the US$120 million Eurobond but this EU grant comes at a time when Zambia Railways is undergoing constraints that have built up over time with historic consequences negatively impacting operations and slowing down key economic activities that yearn for a robust rail system,” he said.
Zulu said the EU grant should help the company to create a new image.
He said Zambians were looking forward to a successful story out of the EU grant.
“We see the hunger for success in this cadre of employees, and we need to work as a team, blending our yesterdays and tomorrows, the old guards and the young Turks, to reach an optimal balance. We need to learn from the past to create a well-informed tomorrow,” Zulu said.
