Zambians should appreciate Chinese investors as they have resolved to continue operating mines and maintaining their workforce amid threats of retrenchment by others in the sector, Mines and Minerals Development Minister, Maxwell Mwale, has said.
Mr Mwale said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that people should stop demonising the Chinese investors because they were doing a lot to help maintain stability in the country.
He said despite the prevailing global economic conditions which had adversely affected the local industries, the Chinese investors were resolved to continue operating without resorting to the reduction of the workforce.
“People should stop demonising the Chinese investors. They should observe that at all mines which are being run by the Chinese, there are no reductions of employees as opposed to others,” he said.
Mr Mwale said while big economies like the United States of America were running to China for bailout of their operations, some Zambians were busy “insulting” Chinese investors.
He said the Chinese investors had, for instance, re-capitalised and continued running the Chambishi Copper Mine in Kalulushi, which had been on care and maintenance for 14 years.
He said Zambia needed to attract investors like those from China who already had the money because it would be almost impossible for a company to borrow huge amounts such as US$600 million.
Mr Mwale said while others like Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) wanted to place some of the mines under the care-and-maintenance system, the Chinese had continued operating.
He said the Government would not allow further offloading of miners from employment as it had a duty to ensure socio-economic stability in the country.
Mr Mwale said the move by MCM to place some of its mining units in Kitwe and Mufulira under the care-and-maintenance arrangement would result in the loss of up to 20,000 jobs considering even the people employed by contractors.
He reiterated his challenge to the MCM and any other investors who would not want to continue operating some of the mining plants to voluntarily surrender them to the Government.
He said the precedent to voluntarily surrender the mines when an investor felt like not continuing had already been set when Anglo-American Corporation (AAC) did so with the Konkola Copper Mines about seven years ago.
On the Luanshya Copper Mines (LCM), Mr Mwale said there were a lot of investors who were interested in running the mine as soon as the current negotiations between the Government and LCM management were over.
He said the Government would, however, ensure that it selected the most suitable investors to run the mines to avoid a repeat of what was currently happening.
He said the people of Luanshya had suffered enough.
“As you know, this is not the first time that the people of Luanshya are going through this situation,” he said.
And LCM management has dismissed reports that the mine in Luanshya has been stripped of its assets and is flooded.
LCM chief executive officer, Derek Webbstock, said in a Press statement that management of LCM was saddened by reports of asset stripping and flooding of the mine.
Mr Webbstock assured the nation that the mine would not be flooded or be stripped of its assets.
Mr Webbstock said it was the intention of management to ensure that the care-and-maintenance process protected the assets of LCM and allowed for efficient resumption of operations at an appropriate time.
The statement further says management had retained 227 security staff, 123 hospital staff, 36 Luanshya Trust School staff, 10 staff at Luanshya Craft School and 67 were directly at the main mine operations.
[Times of Zambia]
Whose demonizing them?
NOT WHO IS BUT WHO WAS. AND THAT WAS MICHAEL SATA. BUT IN HIS USUAL KAMFULI MUKONKO HE HAS NOW CHANGED AND STOPPED DEMONISING CHINESE AFTER THE TAIWANESE STOPPED FUNDING HIM AND HIS PARTY.
As long as they play by the rules, we have no problem with that
GOOD AND FAIR. NOT LIKE SATA WHO DECIDES DEPENDING ON WHO IS FUNDING HIM AND HIS PARTY
Chines maintaining stability in the country? Wenye wanu!
Simple economics GRZ. Invest in your citezens who wil in turn re-invest in the country.
Why am I alone here? Where’s everyone? Where are my fellow ‘usual suspects’ at?
Ule blogger fye sana man, nashako.
It is actually the chinese who demonise Zambians by mistreating them. I remember my female cousin told me that her chinese boss told her to atleast apply some skin lightening cream as she wanted to work with light skinned black people. Imagine such an insult.
If a china man said that to my woman,I would send him to the cemetry!!Am sure he was just jocking.
The Chinese demonise us by paying slave wages. It’s not the other way round ba Minister. The more you praise them, the more slave wages u will have for Zambians. They have poor safety record remember BIGRIM Disaster. pantu tulaba bwangu.
Yes Mpangula, it’s true the Chinese are the ones that Demonise us! It is them with a problem, pays the worst salaries on the Mines & this Maxwell knows it. Dont blame zambians when they complain about Chinese investors, go to the mines, make follow ups. Just a while ago a coal mine in southern province was closed. who owned it? Chiness!!
