Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Rioting miners in Chingola damage KCM property

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KCM

RIOTING miners in Chingola yesterday damaged Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) property worth thousands of Kwacha demanding better salaries and conditions of service.

Police fired teargas canisters in a bid to disperse the aggrieved workers who work for various contractors engaged by KCM.

Armed with stones and other weapons, the group stormed the KCM residential flats around 07:00 hours leaving a trail of destruction to property after intervention by Police in riot attire.

The enraged workers, who also demanded to be employed on a permanent basis, vented their anger by damaging vehicles and causing extensive damage to the flats.

By press time Copperbelt Police Commissioner Joyce Kasosa who confirmed the protest said she was still awaiting a full report on the incident.

A check around 10:00 hours found a block of eight flats and six vehicles had their windows smashed and brought down the perimeter fence around the premises.

KCM manager for public relations and communications Shapi Shachinda and Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) general secretary Joseph Chewe confirmed the protest in separate interviews.

Mr Shachinda said the protest was triggered over pay related issues.

“Unfortunately, KCM has been involved in this dispute despite the company fully meeting all of its obligations. Zambia Police have launched their own investigations into the incident and are working closely with KCM to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.

Mr Chewe said the protest by the miners first started in the morning around 05:00 hours when they downed tools at the plant and proceeded to assemble at the KCM flats with intent to protest.

“As MUZ we are very concerned especially that the Government has maintained its position that it is not going to nationalize the mines but instead encouraging mining houses and KCM in particular to normalize their operations.

“Our concern now is that such actions affect production levels because when contractors protest, the impact is felt by everyone including us MUZ,” Mr Chewe said.

He, however, said there was need for KCM to urgently revisit its labour policy and stop engaging contract labour to avoid the protests.

Mr Chewe advised KCM management to heed the Government’s advice to stop engaging workers on contracts but on a permanent and pensionable basis.

7 COMMENTS

  1. They should have slaughtered an Indian atleast, the message was going to reach Argarwal faster. The next person to be visited should be Christopher YALUMA. He is also eating with both hands. Ask Mr. Temba and team who carried out extensive investigations on the mismanagement going in KCM.

  2. Despite all the serious wrongdoings KCM has been involved in why are these Indians still running the company. KCM should have been repossessed long time ago just like Zamtel or Finance Bank.

    • Its not as simple as that to reposes KCM. What those indian did was to use KCM properties to borrow heavily from local bank for mining expansions. So KCM is just a shell company and getting it is just getting more problems. Government did the investigations and found that its waste of time to reposes it. Those Indians are too smart

  3. hamuntu and chiwempala
    indians are neither too smart nor untouchable, its just us zambian who like to play the lazy and damb card, in developed contries, there what are called co-operate management and business lawyers whose job is to find ways of getting around issues and deals like the kcm thing,they can get you back those mines and even advice you on how to run them and make huge profits. they are expensive, but the best we can do is appoint people with potential to go and learn all there is to learn and come and dig us out of this hole,not saying ati indian are smart or untouchable when all they do is just simple 1+3=4 and because what we expected 2+2=4, we get confused and start thinking as if the answer is not 4 and saying ah, but indians are smart.

    • #B Bencher, i agree with on this one “us zambian who like to play the lazy and damb card”, meaning we are not that smart. But, I dont agree with you on this point, “but the best we can do is appoint people with potential to go and learn”, KK tried that one , 90% of people (Zambian) who were running ZCCM were highly educated ( from over the world,), we still had to run ZCCM down to the ground, despite our high academic and professional qualification. in short, we just a dumb and untrainable (Not Smart as Indians). Have u looked at Zamtel books, since we repossessed it, profits are in NEGATIVES, in the same field where Indians (Airtel) are making alot of profits (Airtel Zambia is third in africa), NOTE that Zamtel is being runned by some one with Ph.D with his CTO who is highly…

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