A joint inspection by key stakeholders was carried out today. The team comprised of the Special Assistant to the President for Project Monitoring and Implementation at State House, the top management of NAPSA, the management of Zambia National Building Society, the Executive Director of NCC, Lusaka City Council Engineers, the professional team that was responsible for the development and EIZ represented by VP (PPRND) as well as the media.

The observations were as follows:
1. One of the columns, identified as column no 5 has failed. The mode of failure is crushing near the joint between the column and roof slab.
2. No structural defects were observed on the other columns in vicinity of column no 5, the roof slab or the cross beams supporting the roof slab.

The immediate actions taken by NAPSA and the professional team are:

1. Tenants have been
evacuated from the
Business Park as a
precaution.
2. NAPSA have
engaged an
independent
specialist firm to
provide opinion.
3. NAPSA together
with the
professional team
have engaged a
specialist laboratory
to investigate the
quality of the
concrete in the
failed column as
well as to establish
the structural
integrity of all the
columns that form
part of the structure
of the Business
Park.

EIZ has registered interest in the matter and has requested that copies of the reports from the independent experts be shared with the Institution following acceptable professional practice. In addition, EIZ has commenced other preliminary investigative activities through its Inspectorate. These are activities that the specialists will not necessarily cover. They include establishing whether the firms involved in the design and construction were duly licensed to practice engineering and whether the key personnel involved in implementing the project were duly registered and licensed to practice.

This matter has generated significant interest at the highest level, the general public and amongst professionals within the built environment. EIZ will proceed to perform those aspects within its mandate. It is inevitable that engineering professionals will engage one another on this issue. What is cardinal though is that all this engagement must be conducted within the boundaries of acceptable professional conduct and ethical behavior.