The history of the Zambezi Portland Cement factory has changed within the past few months. What once used to be a flourishing factory has now become a degraded entity which is struggling to meet its basic requirements. A prominent reason behind its poor performance is its management. At present, the minority shareholders of the ZPC, Ventriglia family are managing the affairs of the company and are busy making offshore transfers.
There have been reports where the workers have addressed their grievances and have specifically mentioned that they were not paid their salary for the month of April. Additionally, the working conditions are also very hazardous which results in a serious threat to the life of the employees at the ZPC.
Given the present situation, the ZPC is being operated with a view to generate maximum revenues based on its past reputation and one shall definitely think twice before entering into a contract with the Ventriglia family. They have a long history of money laundering and employee mistreatment. Earlier they had paid a price for their actions as they were deported from Africa in 2012. However, with the death of Michael Sata in November 2014, they were once again brought back to Africa through corrupt Government officials and their malpractice has resumed ever since day 1.
Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani has been the prime target of the conspirators as he was the one who stood in between them and ZPC. This has resulted in a serious defamation campaign against his name along with an infamous arrest, which took place on July 2 2015. A closed case was re-opened without showing any respect for the law and a senior-citizen like Dr. Rajan Mahtani was put behind the bars. Shortly after, Dr. Mahtani was released from jail and obtained a judicial review from the Lusaka High Court on June 25 2015.