Advertisement Banner
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Subscribe
Rural News

Chinese firm to hunt for copper despite resistance from local chief

By editor
92
4,815 views

Share

Explorations for copper in Mwinilunga district by a Chinese company will start in April this year despite resistance from one chief to surrender land.

North-Western Province Permanent Secretary Jeston Mulando says the ministry of mines has already given the exploration license to Zhonghui mining industry Zambian Limited to start work.

Mr. Mulando said the company has been given a license covering 8 thousand square kilometres of the land which once belonged to Equinox and First Quantum Minerals FQM.

He said the land in question was already given to Equinox and FQM who have failed to develop it in the last seven years.

Mr. Mulando said Zhonghui mining industry has shown seriousness in developing the land.

He said the mining firm will start construction of the mine soon after explorations.
ZNBC

editor
editorhttp://www.lusakatimes.com

92 COMMENTS

  5. This understanding is poor – the point of explorations it to see if copper is there. Only then mining begins. Or are they just using the license for strip mining for gems etc. in the guise of “explorations”? Maybe FQM didn’t mine because they didn’t find copper…

  7. I wonder what the chiefs reasons are for not being happy about the exploration. It is probably some archaic reason like that of not disturbing the spirits or something

  8. Are they taking the land at gun point? There is a lot of underhand methods in acquiring land in Zambia. Even the Chinese now have the audacity to talk about land and threaten to get with or without the chiefs consent. **== nimu Zed

  9. I dont like these Chinese investors,they are just interested in making money then leave the country after earning enough for their families and country.Iam sure for them to ignore the resistance its like there is much copper.Govt was talking of nationalising mines why cant they take over this one,or may be they are only interested in left overs.I dont like these chinese they exploit us so much ~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(

  10. ya yili bad,utu utubantu bala leta pa zed,mwandini kushipa..otherwwise these people hav a record of bad safty measures,even kuno kwiine kumyabo..

  13. Jamaco

    You are right my brother Iyi ni proper slaverly.Anyawy let me not blame the Chinese but our govt for authority they have given these pipo.

  14. Exactly Matworld if the snake comes into your house you can’t blame the snake but the one who left the door open

  15. AGAIN THE ZAMBIAN GOVT DOES NOT HAVE PROPER MINING REGULATIONS AND SO THEY PAVE WAY FOR THE CHINESE!!

    THIS ANSWERS KAWIMBE’S QUESTION OF “What went wrong for Zambia to lose its wealth- Kawimbe ”

    YOU CONTINUE TO MAKE THE SAME SILLY MISTAKES!!! WE NEED A GOVT THAT PROTECTS OUR RESOURCES JEALOUSLY!!

    BY THE WAY? IS A CHIEF AN ORGAN OF THE CONSTITUTION?

    😕

  16. Its interesting to note that foreigners are being given land at the expense of Zambians.I thoght we should get first preference. These Chinese people are flocking here and calling themselves investors, with fake papers in the name of opening up new mines, and promising the locals that there will be job creations… [-x

  17. i jst hope this mining firm has been scrutinised by the zambian government,we dnt need to experience a situation like @ bilgrim..kuno utu utu bantu twalifulisha,so they dnt even care abt safty,wat they will jst care abt is wat will come out of the land..infact china will benefit more than zambia,so i jst hpe the government has really taken serious brian storming on this issue.even the chief is nt in support,this shld send bad signals to the government,bt am sure they hav opted to close there eyes.

  19. Namugala,

    Please dont repeat that statement ati Zambias in diaspora should come and invest mu Zed,How can we invest there when you consider foreigners as first priority,Iam sure the Chief had bigger plans for the land,but mine ministry went behind him and give the licennse utuma chocholi. ~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(

  20. THESE CHINESE COMPANIES ARE NOT EVEN FULLY RECOGNISED AS COMPANIES IN CHINA!! THEY CAN NOT EVEN STAND IN THERE OWN COUNTRY COZ NO ONE WILL LET THEM!!

    THEY NOW COME TO ZAMBIA THROUGH THE BACK DOOR (SCANDOLOUS) AND PRESENT THEMSELVES AS PROFESSIONALS!! THEY WILL MESS UP THE ENVIROMENT THAT SIDE AND LEAVE!! THE TAX PAYER MONEY WILL THEN BE NEEDED TO CLEAR THE MESS!!

