TRANSPORT and Infrastructure Development minister Obert Mpofu has revealed that he ordered a Chinese contractor working on the expansion of Victoria Falls Airport to dismiss most of its workers from the Asian country that were employed at the expense of locals.
MTHANDAZO NYONI OWN CORRESPONDENT
Mpofu told a Zanu PF interprovincial meeting on Saturday in Bulawayo that the company, which he did not name, had more Chinese workers than locals.
“I once visited the airport and asked the contractor to show me his workers,” he said. “They lined them up and there were more Chinese people than locals.” He said the Chinese company had also imported general hands.
“They are gone now and we have more of our people working there,” he said. “Our people need to stand up and be counted.”
Mpofu said his ministry had a number of infrastructural development projects that would be implemented under the government’s latest economic blueprint — ZimAsset — and foreign companies intending to participate should have proof of participation by local people.
Chinese contractor Jiangsu was given the contract to upgrade Victoria Falls Airport and the $150 million project that started in February last year includes construction of a four-kilometre-long runway, a new international terminal building and an upgraded domestic terminal building.
When complete, the airport would have a new fire station, new control tower and state-of-the-art aviation equipment as well as have enough capacity for wide-bodied aircraft and to handle 1,5 million tourists annually.
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The government has been often criticised for overly relying on Chinese investors whom critics say never do enough to involve locals in mega projects.
Mpofu added that his ministry was currently hosting the Routes Africa conference in Victoria Falls and they would use the opportunity to lure more airlines to fly in and use Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo.
