The Botswana government has opposed a claim by ZANU PF President Emmerson Mnangagwa that Zimbabwe co owns the newly built Kazungula Bridge.
In a broad thread, Botswana states that the bridge was built by and for Zambia and Botswana alone. The Twitter thread is as follows:
1. Package 1 is the bridge, which is designed as an extra-dosed road-rail bridge to accommodate a future railway line which will link Mosetse-Kazungula in Botswana to Kazungula-Livingstone in Zambia.
(Single carriageway for motor vehicles, single railway track & pedestrian walkways on both sides). The Bridge has specifications of length 18.5m width and span arrangement of 923m. This package also includes an approach road on the Botswana side of 302m and 416m on the Zambia side
2. Packages 2 and 3 are the One-Stop-Border Post (OSBP) facilities on the Botswana and Zambia side respectively.
Each package consists of among others, a passenger terminal, vehicle inspection building, freight inspection building, truck transit offices (entry and exit), health inspection building and veterinary offices.
The packages also caters for internal circulation roads and car parking facilities for buses, trucks and light motor vehicles as well as access roads to the new border posts.
Funding • The construction supervision was awarded to the Kazungula Bridge Consultants-Joint Venture comprising of Nippon Koei Co. Ltd., Chodai Co. Ltd., Gibb (Pty) Ltd, Bothakga Burrow Botswana (Pty) Ltd, CPP Botswana (Pty) Ltd and Zulu Burrow Development Consultants Ltd at a cost of USD 15, 726, 755.00 funded by JICA.
• Package 1: funded by both Governments of Botswana and Zambia on 50% basis.
The contract was awarded to Daewoo Engineering and Construction at an original sum of USD 161 961 304.84 which has been revised to USD 174 184 799.54 to incorporate 16% VAT component from the Government of the Republic of Zambia.
• Package 2, One-Stop Border Post Botswana was funded by JICA exclusive of VAT while the Botswana Government funded the VAT component. The contract was awarded to Zhong Gan Engineering & Construction at a cost of BWP 440, 116, 275.30.
• Package 3, One-Stop Border Post Zambia is funded by AfDB. The Contract was awarded to Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Group Co. Ltd at a cost of ZMW 263, 670, 419.98