Labour and Social Security Minister Fackson Shamenda said has said that when Government made the statement that they are able to run the mines, he did not mean that Government want to nationalize KCM.
Speaking in a interview, Mr Shamenda explained that when government said it cannot fail to run the mines it did not mean that it would take over the operations of KCM.
“If government says it cannot fail to run the mines, it does not mean that we want to go back to nationalization, what it means is that government is capable of finding other investors who can take over the running of these mines,” Mr Shamenda explained.
Government says laying off workers at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) should be the last option as it is still dialoguing with management and union leaders at the mine.
Mr Shamenda said that that decisions to lay-off workers in companies being run by investors in the country should be the last option.
Mr Shamenda said government was open to investors and wants to help them so that jobs for the majority Zambians are maintained.
He said laying off over 2000 workers is a large number adding that in some countries the number of miners KCM wants to lay off would be an entire workforce at a mine.
He said those that have invested in the country should ensure that jobs are maintained and created saying shedding off workers should be the last option.
Mr Shamenda said government would ensure that there is a win-win situation between the investors and the government for the betterment of the people of Zambia.
KCM recently announced its decision to lay off 2,000 permanent employees across all its operations in the country.
But mines deputy minister Richard Musukwa says the government has rejected KCM’s plans and has further challenged the company to surrender the mine to the state if they have failed to run it.
The decision was communicated in a letter dated May 23, 2013 addressed to the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ), the National Union of Miners and Allied Workers (NUMAW) and United Mineworkers Union of Zambia (UMUZ) by KCM vice-president for human capital David Kaunda .
Mr Kaunda stated in the letter that KCM had been impacted by a number of economic and legacy issues that had made it imperative to review its operations for its continued viability.
Asryt ! It doesn`t get better than this.
Shamenda is outdated and clueless.
shamenda,, i get you there!.. what you are saying there is that your government is ready to takeover the KCM but not nationalise it????
ahahahaha
whatever you are smoking is bad for you,,, and that ndevu please shave it off, you are not thinking properly because of the same
if the so called investors are rtying to blackmail the govt, why not take over the mine. afterall they just bought it for a song and are now reaping huge profits that they are starking in foreign bank accounts while they pay peanuts to the govt in the name of tax.
useless….
mulakata ama cabinet meeting please not this one says this and the other one says that, now who are we going tom follow ba chimbwi imwe
The GRZ must not take over KCM as the Indians have finished most of the economical copper ores. From now on KCM will declare less Copper output. Lekeni chibabolele and pay for rehabilitation and revegetation of the plant area.
SO DONT GO NEAR IT, ITS LIKE A MOUSE TRAP
You’ll note that the term ‘revegetation’ sounds asinine, given the context. Also, your euphemism of a ‘mouse trap’ would have been better parlayed with a common metaphor such as ‘its a death trap’ – given, of course, that Zambians are neither mice nor rats. Just saying, woyi.
if goverment has a capacity to run the mines no problem, it could be like it use to be 1980s. for me it could be a good idea . lets take back what back what ba mwisa are taking from us …………………..ubuntungwa twalipoka muchalo cesu icha zambia let not go back to cha cha cha
When cant the Zambian Government open up and run a mine on it own to rival private ones? Jack hammers, explosives, mining surveyors, metalurgist, etc are all there, some loitering the streets. Get them extract the abundant copper and then compel those who want to buy Copper to buy it directly from Zambia. Is it possible, not possible or impossible? That can be a neutral stance but also a counterweight to unpredictable foreign investors.
You kids who were born yesterday are too shallow minded. Please find out from your learned relatives who were big enough during Kaunda days why ZCCM failed to run those mines.
These indians have failed to run this mine.Remember the binani group of luanshya mine?Thye were alos indians.Indians are not capable of running big mines like KCM because the believe so much in saving then recapitalising their businesses.They have been failing to pay suppliers on time for a number of years now.I think we need to take over this mine and give it to deserving or seriuos investors such as ther australians,americans or canadians.Anglo american must be brought back by all means.
This Musukwa is a careless man. From a mere grade 5 Trust School teacher to a multi poligamist who made an illegal fortune whilst serving in NUMAW where the UNION impoverished the miners further, does not have a clue of how mines operates.
Mines are in business and not to appease failures in PF. KCM has invested billions of dollars in KCM and they need to recoup on their investment. Musukwa and Shamenda must shut up.
@4 Thoz stories of copper fining soon or later were tld a long tym ago when i was 7yrs old.Iam now 42yrs old the extraction of copper at nchanga mine is still going on.
My own opinion is that privitisation has brot mo harm than gud.
