To the question of whether the redesign of the Kazungula Border Bridge resulted in any cost escalations, our source’s response is a simple and immediate one: “Obviously!”
The redesign was a direct result of Zimbabwe’s refusal to allow any part of the Bridge to pass over its territory.
“That will not happen!” Obert Mpofu, then Zimbabwe’s transport minister, thundered in parliament in 2014.
The plan for the bridge had been conceived by Botswana and Zambia, which then invited Zimbabwe to come on board. Zimbabwe, whose economy has been ruined by United States and European Union economic sanctions, stayed on board until it had to cough up its own contribution. There was also a public spat over Zimbabwe’s elections between then president Robert Mugabe on one side and Ian Khama of Botswana and Levy Mwanawasa on the other side, that soured relations. When it couldn’t raise funds and as ruse to save face, Zimbabwe denied Botswana and Zambia use of its territory for the construction of the bridge.
This situation forced Botswana and Zambia to negotiate with Namibia – which agreed to allow use of its territory, basically saving the project. Instead of going straight into Zimbabwe from Botswana as had been the original plan, the bridge now curves westwards into Namibian territory, before making a landfall in Zambia. The shape of the bridge, which was officially opened nine days ago, will forever serve as physical testimony of how Zimbabwe tried to sabotage a very important regional project that it is also already benefitting from.
Our source, a roads engineer in the civil service, says that changing the shape of the bridge (which was “almost a redesign”) increased its length – which in turn increased construction costs. The redesign was itself preceeded by a survey that informed the redesign.
