Sino rail ready to partner with NWR
Sino rail ready to partner with NWRBy Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Friday September 12, 2008 [04:00]
CHINA Railway Material Import and Export Company Limited has said Ron Forlee, who last week signed the MoU with the government over the proposed railway line between Zambia and Angola, is not a representative of Sino rail.
And NWR has written to Vice-President Rupiah Banda over the government's decision to sign the MoU with other parties for the development of the railway line despite the matter being before the court.
According to the letter dated September 11, 2008 addressed to Northwest Rail Company (NWR) Limited chairman Enoch Kavindele, China Railway Material Import and Export Company president Gao Zhendou also said the giant Sino rail was ready to help partner with NWR company to develop the infrastructure needed to transport raw materials from the North Western Province.
Zhendou also said China Railway Material Import and Export Company Limited would use its knowledge and experiences in constructing Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA), Nigeria Railway as well as Angola Railway to perform engineering evaluation, engineering design and the possibility of discussing the operational management of Northwest Railway line as well as the joint venture among other things.
"I do not know any one whose name is Mr Ron Forlee and I am the president of China Railway Material Import and Export Company Limited. There is no CEO in my company," the letter read in part.
And in a letter to Vice-President Banda, who is also Acting President, Kavindele said NWR was "forced" to seek judicial intervention over the termination of construction licence for the railway line after dialogue attempts with communications minister and other key government officials proved futile.
"The recent actions of the honourable minister culminating in the signing of a MoU with unregistered entities has left the board of directors on NWR with no other alternative. Indeed, it is my concern that the matter may be a source of severe embarrassment for government in due course," Kavindele stated. "Our own investigations have revealed that the other party to the MoU, Zambezi Trans Railways is not a registered entity with Zambia and has no record of existence.
Mr Forlee who is named as chief executive officer of that company is a resident in South Africa and came to Zambia seeking a mining exploration assets in Mumbwa. It appears that Mr Forlee's primary occupation is that of being a broker, seeking to bring parties together for a commission if the deal is successful. He operates from his residence in Mount Road, Bryanston, Johannesburg SA.
"It is my sincere hope that you deem it necessary to intervene and allow NWR to continue with this very important national programme under the private-public partnership concept."
Last weekend, Siliya signed MoU with Zambezi Trans Railways chairperson Kapembe Nsingo, China Railways Limited chief executive officer Ron Forlee, and AYR for the construction of the 405 kilometre way line to connect North Western Province to the national line, eventually linking Zambia to Angola and was expected to come on stream in 2010 at a cost of over US $500 million.
Labels: NORTHWEST RAIL COMPANY LTD, SINO RAIL
posted by MrK @ 3:53 AM
1 Comments:
Looking at the deals the nation enters into with foreign companies and the loop holes that such companies exploit, it is clear that Zambia has no skilled negotiators!! I know of how Zamtel was fooled by an Israeli Company, the mining concessions and now Chinese conmen for the rail....how long will this shit keep hitting the fan. Too much greed, ignorance and political interference.. In fact the institutionalised corrupt practice of senior officials getting a percent of deals commiting our country into further debt should be flushed together with their shit.
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