By BRIAN HATYOKA –

TRANSPORT, Works, Supply and Communications Minister Yamfwa Mukanga has assured that Government will complete most infrastructural projects by mid next year.
Mr Mukanga said the Government was still committed to executing all projects started earlier on contrary to views from some sectors of society that such projects had been abandoned.
Speaking in an interview in Livingstone, Mr Mukanga said the vision of executing the Link Zambia 8000 and other road projects had not changed.
“You will see a lot of commitments and work done on the ground in a few weeks’ time. Our target is that most projects are finished by the end of this year and mid next year.
“There is a perception from some people that the Government is not working in areas where people did not vote for it. We are the Government in power and we are still committed to executing our projects,” he said.
He also said the Government is still committed to ensuring that a permanent Bridge is constructed at Kazungula Border following the ground breaking ceremony which took place last year.
Mr Mukanga said the actual construction of the bridge would start soon once all logistics are finalised from Zambia and Botswana.
“We have had a few challenges over the Kazungula Bridge project but we overcame those challenges,” Mr Mukanga said.
On September 12, 2014, the Governments of Zambia and Botswana officially launched the commencement of construction works for Kazungula Bridge across the Zambezi River.
The US$ 259.3 project, whose construction works would start in few weeks, would be completed by 2018.
It will be financed by the Governments of Zambia and Botswana with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).