Chilima deplores shoddy works on Chapananga Road, tells contractor to redesign

December 14, 2020 Osman Faiti - Nyasa Times 43 Comments

A visibly furious Vice President Saulos Chilima on Monday  deplored and took to task officials from Plem Construction company over what he called ‘poor and substandard works’ on the Chikwawa-Chapananga-Mwanza road.

Part of the shoddy road work
Chilima: We need to have good roads

Chilima, who is also Minister responsible for Economic Planning and Development and Public Reforms, visited the road project as part of his inspection tour of public projects aimed at appreciating the state of implementation and progress made against planned completion.

He said the status of  Chikwawa-Chapananga-Mwanza road force people to call the leadership all sorts of names, saying he won’t allow that to happen just because someone has decided to do shoddy works.

“You want people to call us all sorts of names because of this substandard road that you are doing. You will have re-do and redesign that road,” said Chilima who later postiedon his social media page about the same incident.

“I have pressed on the Contractor, Plem Construction, to redesign the first 10 km that they have worked on so far as opposed to proceeding with the current poor design of the road. We would rather pay more and have a durable and quality road than continuing with what I have seen,” wrote the Vice President.

Chilima further said he shot down the contractor’s argument that the ‘poor’ design was because the road has less traffic.

“No. That’s a wrong mindset. It is like planning on the assumption that the people of this country will remain poor forever. So the Contractor must go back to the drawing board. We can’t continue with the road in its current poor design,” he said.

Commenting on the Nsanje – Marka road which he visited earlier, Chilima said he was impressed with progress with the Contractor comitting that the road will be completed by March, 2021.

Last week,  Chilima has called on State institutions to ensure quality public infrastructure to minimise maintenance costs.

The Veep  said government spends millions of taxpayers’ money in maintenance of public infrastructure, saying the funds can be invested in other developments if structures are built with durable materials that can withstand natural calamities.

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43 replies on “Chilima deplores shoddy works on Chapananga Road, tells contractor to redesign”

  1. Redisign my foot!! Idiots. Ine ngat expert wa apumbwa i think it would make peace if yu could just instract them to refund our cash so that enaso atengepo phunziro potitengela kumtoso!

  2. A Malawi. A Malawi. This should not be the job of the State VP. Where are people from Roads Authority, NCIC and some NGOs e.g. Kalondolondo? This is a sign that something is not right.

  3. Plem is also doing a road at Chimliro in Mzuzu. Please VP look at it. It takes ages and the standard is poor!

    1. True, the standard is poor. Actually, he has to look at the whole project document including the contract. I hear they charged the Mzuzu City K5billion just for a few kilometres.
      This is pure theft. Govt should bring in Strabag. They did a very good job to maintain Mzuzu-Nkhata Bay road at ONLY K4 billion. Yet some of these contractors charge K7 billion for a four-kilometres road for poor work.

  4. What should be done here is to ask Mia the progress of Chapananga road and lets get his comment before we think of transferring him to local government Ministry. VC, better visit all roads given to Plem construction WATHAZA kwambiri.

  5. This is one of the worst road contractors we have in Malawi. They win jobs thru corruption. Fargo Limited is another contractor.
    It is good that the VP has exposed them.
    Please BAN all shoddy contractors from giving them contracts.

  7. Contractor samapanga design museu. He wins the contract after buying the bid document in which there are designs by NRA and Works department. This is misplaced directive from VP

    2. Surprisingly, the one responsible for designs is not being mentioned. Or it that it was a design and construct arrangement?

    1. Ngati mwasowa comment just close chikamwa ngati dzenje la chimbuzi. Idiot. Chilima is an overseer. Kuganiza ngati Zinjathropus. Mxiiiieww

    2. It is also within his right for the VP to inspect roads. Mia has failed to spot mistakes.
      Do you know that Mia has always been transport minister in all the previous govts from Bakili Muluzi, Bingu wa Mutharika, Joyce Banda and now Chakwera. Why does he love to be minister of transport? Pali minga pali biiiiiiii!!!!!

