Lusaka’s mystery structure

By: DOREEN NAWA

FROM a distance, the incomplete building on Lusaka’s Freedom Way situated on plot number 141 looks dilapidated and abandoned.
But on closer look it reveals itself as work in progress although at a snail’s pace. The 13-storey building has been standing for over 30 years now without being completed.
Nestled opposite old post office to the north and the once famous Stanley Bar across the road on the western side, the building towers precariously as its concrete walls reveal years of neglect.
There have been several stories about the building. Because of its stalled works for that long some people see a mesmerizing aura of mystery around the decaying yet incomplete building.
Some people believe it harbors ghosts of the city’s past because they have not seen or heard from its owners.
The building has left many questions unanswered following safety concerns raised by the public because the crane that is attached to this building swings dangerously.
Most people in the city have not forgotten the accident which happened years ago when a piece of metal from the crane fell on a baby who was on its mother’s back and died on the spot.
“This building has been a nuisance for as long as I have been on this street, Freedom way.  I came from the Lundazi to start up a life here and all I did was to set up a ka Ntemba (makeshift store) right under this building, I have witnessed some tragic accidents one of them was an object that dropped on a baby that was on the back of its mother and the baby died on the spot after being hit,” one of the traders on Freedom Way Kumbutso Mhone said.

Another trader, Percy Liwanga, said if the crane was brought down the public would be assured of safety.
“We have seen the street kids die after throwing themselves from the open windows. This building has proven to be a danger. I don’t know where the owner is. Maybe the owner is dead,” Mr Liwanga said.
Following several concerns, on February 10, 2022 the Lusaka City Council (LCC) gave a 30 day ultimatum to the owners of the seemingly abandoned building to have the crane brought down as it was a danger to the public.
The ultimatum has expired and the crane is still standing.
The building is the property of Royal Lutanda, which has agreed to bring the crane down.
The company bought the building from its initial owner Zambia State Insurance Company (ZISC) over 20 years ago.
In an exclusive interview Royal Lutanda representative Michael Pasquini said the building was bought with the initial plan of it being a hotel. But after years passed, the plan changed.
Mr Pasquini said once completed the building would be used for various purposes.
“The building in question is ours; it was bought from the first owners, ZISC over 20 plus years but with time and some financial challenges faced in completing it, a decision was made to complete the ground floor, the first and second floor. These floors will be used as shops, the rest once
The safety concerns are all what the traders and just the public are hoping for. When complete the building will be used for various purposes as offices, hostels, restaurants and any other venture befitting the space,” Mr Pasquini said.
But why has the construction of the building stalled? For Mr Pasquini, it is mainly financial.
“If you have noticed lately, the construction at the site has been on-going for the past months. If you look at the windows, they are no longer hollow because the space has been covered. The building is not abandoned. As you many already know the COVID-19 outbreak stalled the construction activities because the banks were not operating on full capacity and accessing financial support was a challenge,” Mr Pasquini said.
Mr Pasquini said Royal Lutanda has accessed twice financial support from the banks towards the construction of the building.
“We have not been quiet on the project to have this building see its completion but it hasn’t been easy. The project is a massive one,” he said.
But what will happen to the crane? Mr Pasquini said the crane would be brought down beginning this month, April.
“Yes we are in talks with various engineering companies. For such works we have capacity on our engineers here in Zambia. We may not need to bring in people from outside the country. Of course we need to put in place several safety measures to ensure that the public is protected and we do not experience any loss of lives in the process of bringing it down,” Mr Pasquini said.

Mr Pasquini said Royal Lutanda would ensure that the operation to bring down the crane was done professionally.
LCC public relations manager Mwaka Nakweti said, “Following the expiration of the 30 day ultimatum given to Royal Lutanda by the Local Authority to resolve the nuisance the uncompleted building at plot number 141 Freedom Way is causing to the public, the proprietor of the said building has indicated that the company intends to raze down the tower crane completely,” she said.
Ms Nakweti said Lutanda has sought for more time from Lusaka City Council for them to engage qualified engineers to conduct risk assessment before the demolition exercise of the crane can commence.
“Lusaka City Council has insisted on them engaging suitably qualified personnel that will ensure the demolition is conducted with the safety of the public in mind,” she said.
Ms Nakweti said the Local Authority will work with stakeholders such as the Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ) and other experts to ensure that the integrity of the structure is tested and if the outcome is unfavourable recommendations will be made to pull down the structure completely.
The existence of the attached crane is a nuisance according to the Public Health Act Section 67(l), Chapter 295 of the Laws of Zambia as it poses a danger to the health and safety of the people around the Central Business District.
EIZ president Abel Ngándu said the building in question needed an infrastructural assessment once the crane was removed.
“We want to bring in expertise to ensure that we bring down the crane safely. After that, we will assess the infrastructural integrity of the building,” Mr Ngándu said.
It is clear that the safety of the building is paramount and it is the hope of the public that the process will be done with all the measures put in place to ensure that everyone is safe. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL APRIL 4, 2022