By coop Reporter
GOVERNMENT must stop calling local contractors criminals because we are now viewed as such, Zambia Association of Citizens Contractors (ZACCO) president Mutale Mpepo has said.
Mr. Mpepo says the bad publicity of the contractors by Government has since denied them opportunities to secure finances from the banks and other lending institutions who now consider local contractors risky.
Mr. Mpepo said the mistrust that is existing from Government is collapsing the sector and is against Government’ s own policy of employment creation.
Mr Mpepo has instead appealed to Government to meet the representatives of contractors and suppliers to find a mechanism which will lead to the dismantling of the outstanding payments.
He has appealed to Government not to bankrupt the local business and save the sector which he says is now in an intensive care.
“Instead of Government negotiating with contractors, we have a situation where contractors are being insulted every day by being called criminals, thieves, and incompetent and that has negatively affected the sector due to bad publicity,” Mr. Mpepo said.
He said most Zambian contractors comply to the international standards but admitted that there are still some contractors who do not carry their work effectively.
The best they should have done is being honest with themselves and accept the fact that they have not performed well for this country.
Local contractors’ works have always been below par.
Let them repent and change the way they work.