. Mwamba

By MILDRED KATONGO –
A TEAM of investors from South Africa’s Transnet are arriving in the country today to open discussions with Government over three groundbreaking projects, including a multi-purpose fuel pipeline from Ndola to Lusaka.
Transnet is a South African state-owned company with experience in rail transportation, port management as well as pipeline technology and transportation.
The delegation which would be in Zambia from November 16 to 18, would meet officials from the ministries of Works and Supply as well as Energy and the Zambia Railways Limited.
The delegation would be led by executive manager for international business, Nyameka Madikizela, manager for strategy and marketing Imran Karim, chief engineer Gert Ludick, Sue Govender, in charge of capital projects, and Lynette Mangozhe, from the engineering department.
This was contained in a statement released by press secretary at the Zambia High Commission in South Africa, Nicky Shabolyo.
Mr Shabolyo said Transnet was looking to enter into an agreement on how it could pass on some of its fuel tankers to the ZRL, resolving challenges it was facing with the railway company towards implementation of the North-South Corridor project, and consider the proposed 360 kilometer fuel pipeline.
He said Transnet had moved from transporting its fuel stocks through rail following the completion of construction of a 20 billion South Africa rand fuel pipeline between Johannesburg and Durban and would like to pass on the excess tankers to ZRL.
Mr Shabolyo said the North-South Corridor project was part of Transnet’s initiatives aimed at implementing an efficient transportation system which was expected to integrate South Africa with the rest of the continent through the creation of competitive corridor supply chains.
“The pipeline is proposed to be built along the ZRL corridor under a private-public-partnership structure and would involve a local partner, ZRL and Transnet. The financing would be sourced by the PPP members,” he said.
He said the projects were first revealed last month when Transnet officials met Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba after which the High Commission arranged the meetings with representatives of the Zambian Government.