    GOVT PLS DO SOMETHING

  24. Jamaco
    That issue mudala iya ma thieves,Its like everyone knows it.Here they always ask me about Chiluba. 8->8->8->

  26. Baby C
    Believe me,as one on the ground. What ever the chinese touch becomes rusty.Let me give you atleast 5 Chinese fake projects.
    1.Chambishi copper smelter
    2.Non ferrous metal -chambishi
    3.Jiangxi metals-same site were rover Zambia was
    4.Colum coal mines in Maamba
    5.Masangano-Luanshya road…
    They lack seriousnes, concentration,good finish and above all they never take us seriously

  27. If Sata was the President this would not have happend. Nga twliba tamfya na fake chinese investors but ba ngwele voted for Nyama Soya who has no direction. Pabwatoooooooooooooooooooo

  28. Why don’t we have plan for posterity? We want to finish all the copper just now. So what happens next?? We are talking about diversification, is this the diversification you are promoting? No people let us be serious. Economist in the mining sectors, don’t you know about resource rents? It say if the prices of the extracted material is lower than the interest rate then its profitable to keep the resource underground until the price is equal or greater than the interest rate. As it is now in Zambia its better to keep the copper underground till the time when its profitable. What is going on???

    8-x8-x8-x8-x8-x~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(

  34. R these chinese going to create jobs
    R they going to give the Zambians 60% of their findings.
    This is proper slavery. Africa is to blame. Why give these pipo so much power. I smell a rat, a dead rat. Someone has been given ya lunch.

    Please kick itu tubantu tufupi out now. Tu ma shorty, yiya(chinese)

  36. On failing to recruit ZED engineers in their company structures a certain Mr BAO replied,”your govt said you have failed so why do you want to be included”.

  38. #3. Baby C ..Chinese nationals have flooded Zambia in the past few years! Hope they come with their wives!

    ## awe taumfwa..nishani?? fearing they cán take all the Zambian gals? But I think you are right since they are too many.

  39. #5 you are correct. It is people like you the Country needs.
    Now note this; If a Zambian tries to sell his/her stall at Soweto market to a foreigner because he can make a profit out it, he is condemned. At the same time, GRZ can over rule the reservations of chiefs when foreigners want the land. Begs the question, WHERE IS ZAMBIA HEADING TO?

  44. i suggest they investigate why the chief doesn’t want to give his consent, our trdiional leaders need respect too. by the way, why do we need foreigners to head our mines, why cant grz put incentives to reach yearly goals perhaps we might be able to run our own mines

  45. Boyi metword ohh sole..maltworld,

    I am fine boyi…today we can blog till kokoliko. I am now a free person. No more presure from work.

    Hello boyi…ati shani amazulu uko??

  47. STAR BABY, in the first place the highest employee is paid not more than K500,000 some as low as 300,000.they are very useless chaps.

  49. “He said the land in question was already given to Equinox and FQM who have failed to develop it in the last seven years.”

    Good that the land is being given to others after clear failure by the initial offered group. However, why must “the mining firm will start construction of the mine soon after explorations” when the outcome of the exploration is not known yet?

    Let us be serious as a people Zambians, especially GRZ, and do things at right times.

  53. we have sold a lot of mines and land to foregners since new deal took over office. can we please spare some for future use. we av nickel, kansanshi, mkushi. lumwana, chambishi and now mwiniluga,think about our young brothers and children what are they to going find when they grow up.we av not benefited as a country for the mines already sold but GRZ is till selling out land. this is may be the reason why our chief is refusing. for real zambians what change av you seen after selling everything to foreigners.

  54. #51 GRZ sleeps after getting their Share!! So someone was paid on this one!! These politicians love fast money and then leave the mess to the people of Zambia!! Same thing different day!!!

  56. ## Obama,
    we have sold a lot of mines and land to foregners since new deal took over office. can we please spare some for future use. we av nickel, kansanshi, mkushi. lumwana, chambishi and now mwiniluga,think about our young brothers and children what are they to going find when they grow up.we av not benefited as a country for the mines already sold but GRZ is till selling out land. this is may be the reason why our chief is refusing. for real zambians what change av you seen after selling everything to foreigners.

    ## these are my concerns as well see #28

  57. China is synonymous with second rate stuff. Remember the contaminated milk they made for their babies? Well that may have been in a bid to implement new family planning techniques coz they are so many! That backfired as the product was released on the market. Now they are flooding my Zambia these scoundrels!

    When are they classifying them terrorists so that we spray them with smoking kalashnikovs?

    Hizbollah and Hamas went a notch too far. Now is their term to face the music!!!!

  59. Give the Zambians a chance.Look at what happenned to Liato at Kansanshi,foreign investors have no regard to Zambians.DO NOT SELL OUR COUNTRY,there is no benefit we get at the moment from minerals.

  60. Supergal,
    Thanks for the comment.
    Atleast we are on the same page.

    But also they need to monitor these pipo, not to let them gat all the resources Zambia has.

    What a waste.

    Ba le tekanya.

