Chinese firms differ over ‘forced’ quarantine
A WRANGLE has erupted between Zambia-China Corporation Zone (ZCCZ) and the Chinese-owned OWOD Investments Development Company Limited, which has refused to place workers on quarantine.
ZCCZ is the developer of the Chambishi Multi-facility Economic Zone (MFEZ) in Chambishi on the Copperbelt. The developer closed the entrance to the factory in the MFEZ after the management and workers at OWOD Investments Development Company Limited refused to be quarantined at the company premises. After closing the entrance to the factory, ZCCZ sent sheriffs to OWOD Investments Development Company Limited to recover US$ 27,866 in unpaid rentals for three months. Some of the assets seized included Gen sets, vehicles, computers, office furniture and other property necessary for the operation of the company. OWOD Investments Development Company Limited Chief Executive Officer, Yu Binghong, confirmed the incident in an interview in Kitwe yesterday. He said ZCCZ was forcing his company to quarantine its workers at the premises, insisting that they could spread Covid-19. But when contacted for a comment, ZCCZ Chief Executive Officer, Liao Zibin, referred all queries to his interpreter who was equally uncooperative. However, Mr Yu said after his firm refused to quarantine workers at the premises, ZCCZ decided to close the entrance to the factory, forcing the workers to be climbing the boundary wall. "The workshop has no capacity and it is not conducive to quarantine workers. So I cannot quarantine the workers at the workshop,'' Mr Yu said Mr Yu said ZCCZ set bailiffs on his company to recover US$ 27,866 in unpaid rentals for three months. He said it was difficult for him to raise enough money to pay rentals when ZCCZ had decided to give difficult conditions to his company to continue operating. He said some of the difficult conditions which ZCCZ gave included arbitrarily switching off power when the factory was operating. Mr Yu said he was willing to pay the outstanding rentals on conditions that ZCCZ stopped blocking the entrance for his local workers and his customers . He added that ZCCZ should resume power supply to his workshop.