The Zambia Community Natural Resources Management Forum (ZCBNRM), on behalf of over 100 environmental organizations in Zambia, is registering its disappointment with, and protests against the decision by the Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Honorable Harry Kalaba MP dated 17th January 2014, to approve the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of the Kangaluwi Mining Project license 15547-HQ-LML by Mwembeshi Resources Limited which was rejected by many stakeholders.
On 5th September 2012 Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) rejected the proposed large scale mining activities in Lower Zambezi National Park based on solid technical grounds.The previous minister did not approve this EIS because he wanted to
subject the matter to Cabinet for further guidance.
As Civil Society Organisations we are re-engaging Government using all available avenues as provided by the Laws of Zambia to find a sustainable solution to this issue.
We are calling upon well meaning Zambians to rally behind this noble cause as the EIS did not even meet required local and international standards.
Vincent Ziba
Community Based Natural Resources Forum (CBNRF)
For and on behalf of forum membership
The PF government is a veritable national disaster! All decisions they are making are great tragedies which if left to progress will cause irreversible consequences.THEY MUST BE STOPPED!
Thanks Mr. Ziba. Is Zambia divided into two main regions as indicated on the Map-EITA?
Since 1928, same stories and no tangibe benefits to the citizenry. Let the govt first sort out the low taxes, subsidised electricity and externalised profits they have allowed these mines to enjoy. Then MAYBE we can consider. Otherwise hands off our beloved animals. Better to have animals in the park till jesus comes than have a 20 year mine with no guaranteed jobs, pollution, slave wages and a bloated expatriate workforce. Look at the existing mines. VIVA animals.
I expected a lot of constructive debate from the noisy bloggers here! But alas they are all cadres and they do not care about the welfare of our environment and and our beloved animals in the National parks. This is a serious issue and people decide to ignore it at the expense of defenseless people who are beneficiaries of that land which is soon going to be raped and vandalized by the uncaring capitalists. We have seen how the Copperbelt has been destroyed and left Kabwe polluted, yet there is no any meaningful benefits for the local people and our govt still goes ahead to allow these criminals to destroy our land. We the people should demonstrate to stop this!
@The Observer, I fully agree with you on this one, that is why in most cases some of us shy away to post comments on this blog because usually it is infested by cadres trading insults. Back to the issue at hand, the PF govt has proven to be very reckless indeed, how on earth can they allow such an exploitative activity in a National park and us Zambians are quiet? we need to mount pressure on Govt through mass protests so that we protect our environment, it has been proven that we do not even benefit from these mines apart from them ministers getting kick backs and the miners getting all the loot at the expense of development. we need to defend our country from such recklessness, bravo to ZCBNRM, opposition parties speak up please! Someone propose a strategy to counter this carelessness!
there is nothing HONORABLE about that man. Allowing people to destroy our BEAUTIFUL country and depleting our wildlife. im absolutely disgusted.
Does anyone know how big the copper project is to warrant displacement of living things…..
Anth where is the “hard working” Masebo to comment or the Environment minister, they only pretend to work hard when there is taxpayer money’s to be spent…they will only protest when they stand not to gain financially themselves. Even companies called Glencore Investment and JP Morgan managed to sneak in as one of the minority shareholders.
People join the group on Facebook called “No Mining in Lower Zambezi” and sign the petition.
This greed has to end!!
I am told that there were once animals in Dar Es Salaam but all were relocated to Mukumi National park. Even in Kitwe we had elephants long time ago. The name Kitwe comes from Chitwe (the big head) which was found along the kitwe stream. Table the issue and weight the advantages and disadvantages before coming up with decisions that may be regrettable.
How much reveue will the mine bring? What is the current revenue from the park?
It’s not too late to reverse that decision, can we get some signatures going?! Lets sue the minister whose stamp is on that paper, after we win, can we make sure the Chinese get drawn up contracts of how many may be allowed to trade in Zambia and specify which trade areas they can be allowed? People please lets behave like the French some times for this issue is very sensitive and urgent!