    :d:d

  61. THE FACTS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE AREA GIVEN TO THE CHINESE COMPANY IS THAT, BEFORE THE CHINESE APPLIED FOR THAT LAND WE HAD APPLIED FOR THAT LAND AS SMALL SCALE MINERS. THERE IS MORE THAN 15 APPLICATIONS FROM VARIOUS GROUPINGS FOR THAT AREA. THE GOVERNMENT HAS IGNORED THAT THE LAND FIRST BELONGS TO THE ZAMBIANS AND THEY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FIRST. THE ZAMBIANS ARE SUPPOSE TO HOLD THE LKIECENSES FOR THIS LAND AND IT IS GIVEN THAT 2 OR 3 YEARS ARE GIVEN IN WHICH TO DEVELOP THE MINES OR ELSE THE LIECENSE IS WITHDRAWN. WE THE ZAMBIANS WERE SUPPOSE TO GO OUT AND BORROW THE MONEY TO DEVELOP THESE MINES BEING THAT THE ORE IN THIS AREA IS AT THE SURFACE AND OF HIGH GRADE. TO CONTINUE

  62. Hello Zedians, these chocholiz hve bn given a go ahead by govt.meaning someone somewhere in govt(must be teta and collegues frm NW) must have pocketed some mwabombeni money from xuaoh. The chief was denied his share. We hve many problems of such nature in zed,e.g in kabwe CHNMAN minerals is fighting day and night wth villagers over land.when contacted for coment the govt sends paramilitary to teargas villagers.Is that the solution? In barotseland fish poisoned in the name of diamond exploration.where are we heading to in zed? Ni hell fire chabe needed.luck are you zedians in diaspora.back home there is trouble in the amen corner.

  63. if the chief is ignored just know that a big lunch was bought for the minister himself.a junior staff will get small lunch and not deal with traditional land as it belongs to the chiefdom,and tradional councils have to sit before govt can bring in infestors.iyi lyashi likulu

  64. CONTINUED.
    SO WE DO DEMAND THAT THE MINISTRY OF MINES LOOK INTO THE APPLICATIONS FROM 2007 WHEN WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY WHERE FIRST COMPUTERISING THE WHOLE OPERATION OF APPLICATIONS TO AVOID OVERLAPPING OF LIECENSES GIVEN ON THE SAME LAND. TODAY THE CHAINESE HAVE COME JUST YETERDAY AND THEY ARE THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO BE GIVEN THE LAND HOW SO.RUPHIA BANDA SAID THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINERALS WILL BE GIVEN TO ZAMBIANS FIRST BEFORE FOREIGNERS. AND THIS IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE SO THAT THE ZAMBIANS CAN HAVE THE BARGAINING POWER HOW ELSE DO THEY BECOME ENTRANTS TO THIS GAME LETS WAKE UP ZAMBIANS. MR PRESIDENT DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS IT IS TOO MUCH OF NEGLECTING ZAMBIANS AND YET YOUR WANTED OUR VOTES

  65. Any one with nice comfortable pillowss?
    Our sleeping govt needs as much as posible.This is good for a thinking govt…..sleep

  66. THE FUNNY THING IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO DEVELOP IF ALL WE HAVE TO BE LABOURRORS WIPED AND ILL TREATED LIKE THE SOUTHERNERS AT THE COAL MINE THIS IS OUR TIME YOUNG ZAMBIANS LETS UNIT AND SAY NO TO SUCH SELFISH MOVES WHICH DOES NOT DEVELOP ANYTHING IN THE LONG RUN THE CHAINSES ARE NOT HERE TO MAKE MONEY FOR ZAMBIANS BUT FOR THEMSELVES. YOU THINK THEY WILL COME TO GIVE YOU FREE MONEY WE THEY ARE SPENDING THEIRS. STOP BEING STUPI POLITICIANS AND WORK FOR REAL DEVELOPMENT.WE ARE FED UP HAAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAA

  68. Awe ine nainuka !! Let me go home!! I will continue blogging when I read Kunganda!! Abakashi nabepika!!! Lelo ni German Foods.. Kutotela fye Lesa LATA
    :d

  69. CHIEF SAILUNGA, CHIEF NTAMBU, CHIEF KANOGESHA, CHIEF CHIBWIKA, AND CHINYAMA ARE ALL COMPLAINING THAT CHAINESE NO GOOD PEOPLE THEY ARE NOT FRIENDLY NOT GOOD PUBLIC RELATIONS PEOPLE AND LOOK DOWN ON AFRICANS. WHY THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AREA WAS GIVEN TO MR KAZENENE HE HAS BROUGHT BRITISH INVESTORS, THEY PAY PEOPLE WELL THEY TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT, THEY HAVE UNIFORM BOOTS AND ALL PROYECTIVE WEAR FOR VARIOUS JOBS, WAIT AND SEE THE CHAINA WAY YOU WILL CRY. THEN WE START READING IN THE PAPERS THAT THE CHAINESE DID THIS AND THAT AND THE POLITIKING WILL START NO WE WILL SHUT IT DOWN IF THEY DONT TREAT OUR WORKERS WILL DIGNITY. BUT YOU KNOW YOU PEOLPLE THAT THATS WHAT THE CHAINESES ARE ABOUT

