ZRA dismisses retrenchment claims

THE Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has denied assertions that it has plans to downsize its human capital through retrenchments.

According to the information obtained by the Daily Nation in Livingstone from insiders, if the Council of Ministers meeting which was scheduled to take place on December 21, 2017 did goes ahead, the issue of the proposed retrenchment and reemployment of workers effective December 31,

2017 and January 1, 2018 was going to be considered.

However, the meeting of ministers could not take place as scheduled, instead, it will take place in January next year due to various reasons which include the change of leadership in Zimbabwe.

The move of retrenchment of workers by the authority was recommended by ZRA board and is aimed at reducing employment costs as it said to be very high.

But in an exclusive interview with the Daily Nation in Livingstone on Wednesday shortly after addressing a media briefing, ZRA Chief Execute Officer Eng. Munyaradzi Munodawafa said that in fact, the authority was considering employing more personnel next year.

Eng. Munodawafa said that this was in order to increase the work because of the various projects which the authority will undertake.

He said that the authority will next year engage more people to be in charge of projects such as the upcoming creation of another dam at the Devil's Gorge on the upstream of the Zambezi River situated slightly after the Batoka Gorge.

"That is not true that ZRA is planning to downsize its workforce...how can that happen when in fact we are coming up with more projects like the building a dam at the devil's gorge," he said.

Eng. Munodawafa further disclosed that the authority will next year employ someone with expertise in wildlife management.

Speaking earlier during the briefing, Eng Munodawafa described 2017 as a year that was busy for the authority as it was the second year of its five year strategic plan.

He said that the rehabilitation of Kariba Dam in Siavonga, Southern Province is at the heart of the authority's existence as it is important for both the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Eng. Munodawafa disclosed work on the plunge pool at Dam have started and is expected to be completed in 2021.

He said that works taking place at the Dam is the reshaping of the plunge pool and Spillway refurbishment, which include emergency gate, new gantry and associated civil works.

"The plunge pool will cost 100 US$million dollars and this money has already been secured from the European Union as a grant and for the Spillway Gate, we got a directive from the Africa Union to secure money from the African Development Bank (AfDB)..the works have started," he said.

"Before the end of the first quarter of 2018, work at the Dam will be full swing and if it is to continuously work, it will take three years but it is also dependent on the weather," he said.

The ZRA chief said that the total cost of all the works for both plunge pool and dam refurbishment will be US$294 million.

Meanwhile, Eng. Munodawafa told journalists that the authority will next year not open the spillway gates to release the water.