Like I said last week it was premature for the gov’t to panick over KCM threatening to let go of 2000 casual workers, Fackson should have known better….Vandanta PLC was just playing poker and wants us to continue subsidising them electricity. One has to browse through their Preliminary Results Presentation for the year ended 31 March 2013 dated 16 MAY 2013 available on their website, they have already insulated themselves against slow growth in China by diversifying. Let KCM get rid of these workers and let them remodel their business model BUT they shouldn’t be the first to complain when windfall tax is introduced. Moreover 2000 jobs we be created in Mpika by Zambeef Product’s subsidiary Zampalm and a further 1000 jobs will be created in Siavonga from fish farming projects.
Wake…
In 1993 they told us that there was only 25 years worth on copper deposits down there 18 years later Vandanta PLC Preliminary Results Presentation for the year ended 31 March 2013 is boosting about having 25+ years of copper deposits underground.
*boasting
You raise some interest points although I do not agree with all of them. However, just to comment on job creation numbers my experience with these is that investors or generally firms say what they know Government wants to hear. I’ve had the opportunity of assessing some of projects in Zambia and seen a common trend of a large disparity between promised job numbers and the actual. That includes Zambeef, TATA, Cali Beverages just to name a few. Moreover, Zambeef has previously been known to employ people but made them work for years without any form of employment contract. I hope the Government, while welcoming the Zambeef pronouncements will keep a close eye on their employee policy.
@Mop
Inflating of job figures is not only limited to Zambia its also common in the UK and other developed countries where they even add numbers of jobs that will be “created” in local economy (local area) eg suppliers, local haulage, retail etc. when the business is up and running. Remember any type of jobs created especially in the private sector is good news and political mileage for any gov’t. in power.
I concur with you. My reference to Zambia was merely in response to your reference to the 3000 new jobs at Zambeef. Otherwise, I think we are kind of on the same page.
All Zambians should decide who is stupid…Politicians, wealth creators (people who run business) or Zambians who are lied to everyday. Government created a harsh fiscal regime that has rendered many mining operations unprofitable. I am pretty sure this government consulted none….and it appears they are not even certain of the impacts their decision cause.
KCM economic model entails labour reduction….let them do so to grow their company. The issue of taking over KCM is a no brainer. You will endebt yourselves greatly. Do not be morons….think.
I conquer with you, the government is not serious when addressing this issue…we have heard ministers and deputy ministers yap about this without any official cabinet statement….
We are capable of running KCM. Indians are good to run the shops,it apears our govnment has run out of ideas. Shamenda becareful with your statements, if you say 2000 is too much,it means you are allowing the indian to prune. Do you know the number of Indians who are working as expatriates.
The government should start probbing this Indians to find out how much money they have invested in term of spare, assets like vehicles,building and other machinery.
When you were (PF) capaining, you said you will chase all the infestors like Indians and chinese.
When do you ever mean anything?
Indians are just parasites, they just suck our country dry. When they finish they will just move on to the next destination. They are the same the world over.
I believe that the government ministers must be banned from issuing any statements until they are verified by someone who at least has an idea what theyre trying to do or say as a unit. Their statements are now not only comical, but with such ‘back and forth’ contradictions on everything, they can be deemed a national or economic security threat. chachilamo!
If I were in Govt, I would have negotiated for reasonable package for these employees and would have created a farming block for them and help them with farming implements and other modern facilities. 2,000 of our Zambians if managed, mentored and properly assisted can turn around their lives and those of people around them so well as they could have used their separation package as capital. Unfortunately even people in Govt are just thinking of working for others as the only option.
Saying “we cannot fail to run the mines” is not the same as saying “we can find other investors.” The former implies a capability to operate the mines, while the latter means an ability to find a replacement. This is another example of the numerous uncoordinated responses from the Government. These people need to learn to meet, discuss and agree on a common policy statement on key issues rather these knee-jerk reactions that are constantly been clarified, after the fact.
Mr Shamenda did not mean what he meant.What he means right now is all bunch of BUFI
Truth always hates. The soo called minister of this error are toothless. They can never do anything on this job loss issuie with substance. That is why this one ‘ll say these and the other one rejects it. The fact is that KCM as a private company does not respect any Minister with their small, uncordinated statement, bcoz they fire and hire every day and this ka shamende has failed to do anything, evenwhen it is reported to him, except by issuing a ka simple statement without any seriousness. KCM is currently untouchable by any gvt minister and they have done retrenchments while the govt is busy threataning with impunity.
Reminds me of a very funny comedy play called Organised Disorganization which Rados Little Theatre of Luanshya once did to a parked house during the ZCCM days. The audience laughed so hard some had a hiccups. Anyone remembers? Now, fast-forward to today, and it is actually happening in PF Govt exactly as per script of that play. What does it tell you about where Zambia is headed? And what does it tell you about how we are perceived as a Nation by other Nations, especially that this drama is now wide open on internet?
STATEMENTS BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN PROVED FUTILE THATS WHY EVEN KCM CAN DO WHICH EVER WAY THEY COULD THINK .
Ho dovuto aggiornare la pagina tre volte per riuscire a leggere l’articolo. Però è valso la pena aspettare, ho trovato le informazioni che cercavo.