CBNRF, IT’S NOT TOO LATE!! Garner all your other members & push for an INJUNCTION, & as another parallel avenue, lets mobilise & sensitise citizens to the level we did for the “NO THIRD TERM” issue!
WE should mobilize, Copper is a wasting asset, Whilst OUR WILDLIFE & ENVIRONMENT are SUSTAINABLE REGENERATIVE ASSETS!
Copper is short term, but more so, the organisation tasked to look after OUR ENVIRONS, has REFUSED TO GIVE THE PERMIT – these are people who are non-partisan & are simply public workers relying on the best evidence to manage our resources, YET WE GET AN ARROGANT MINISTER WHO OVERTURNS this ruling without good reason, leaving us to surmise that he probably has received SUBSTANTIAL KICKBACKS!
Now this is encouraging! thumbs up to ZCBNRM for coming on board. please people lets work together on this one and use to our advantage the power we have as masses. the obvious corrupt practices behind this issue will cost us our environment. its us to suffer the adverse effects.TOGETHER WE CAN!
THE NEWS IS SHOCKING….. HOW CAN ANY INTELLIGENT PERSON THINK OF PUTTING A COPPER MINE IN THE LOWER ZAMBEZI NATIONAL PARK OR ANY PARK IN THE WORLD…
As mentioned on the AFRICAN CONSERVATION FONDATION web site: “They will be putting two open-pit mines, two deep mines, a tailings dam and dump, and other extensive infrastructure… There will be a physical invasion that would ravage in excess of 50 sq. km of the escarpment area of the park, and that would contaminate the Zambezi and downstream ecosystems”.
HOW CAN ANY ZAMBIAN WHANT SUCH DISTRUCTION… Zambia could become one of the leading tourist destinations in the world… WHY DESTROY EVERITHING…..
Copper will give for some years a very good profit for just a few people and ONCE THE COPPER PRICE FALLS AS IN THE PAST… ZAMBIA WILL BE LEFT WITH…
This is the selfsame reason we are getting a raw deal and paying a high price from mining contracts on the Copperbelt its is because of greedy corrupt ministers like the minister in question who approved contracts 20 years ago in exchange for brown envelopes without even understanding the long term implications of their actions. The sad thing about this is that some of them are broke today and some have passed on living their millions in tide up Swiss accounts unable to be accessed by their own immediate families.
@ ZCBNRM, may I suggest you contact environmental organizations in Australia (and elsewhere around the world!) to bring public pressure on the mining company from there?
Zambezi Resource’s corporate HQ is in Perth:
17 Ord Street
West Perth
WA 6005
Australia
Tel: +61 (0) 8 6555 1879
Fax: +61 (0) 8 9398 4104
Email: [email protected]
Let the Chairman, David Vilensky wake-up to find activists picketing his house! Same goes for their Directors, Frank Vanspeybroeck and Marinko Vidovich! Willie Sweta is the Zambian Executive Chairman and am guessing he sold his soul to the devil long ago.
Iwe don’t insult Mr Sweta, he is a peaceful man of God. Why did the government allow them to explore in the Lower Zambezi when the the government knew that it is the National Park? How can you feel when people encourage you to marry and later after you marry, they tell that no sex? Mind you divorce is sin to God. Okey give them back their money they spent on exploration. It would look like everything was based on deceit and lies. And I am talking in the range of K100 billion or somewhere there about.
@ CNN, if Sweta is a “peaceful man of God” like you claim, then let him show it and resign on principle! Easy. Or maybe he likes earning blood money each month and it truly is “lies and deceit” as you say?
Btw – from your name, that’s a great idea! ZCBNRM should contact CNN, BBC, and all the other international news media too! How dare a company come from Australia to destroy a park in Africa.
The whole world should know this story!
We in Aus will do our part in bringing this to light on Investigative TV channels in the coming days! We have to stop this irresponsible decision made by some possibly corrupted person!
