Senior Chief Kasempa of Kasempa district in North-Western Province has condemned mining activities being conducted in Kafue National Park and Lunga Luswishi Game management area in the district.
The traditional leader has since called on Government to stop the mining activities which he said were disturbing the animals in the two game areas.
He revealed that a few of the people mining in the two named game areas claimed to have licenses while others were mining illegally and hunting game illegally.
Senior Chief Kasempa wondered how and why the Ministry of Mines issued mining licenses to people to carry out mining activities in a game management and National Park.
He revealed that miners with mining licenses and those mining illegally were also poaching and transporting the game meat in sacks containing minerals.
He said such activities were disturbing tourism in the area and impressed upon Government to look into the issue urgently.
The Senior Chief said he was against mining in the game areas.
He said if left unchecked, the activities will deprive the people of Kasempa tourism royalties.
Senior Chief Kasempa was speaking at his palace in Kasempa today, when Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande who is also Kasempa Member of Parliament paid a courtesy call on him.
And senior Chief Kasempa has paid tribute to Government for increasing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation to the constituency.
The traditional leader said the K200 million CDF allocation if used in a good manner would enhance development activities in the district.
He called for strict monitoring of the CDF saying it should be used on bigger projects that would benefit all the people in the district.
Responding to the chief’s mining concerns, Mr. Pande assured the senior Chief that he will take up the issue of mining in the Kafue game park and Lunga Luswishi game management area with the Ministry of Mines and Minerals.
