Wednesday, November 27, 2024

17 arrested in Solwezi’s Kalumbila mine area for breach of peace

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FIRST Quantum Mine (FQM) is developing the US$2-billion Trident Mine in Kalumbila area of Solwezi district and has engaged more than 1,200 employees, including 200 Filipinos with specialised skills. Above, some of the Filipinos captured during a conducted tour by media heads and other senior journalists to Trident’s Sentinel
FIRST Quantum Mine (FQM) is developing the US$2-billion Trident Mine
in Kalumbila area of Solwezi district and has engaged more than 1,200
employees, including 200 Filipinos with specialised skills. Above,
some of the Filipinos captured during a conducted tour by media heads
and other senior journalists to Trident’s Sentinel

Police in Solwezi arrested 17 people at Kisasa in Kalumbila mine area yesterday after a violent commotion erupted during a data base creation exercise.

The exercise which started on Monday this week has since been suspended.

North-Western Province Police Commissioner Grace Chipalila confirmed the incident to ZANIS in Solwezi that the 17 suspects were charged with conduct likely to cause breach of peace but all have been released after paying admission of guilt fine.

Mrs. Chipalila said the violence was instigated by the remark by one of the local people engaged by the mine to register potential job seekers that only Lunda people would be entered in the data base.

A data base is a system that mining companies in collaboration with local Chiefs in the district use to recruit workers for the mines.

The North-Western Province Police Commissioner said the remark angered other job seekers from Solwezi and the Copperbelt province who were in the majority.

One job seeker Edwin Lufugulo complained that the use of the data base register as a mode of recruiting workers is segregative and appealed to government to investigate the matter.

Mr Lufugulo noted that there is no law that favours the creation of a data base register for employing adding that people should be allowed to compete for jobs wherever they are available.

Five data base registration centers were established in Chief Musele’s Chiefdom where Kalumbila Minerals Company is located.

Kalumbila Minerals company is expected to start operations in June this year.

17 COMMENTS

  1. Is this exercise being done under the one Zambia one nation motto,where the said jobs are only available to lundas & kaondes only? Do these people even have the expertise to manage the machinery that goes with the jobs being sought after,given the high level of primitivity being propelled by these locals? What sort of tribalism is this?ah,to hell with that base of data!

    • People from copper belt should understand that about 52% of Kalumbila workers are from copper belt, 20% foreign nationals, and the remaining is local. Mind your language *****s, one doesn’t need a PHD or a Degree to operate any machine in the mines. That’s why you are pompous for nothing, just go and catch fish kulubemba and leave us alone.

    • You`re really a dull idi.ot. The fact that you are crying for jobs in North Westerns shows how dumb you`re isn`t it? Why cant you create jobs in your region if you`re smart??

  2. @kaddaffi
    Hahahaha, which expertise naimwe, these are mostly casual workers (bacibombebombe) being recruited. Skilled workforce is normally handled by the HR department.

    • @ the chosen 1,even that,information reaching me states that one ought to be in that data base for you to chance anything rregardless of your skills.no matter how qualified you are,data base is a must,because that’s where they’ll be picking skilled labour from.

    • @ chosen one you dont know what you are talking about because skilled and non skilled employees are all found in the data bases including university graduates. So shut up if you dont know anything.

    • @Mosquito
      It shows you’re a person of low calibre who can’t debate without using demeaning words. In any case, my response was not directed to you but to Kaddaffi, and I recommend him for his sane response.

      In any case, the jobs reserved for locals are for chibombebombes (low skilled workers) – the villagers who were displaced from that land. The Chiefs in the area with the support of government struck a deal with the Mine owners that for low skill workforce, priority MUST be given to locals. It’s nothing new, that’s the way it was even with Lumwana Mines.

      Positions likes Mining Engineers, Geologists, Environmentalists, Metallurgists are NOT reserved for local people but open to all Zambians and foreigner

  3. Don’t talk about one Zambia one nation because u want something. Priority must be given to the local pipo who shud benefit first for losing their land. If that mine were opened in chinsali, do u think tongas, lozis, or kaondes would have any chance knowing bembas? 60% must go to local pipo first. Then 40% to other pipo.

  4. Bufi! Filipinos captured in the above picture have no specialised skills, these are labourers,bricklayers and capenters whose skills can be done by zambians

  5. Yes, where did the Phillipinos come from and how did they enter Zambia in thew first place? Can Zambians also go the Philippines just like that and get jobs? What’s going on kansi imwe banthu?

  6. I thought 4 people were killed for insulting Lundas Luvales and Kaondes. So that was a false story. One Zambia one nation. But employ more locals too.

  7. People Kalumbila mines is owned by First Quantum Minerals Limited, and FQM have a Job portal where they advertise vancancies for qulified applicants (www.fqml.com/careers) the Job data base issue is for workmen/general workers etc and priority is given to locals,so thats what was happening, but the challenge the mines have been having is that the locals show very little commitment or not at all towards work,once they get paid they go AWOL for as long as long as 20 days.

    So my point is if you are qualified and experienced proffessional the Data base issue is irrelevant to you, just visit the FQM web site career section and look for Job openings or you can express interest for working with FQM by uploading you Resume and transcripts onto the same, its as straight foward as that.

  8. The fact on this matter is dat, i myself i worked ther in Kalumbila for 6 months and those so called local people where given jobs and some were bei
    ng trained on skilled job, but what used to happen is dat a person after beind told on how to switch a grinder off next time u tell him, he want touch a rotating disc so dat it stops. Now surely do u think it can bring the benefit to the mine? Base of data is nothing it just promote tribalism. Dangote is there in Ndola i have never heard of base of data anyone can apply for a job. So Zambia we er one the do things wisely. Imwe ba Muding’ai lets unite.

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