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Let’s Safeguard Levy Stadium ‘..Technical Problems Grip Levy Stadium’
THE hitches identified in the management of the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium must be addressed as quickly as possible to safeguard this massive investment, which has become one of the symbols of our national pride.
The revelation that Zambia was not ready to manage the facility at the time it was handed over by the contractor Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Group (AFECC) should serve as a wake-up call to all concerned.
On Monday night, Levy Mwanawasa Stadium management task force engineer Steve Makunku told a plenary session of a parliamentary committee that the administration team is grappling with numerous challenges in the running of the investment.
Mr Mukunku disclosed that when the 40,100 capacity stadium was almost due for handover, the Zambian government had not yet built access roads as had earlier been agreed with the contractor.
As if that was not enough, the government did not respond to the contractor’s request to second Zambian engineers and technicians to the project for smooth knowledge and technology transfer.
There was clearly a dearth of seriousness on the part of the government officials who were involved in the monitoring of this project.
Now the Zambian engineers and technicians are struggling to understand the stadium’s complex electrical, lighting and electronic systems because they were no part of the team that installed them.
This is making it difficult for the technical team to provide the facility with the quality of maintenance it requires, which is not healthy when one considers the huge amount of resources the two governments have pumped into its construction.
Mr Makunku did not hide this fact when he addressed the parliamentary committee.
“Now there are fears that future fittings of electrical wires will be laid bare or modified,” he said.
But a way must be found to avoid this because it will deface and affect the beauty of the structure.
We are also alarmed by the intention by the engineers to downsize the green surfaces that are currently beautifying the stadium, ostensibly to make maintenance easier.
This is tantamount to admission of failure. Those lush green surroundings were designed exactly for that purpose – to make the stadium look beautiful.
That should not be allowed to happen. Instead, the engineers should make proposals to the government on how to increase their capacity to carry out effective routine maintenance.
The Levy Mwanawasa Stadium is not just a sports facility but also an economic investment with the potential of creating jobs for Zambians, directly and through small and medium-scale enterprises.
It is for this reason that the Zambia Tourism Board has captured it on its inventory of Zambia’s major tourist attractions. Sports tourism is becoming popular across the world and Zambia must do everything to exploit its economic benefits.
During international soccer matches, foreign teams come to the Copperbelt and use its lodging and catering facilities, while the locals have been cashing in by selling all kinds of merchandise to fans.
Innovative tour operators can arrange tours of the complex for their foreign and local tourists at reasonable fees, which can be shared with the facility’s management team. Local entrepreneurs could be hired to provide affordable transport and catering services.
Other countries are ahead in this form of tourism.
That is why every effort should be made to ensure the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium is properly maintained. Removing or downsizing its aesthetic aspects should not be allowed to happen. We should not start downgrading this showpiece.
We hope authorities have learnt important lessons from the problems surrounding the management of the complex. Let’s cherish this national gem.
Posted by Editor
on April 18, 2013. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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J
April 18, 2013 at 11:56 am
Umbuli
mwinaka
April 18, 2013 at 12:32 pm
The government should send those engineers for technical know how on electrical and similar fittings to china.
duh!
April 18, 2013 at 12:49 pm
the best way to hide information from an african is to put it in writing. tell those engineers to study the blueprints of the stadium. I’m sure the chinese must have left all this kind of information as in how the stadium was made and how to maintain it. they didn’t want to participate in the construction of the stadium. they thus need to staudy the blueprints. if not, waste tax payers money into going to train them in china
Tomato Balunda
April 18, 2013 at 1:16 pm
If this was a BYE ERRECTION, the government would have found the money.
Na bola wiine echo tulushila. Inshonkonono shafula
ck
April 18, 2013 at 2:17 pm
What sort of zambian engineers are these? yet they boast that they are educated enough to be presidents! dull engineers.
Phiri
April 18, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Kwena how can this happen? You construct something remarkable but you aren’t ready to look after it! What was the use of constructing it then? Zambians seem to haVE NO appreciation for landscapes. Thats why these engineers want to destroy the green surroundings. Very soon people will be shitting and urinating around the stadium. Isn’t there a shopping mall or restaurants surrounding the structure?
J
April 18, 2013 at 5:51 pm
hmmm,are you telling me that the drawings for the stadium were not left with the local engineers. all you need are electrical/civil/architectural drawings. then all the necessary wiring would be seen. whats so hard about that. studying those diagrams without the help of the chinese can take maximum 3 months. tulamyeba,give jobs to compitent engineers,nomba mwamona ka? no wonder they say africans have the lowest iq,muletusebanya over some simple drawings sure
Phiri
April 18, 2013 at 6:40 pm
Who is ‘they’? stop degrading yourself. There has never been a thinking person who has said what you have said except a few racists who cant prove any such theory. By repeating it you are just being a victim to this propaganda
BC Lombe
April 18, 2013 at 6:22 pm
Africans bwafya.
webster chola
April 18, 2013 at 7:05 pm
Theoretical engineers.Zambian engineers are only good at talking.bring in the company that constructed the facility and help sort out the problems.
Thepascal
April 18, 2013 at 7:09 pm
Zambia the real Africa!
VMMW
April 19, 2013 at 12:03 am
You guys, do not blame the Zambian Engineers. The Zambian Engineers have nothing to do with these problems and embarrassing situation. The problem here is the way contractors in Zambia are given tenders and type of contract entered into between the client or employer (the Zambia Government).
What should have happened is firstly for the politician not to directly get involved with the tendering process, but allow construction professions like the Civil Engineers, Mechanical and services engineers; Quantity Surveyor(s) who are familiar with advising clients on procurement methods and the best construction contract that will be suitable for particular project. The Quantity surveyor would have made sure that at completion training was provided to the local engineers for the mechanical, electrical and electronics, and technological operations.
The contractor(s)who executed this project know that this is what should have happened, unless the politicians were interfering with the tendering, construction process, in the contractor just vanishes.
There should have been a retention of some payment at least for 6-12 months so that there are any problems the contractor can be asked to rectify or remedy any probleme.
duh!
April 19, 2013 at 2:40 am
VMMW, well written suggestion. probably something fishy with govt officials as to why local engineers did not participate with the contractors as per agreement between Govt and the contractors. but I still feel the engineers need to go thru the blueprints of the stadium before they start making any funny changes on the stadium even if it takes three months to study these diagrams.
VMMW
April 19, 2013 at 6:48 pm
I agree with duh!. Let the engineers go through the blue print. Our focus should be to deal with the problem.