China Copper Mines on the Copperbelt has threatened to place the mine under care and maintenance if President Edgar Lungu does not stop government agencies from interfering with operations of the mine.
Company Director Yu Wang Ping said in a statement that the mine is being pressurised to lay off over 200 workers and suspend a $50 million investment which is aimed at creating 1000 jobs.
Mr. Ping is concerned that despite the mine fully complying with all the requirements from government agencies, pressure is still being exerted on the mine to seize operations for unwarranted reasons.
And Mr. Ping has alleged that the mine has suffered financial losses over the past two months due to disruptions in production by government agencies.
In September this year Chingola residents staged a peaceful protest against the China Copper Mine which had been dumping acid, oil and other chemicals in Kafisali since it started mining activities.
‘The Chinese company has refused to observe any environmental and other regulations since it is involved in the production of pollutants that have affected the local people around the prospecting area.The company is involved in heavy pollution from blasting and copper trading even though their licence is confined to mining prospecting,’ a resident complained.
The residents also called for a forensic audit into how a Chinese investor grabbed the mining area from Zambian owners under the directive of Mines minister Christopher Yaluma and Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge.The residents alleged that Yaluma and Musenge pocketed large sums of money from the Chinese to facilitate the mine takeover.
The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) then served China copper mines with an Enviromental restoration order.CCM was ordered to take measures to reduce, remedy or mitigate any adverse effects related to pollution of the Fitula and Muntimpa Streams and surrounding environs resulting from its Leaching and Solvent Extractions Operations. CCM was specifically ordered to:
- Immediately cease operations at the Leaching and Solvent Extraction Plants and associated infrastructure which were the source of the said pollution;
- Construct another pond south of the current leach ponds to act as a Pollution Control Dam (“PCD”) which pond is to be lined with High Density Polyethylene (HDP) material to contain future possible pollution occurrences;
- Restore affected land including the two streams (Fitula and Mimbula);
- Remove or alleviate any injury to land, animals, and the environment or to the amenities of Kafisali and Kankomo Communities; and
- Immediately provide an alternative source of clean and safe drinking water to the communities of Kifisali and Kankomo and their livestock until such a time that the contamination in the Fitula and Mimbula streams is reduced to acceptable levels to the satisfaction of ZEMA.
However Company Director Yu Wang Ping has said the mine has suffered financial losses over the past two months due to disruptions in production by government agencies.
This is what corruption does! It emboldens a wrong doer at the expense or law enforcers who are siding with the poor silent majority!! Watch out,2016 is not far and if such reports increase we may say good bye to PF!!
Are you still counting on PF? ….. PF is history, am inviting you for the burial next year
What more do you need? The evidence is there. Look at what the Chinese pollution has done to the man’s teeth. Alarming !!
This is what happens when you sell the soul of your country for a few pieces of gold.Zambia is losing it’s sovereignty. People who are polluting our environment can even boldly threaten us. Copper prices are low thats the pinch you are feeling China mine no need for threats but by all means pack your bags and leave.
It appears the mine doesn’t want to operate according to the law
Please close this Choncholi Mine. Twalafwa kuno ku Chingola.
The guy in the picture is almost as handsome as our President. Except his teeth have gone because of drinking acid contaminated water.
Its time GRZ started opening their own mines in order to offer alternative employment to the Zambian people. GRZ should not let foreign entities alone to manage it’s mining industries but instead participate and partner with investors in all sectors.
Agreed. We need to control our own Mining industry as it contributes much of our GDP (apparently). Nothing wrong with Nationalisation if you consider the amount of a Revenue we lose out on to the conglomerates who won’t pay tax. These Mining investors have proven unreliable for stability.
I have in the past days been to then Roan concentrator but alas, it looks like a ghost mine as all the metals and machinery have been scrapped, sold or sent to china, just like what they did to Kariba dam by removing durable equipment and replaced by useless chinese machinery. In short, there is nothing in the mining sector in Luanshya to write about. The mining areas are so filthy and looks like you are in the battle areas of syria. And that my friends is your chinese mining investment.
These Chinese can construct roads and railways and buildings BUT please NOT mines!!! China has the worlds’ worst mining safety record. More people die in mining accidets in China than anywhere else in the worl;d and they somehow dont bother much.Same will start here. Remember that Southern province mine where a gvt minister wept and chinamen resorted to shooting miners ???
China has worst human rights violation. I expect they don’t think the ‘little Zambian’ country should revert them from killing people!
The gov’t is in the right here. Clearly violations have taken place and politicking about PF is irrelevant. Any other gov’t of opposition would do the same in the circumstances to prevent a devil may care operative. However China remains the best investors in Africa especially since other investors like Glencore Vedanta just do what they like!
It’s BUFFOON Kambwili who else..lets not beat about the bush!
This is half truth from the so called Yu Wang Ping. Zambia has laws and rules to be followed. We all known that that Chinese run companies a very poor in matters concerning Health, Safety and Environment. They treat workers like pigs with no provision for Personal Protective Equipment. They can pull out the Koreans have come looking for concessions or mines to buy.
B..loody choncholi, yes we need jobs but not at the expense of our people’s lives and our environment. if your lives don’t matter in China because you can reproduce in billions, we Zambians are not that fortunate and so we treasure every single Zambian life. Please pack and go elsewhere if you cannot follow our simple basic laws.
I have a feeling some big shorts are positioning themselves to take over the mines. So they are the ones ordering mines to lay off people. Kwena bantu balibbe chifundo.
This chinese man could be fully convinced that he has done nothing wrong. First of all, how was he allowed to commence operations with all these measures not in place? Our own people corruptly allowed them to literally poison the environment!