  72. Takwaba: Get the land first and the explore, aweeeeeeeeeeee. First explore and then get land for production efyo ibomba. [-(

  73. shell left the delta region in nigeria as the people told management that they will cast spirits on as the didnt care about the people and paid very low,all sorts of threats didnt help so resorted to evil spirits and abasungu balibutuka,,,we should threaten the chines with sangomas ha ha ha..

  74. Well if zambians are going to continue calling back old politicians like VJ and PF still want Sata, we will never go forward kabili you want politics of the 60s.

  75. 69. your flag NTAMBU 1, please consider using small letters in the normal way of writing with Capitals reserved for their use like on the beginning of a Sentence or paragraph.

    Honestly, I have failed to read your submissions above, but I will try reading it through.

  76. 74. BEN BARRINE, VJ is about 66 while Sata is 71 years old.

    VJ’s age allow him to stick around for a while maybe 4 more years, giving sound debates and decisions on the political front, but for Mr Micheal Chilufya Sata, it is seemingly too late especially considering his being a Standard 4 or Grade 6 school drop out.

    Anyway, let us try to restrict the Presidential age to maximum 65 at the time of nominations to aspire for the office of Zambian Presidency.

  77. Maestro
    do you have some unfinished, personal business with Sata.Your tone in this regard is usually just as confrontational as Sata himself everytime you talk about him.But I know the better you…you dont debate on personal grounds like ni grade shani or he is from this tribe.That way will never look like “them”

  78. Infumu ngayakana tabatalika,i wont be surprised to hear stories of them having strange dreams like making love to a bird just to descover it to be a wet dream :d:d:d:d

  79. imwe ba mulando, you should take cultural considerations in your development efforts, be it economic or social. ignoring that factor is why most of the government and donor projects have failed. if the chief says his/her people won’t work in the mine what happens? muleipusha abafishiba bane.

  80. Probably this guys can learn something about the benefits one derives by respecting the wishes of the local people from the experience of the zambia sugar company management concerning the malende shrine,right in the center of the plantation.Ichalelya ifisali tachaishibikwe

  81. Kambongolo.

    Number 28, I am with you. Your thoughts are the way forward. One does not need an economics degree to figure it out. We are just too sleepy to cope with world changes let alone decision making. Zambia economists please wake-up. Don’t be a disgrace. Provide proper advice to the government.

  84. The zedians are not privy to what the govt got us into. In 1995 the world bank could not give zed any money so the only country that could loan zed money was china whit certain conditions attached hence tu ma chinwa flooding zed like locusts. chinchwas don’t care about zed becasue all they want are the natural resources to sort their own country out and to make themselves rich of course. so that is why the govt are so protective of them because they know what the deal is. I mean look at the sub standard roads and other stuff they have built, do you think they give a toss what you and my fellow country people think about…. they rebuilt a city in china fr with your resouces wake up ZED!

  85. #47 , Supergal ulipo??
    Awe, ba China-man ebalengele and contributed so much kuti Zedi ibe umusango uyu..
    Mwalaba Ba Kaunda na communism/socialism systems??
    balengele twaya na ku Military Camp.. Awe ine cicili chilankalipa sana.
    .. National Service ya li nkalifye umutima sana..
    I made sure nali Malingala nambala ONE.

    BA CHINA-MAN NIBA INFESTOR CHABE. Take extra care when dealing with them..

    Sarah Jones I think alema and agona manje… :-?:-?:-?:-w:-w:-w

  88. Where was the chief when the land was first given to Equinox & CO.? That was the right time for the chief to cry foul. The Chinese are only taking over land that was already alienated from him.

  92. LT is a disgrace. How can they print 10 lines on a complex story like the one you are discussing. They expect you to jjump to conclusions whichyou are only too eager to do.

    LT should provide facts and background on the story. Which chief is resisting? Is it Kanongesha, Mwinilunga, Ikelenge… Which reporter spoke to the chief. What were the issues? How has the chief communicated his objection? Is it to the reporter. What is the legal procedure for granting prospecting licenses. Is the chief a signatory?

    Please do not insult our intelligence by giving us nothing and then we start making assumptions and insulting authorities.

Comments are closed.

Article contents [hide]

Read more

Advertisement Banner

Local News

Company

Trending

Categories

© Lusaka Times