THE Zambia Association of Citizens Contractors (ZACCO) says the new dawn government should slow down on criminalising local contractors by calling them thieves and incompetent. The association says negative sentiments from the government over “unfounded reasons” such as belonging to the previous government, and getting paid for no work have disadvantaged local contractors. During a media briefing, Sunday, ZACCO president Mutale Mpepo lamented that local contractors are now failing to acquire financial assistance from banks due to the “bad publicity” by the government. “Government through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development as at December 2022, terminated a total number of 197 feeder road contracts out of the 240 countrywide valued at K10,448,310,915.14. The termination and halting of feeder...