  11. Some people do not deserve to be Malawians. Any responsible leader is supposed to do what SKC has done. But read the comments below, some are against the VP. So what do you want? It seems some people think with their bottoms and not heads.

    1. I agree with you my friend. Leaders should go out and inspect projects for themselves and not to be cheated by ministers. This is what Phombe Magufui of Tanzania is doing. He goes to the ‘field’ and sees things for himself. Some of these ministers just want allowances. They are not working. Ministers should talk tough against poor work.
      SKC is doing a good job. In fact, he should tell them that all shoddy contractors wil be blacklisted. Fullstop

  12. At times it is good not to comment on issues you do not know in depth. The VP is very right to say the contractor should redesign the road because some projects are of design and construct status. As the contractor suggest that there is little traffic on this road i am sure this road is a design and built status.All in all Plem are fond of doing sub standard works as they import cheap engineers from India.After all this project was done by the NYEKWE boma.

  16. Mia visited the same road on Saturday, with his entourage and fat allowances. Two days later the VP goes to see the same road. This is waste of time and money and must stop. Did Mia not already give a report on this?

  17. What was Sidik Mia doing there recently. Are you saying that he didn’t see the poor work? I think we should fire Sidik Mia. Maybe send him to a parastatal board

  19. Thats a great statement to the Contractors. BUT Road authority aproved the said poor design. Meaning there is the VP has to adress them too.

    1. You are right,the VP must also caustioned the road authority because they approved the road design….
      Chilima,go a head,in your Tonse leadership,we need quality roads& everything.
      But why didn’t Transport minister not spit vendom to the contractor(Plem)he didn’t see the msewu is poorly designed?Is Mia capable to deliver….?
      Chilima,go a head,ntchito zako zizakuchitira umbon,2024,I kneel down bwana,can you take over please?

      Regards,
      Mzakwacha Nixon Mzakwacha Village
      Bolero-Rumphi
      ………………………………………
      Durban
      Kwazulu Natal.

      +27724922299-Call&Whats AP.

      +27731440799-call

      +265999502600-Whats AP only only

    1. O Mbewe ndinu mbutuma ntchito yonse imakhala mumanja mwa contractor , Plem ndiimene idawina ntchito ndiye imapanga sub contract kwa ma Engineers enawo malingana ndi ukadaulo wawo , Umbuli komaso uka Cadet sudzatha

      1. Mabvuto iwe ndi amene sukuziwa.pa project pamakhala client,consultalt ndi contractor.Contractor amauzidwa zoti apange osakhala kuti iyeyo ndi amene amapnga design.Contractor akagwir ntchito consultant ndi amene amavomereza ntchitoyo so in this case consultant komanso client ndi amene amapereka design not contrator .

        1. Umbuli inu wakula mukumutsutsa Mabvuto mwina chifukwa cha dzina lakelo. Client comes to you. They brief you what they want and you as an engineer you have already a team of designers and so on. From there you go back to the client to tell him what you thought with your sketch design. Client then gives you a go ahead. Then you go back to finish your design (you can present either in 3D), before you start the project you go back to present the how will look like after completion.

          Now remember the DPP didn’t care about quality, they agreed to everything as long as they will make money out of it.

        2. Exactly that’s how it works. Let the designers redesign and the contractor redo the work at an extra cost.These things never come cheap!

  21. Yes that’s the spirit. We deserve better. After testing the Kamuzu era quality only stupid leaders will accept substandard work.

  22. If this man was our president, things could have changed in this country. Dr Chilima, please be our next president in 2024. At least we see you working and calling a spade a spade.

  23. I like that, these contractors need some sort of panel beating. Had it been Jappie Mhango did the same with ZCCCC, Karonga-Songwe border road would not be this bad.

    It is my hope that all cabinet ministers will borrow a leaf from that spirit, let us love our country, let us be patriotic and leave a legacy to out children by constructing durable and high quality infrastructure.

    Bravo SKC.

  26. The consultant designs the road according to a client. The contractor will always do what the consultant has specified. Let’s pay up more and do a strong road.

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