Business reporter

… feasibility study scheduled for January 2022

A six month feasibility study for the possibility of including Zimbabwe on the Kazungula Bridge Project (KBP) is set to commence on 17 January 2022, a contact from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has disclosed.

The inclusion of Zimbabwe would see the construction of a new tri-national one stop border post where Zimbabwe would join Zambia and Botswana.

The Government of Zimbabwe represented by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development signed a US$1.2 million contract for the cause with the Kazungula Bridge Consultant Joint Venture Company (KBCJV) on 6 December 2021 in Victoria Falls. Permanent Secretary, Engineer Thedious Chinyanga and Engineer Kobamelo Kgoboko represented Zimbabwe Government and KBCJV Company respectively.

KBCJV Company consists of six companies namely Zulu Burro Development, Choda Company, ARCUS Gibb, Nippon Koel, Bothakga Burrow Botswana and CPP Botswana. It is the same company that did feasibility study and offered consultant services on the completed Kazungula Bridge then involving Zambia and Botswana.

The possible inclusion of Zimbabwe in the project will be a product of President Mnangagwa’s engagement efforts. The possibility of Zimbabwe’s inclusion was reignited in March 2018 when President Mnangagwa together with Ian Khama and Edgar Lungu, the then presidents of Botswana and Zambia respectively, toured the Kazungula Bridge. President Mnangagwa then directed the Transport Ministry to spearhead the process of Zimbabwe’s readmission into the project.

The inclusion of Zimbabwe in the Kazungula One Stop Border Post project would mean that the country will be an equal equity holder on the project. To attain this, the country has to pay the required joining amount including that of constructing replica border facilities.  The contact said the cost needed for this was estimated to be above US$200 million, whilst the cost of constructing the bridge was US$259 million.