China slammed in Zambia rally

opment, described the replacement of Zambian workers with Chinese labourers – as is customary on Chineserun projects – as “a time bomb”.

There have been several high profile incidents of Chinese managers allegedly mistreating their Zambian workers.

“In some instances the Chinese are beating Zambians in places of work for simply failing to follow instructions,” Katuka said.

Typically reclusive, China’s ambassador to Lusaka Lie Jie was drawn into the growing furore to defend Beijing’s intentions.

“I feel strange when I hear we want to colonise Africa,” he told journalists recently, categorically denying that China was seeking to buy Zambia’s publicly-owned companies.

Economist and head of Zambia’s Private Sector Development Association Yosuf Dodia said that Chinese investment should be seen as an opportunity not a burden.

“Zambia has been dominated by the West for 100 years . . . and we are seeing poverty all over the continent,” he said.

“The partnership level is around $10 billion – and that is good. There is no other country that offers those kinds of opportunities.”

The benefit of such vast investment is not always felt on the ground, however.

“I am not happy with the dominance of Chinese contractors. In the first place, the money that they get from these contracts is externalised and all that they return here are meagre wages,” said Edgar Syakachoma, himself a contractor.

“Let the government a lso give us t he contracts so t hat they benefit Zambians.”