@Spuds you have a job. I am just an ordinary Zambia who is free to comment. At one time I was looking for 15 field workers to work in soil sampling program. Later there were about 800 people who turned up crashing each other for 15 opportunities in Rufunsa. That is how pathetic it is bwana Spuds. In Mufulira and Kitwe, Sulphur Dioxide is released everyday, why hasn’t ZEMA closed the mines for pollution. If they close those mines that is when you will see how mines have been able to sustain the population of Zambia. Even the Copperbelt was one time like the Lower Zambezi. But look at what the mines have done, new towns, Ching, Kitwe, Muf, Ndola, Luanshya are as a result of mines. Kafue river is not polluted. People still catch fish. Part of the money you are enjoy is bcoz the mines.
Animals, copper ,zinc, chickens ,trees etc all were made to serve mans comforts, and not to rule man, therefore lets us see which one is the priority man with job or few animals man in poverty, but the most reasonable thing is that animals can be relocated just as they do in other countries eg south Africa Zambia can do the same we have vast land in Zambia why cry
Talk of IGNORANCE! It is indeed as ubiquitous as the air we breathe!
Another rallying call from concerned citizens of the nation. This government is not leading but ruling its people. The citizens are being left behind on the constitution, local langauges in schools, bringing back of INDECO and now mining in the national park. Can the President please lead and not rule us, as a people well led they truly follow their leader.
We are being ruled by people -(Politicians) with No foresight whatsoever!!
These so called leaders only worry about their own bellies, & girlfriends.
Any developed (Civilised) Nation will Protect & Guard jealousy their heritage sites, i.e. no matter the amount of wealth under Yellowstone National park, no sane Human being would dream of excavating under this site. BUT Ku Zambia the story is different.
Same as the So called “Dr” Minister of Education. If hed said we will teach Chinese Mandarin in our schools, Id have said BRAVO, as China is where its gonna happen next, & even Rich Americans are getting their children Mandarin lessons so they can compete in the Next Big Financial environment. Only Ku Zed, nipamene timenya reverse gear. I’m sure Ministers children are not in those…
(Continued ),
. are not in these Schools, but abroad learning “Proper English”
Zambia has vast empty lashes of land unutilised. Enviromental degradation is in the current cities and towns inadated by growing population that crowds the urban areas. Such mines will decongest the overpopulated towns.
Think again how many zambians have been employed because of that animal park, if that pays off then why move animals but if that falls short why not do the wise thing or else those unemployed people will be poachers let us come to the point. Why keep chickens when you children are dying of hunger that is foolishness
Hi,
I just signed this petition — will you join me?
Stop ALL mining activity in the Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia.
To: His Excellency Michael Chilufya Sata, President of the Republic of Zambia
The petition is really important and could use our help. Click here to find out more and sign:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/His_Excellency_Michael_Chilufya_Sata_President_of_the_Republic_of_Zambia_We_ask_you_to_prevent_all_mining_activity_in_th/?kKTkOgb
Thanks so much,
Sign the petition here
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/His_Excellency_Michael_Chilufya_Sata_President_of_the_Republic_of_Zambia_We_ask_you_to_prevent_all_mining_activity_in_th/?fndxedb
So the pronouncements that we are going to diversify our economy from Mining Copper to Tourism are the usual political rhetoric. Sad!
Those animals have never put food in the stomachs of lower zambezi people. They are better off relocated! I totally support the mining than the empty tourism that has never benefited people of chiawa, other than those foreign investors called tourist!.
@Cms you are a very selfish person! so you only think of what will make you happy even if its going to affect other living creatures. think man! why do you think God created these vegetation and animals? do you think you can survive without them? your ignorance and selfishness makes you eat everything today and leave your children to suffer tomorrow! think beyond your belly and you will see the sense that so many Zambians are now seeing!
Imwe, those are just animals which even eat people. We can even migrate them somewhere else. Lets take development to that bush
You can all help by signing the petition!
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/His_Excellency_Michael_Chilufya_Sata_President_of_the_Republic_of_Zambia_We_ask_you_to_prevent_all_mining_activity_in_th/?f