ZAMBIA RAILWAYS LIMITED CONDUCTS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS IN KAFUE, CHILANGA AND LUSAKA DISTRICTS
A team from the Public Relations Section, ZRL Police, and Safety recently conducted community sensitization meetings in Kafue, Chilanga and Lusaka Districts to educate members of the community on the negative effects that vices such as, vandalism and theft, trespassing, and encroachment, may have on the company and train operations.
Speaking during the meetings, Zambia Railways Limited Public Relations Manager Ms. Sombe Longwani Ng’onga emphasized on the need for the community to work together with ZRL in an effort to protect the company’s property.
Ms. Ng’onga stressed that the company is losing colossal sums of money through repairs and replacement costs as a result of vandalism.
She also educated the community members on the effects of trespassing especially walking with headsets on the tracks, and garbage dumping near or on the railway line.
And ZRL Safety officer Mr. Joseph Fulayi advised community members especially the youths to desist from making the rail line a “love nest”, adding that a number of people have lost their lives because of trespassing on railway tracks.
Meanwhile, the community members have welcomed the engagement meetings and urged ZRL to continue holding such meetings, stating that it is through the meetings that people would be informed about the effects of vandalism and other railway safety issues.
They added that it is through such engagements that a lasting solution would be found to the challenges that the company may be facing.