This Govt., has the most useless & liar ministers, the other week the same ….l said the Govt., wont allow more job loses, will protect Zambian workers in the Mine. A week later Albidon Mine munali Nickel mine laid off workers. Throwing the whole mine workers into the streets. Atase chi Maxwell,. Wilatwangasha. MMD Kuya bebele.edited
Mind yo lingo mwana, insele tesho! Ngaiwe pamenso?
why shouldnt we? you are there comfortable in your office you dont go round to see how your fellow zambian are being treated by your so-called investors shame on you RB and you team
Chinaman is no good investor. period.
It is not demonizing chinese ‘investors’ (miners) when they have no restriction on labour relations placed on them by the goverment, and when their own labour practices were honed during the Great Leap Forward, which killed millions of chinese workers.
save Zambian lives….Don’t allow Chinese investors!
Demonize them?! Not at all, but ew sure wont sit idle and not mention the wrongz and the bad thingz we xperience with them.
Demonize them?! Not at all, but we sure wont sit idle and not mention the wrongz and the bad thingz we xperience with them.
Now is the time to demonise ama choncholi!
Mulishani bonse. Guys i need your help! I want baby c but she is too elusive. I want one of you to ask for her email address when she comes,especialy those who get along with very well.
I have no problem with Chinese investors. What i have a problem with is the attitude of our so called govt when these Chinese investors break our laws. An entire minister would stand up and protect them. this has happened on several occussions so much so that these Chinese feel they are untouchable and guess what happens when someone gets that feeling.
You guys are severe headaches. Seperate business and politics. WE NEED THEM. If you want to plunge into SEVERE economic freefall, be my guest, but I’ld urge you to be open-minded and focussed. Rally for proper worker’s rights and corporate conditions, but don’t shun progress, brethren. Heed my words.
Lusaka – Zambia has launched a $400-million power project on the Kariba North Bank which will add 360 megawatts (MW) to the country’s existing power generation capacity, state media reported on Saturday.
The Kariba North Bank expansion is being constructed by China’s Sinohydro Corporation to expand the power station’s generation capacity to a total of 1 080 MW.
NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL GOOD DEVELOPMENT !
i hope the quality of their construction will be of good standard as thats is were we have a problem with chocholiz. then the machines will be on service every week and meanwhile loadshedding continues
Ba supergal, ode to your beauty.now point of correction.the chinese do not construct poor quality structures,the chinese will make something for you depending on how deep your pocket is.you want quality stuff pay more you get it.you want same thing but poor quality you pay less.by the way do you know where the biggest hydro project is in the world?it’s china the three gorges dam.go there you wont believe what you will be seeing.and in china dispite the huge expanse of the country and the massive population power will never be interupted even for a second.it is a scam if it so happens.
People here are jst arm chair critics. They seems not to like the West becoz of their conditions to development, they dont like the chinese and indians becoz they dont pay them so well……. so who do you guys want as investors.? Ethopians maybe?
Appreciate what China has and continues to do for Zambia. If any country is willing to put up with Africans its certainly Chinese others have no stomach to put up with all the crap that is Africa!
I wounder why they had to publish this article. Something is fishy.
At the moment,the Asian big guns have the solution to the current economic crisis especially China.In a desperate attempt to rescue the world economies,the US has had to swallow its pride & play double standards by sending Hillary Clinton to China to ”beg” the Chinese to do something so that things get back to normal.Like it or not,China rules,almost every item on the shelves of african,American & British stores is made in China,they have no time for rubbish but work work & work,Japan too infact the japanese say they are 10 years ahead of the rest of world including the US in advanced technology,these two countries deserve respect so don’t listen to Sata’s rubbish about China.
Its not about demonising but its about putting proper working conditions for the local people. despite the credit crunch. And I hope the Chinese will not use that to abuse workers & Govt should not give powers completely to foreigner despite the current situation globally.
People shouldn’t be made to work like slaves in their own country in the name of Investors. because what the people need is security from Govt in terms of conditions. & I think its about time the Ministry of Labour came up with programmes to sensatize pipo from the grass root level to avoid exploitation & casualization.
China alone my friend Jigga on #21 is not the answer. This is when the true meaning of “Global Market” is being felt. China can make all the goods in American and European stores but if the people are out of cash then who buys?!! If China is then stuck with unsold goods, it means it won’t come to Africa and get the “cheap” raw materials needed to run its factories, then Africa is also stuck!! When our factories are stuck with raw materials, this means all other sectors of the economy are also done for…The answer lies by starting from the top, fix US and Europe and the train will soon be on its way
Bwana Minister, we should be very careful. While we appreciate the Chinese not pulling out we should not come out as if we are almost ready to sell our souls just keep some jobs. Before we know it, we would have given all the mines to the chinese and by the time we realise, they would be pulling our strings and riding us like donkeys! Show composure but also do not lie to the people. I know this is hard, but thats why you are called a minister and I am not alaa!!!
I never really liked the idea of chineese but a few days ago i have realise how much there putting in to our economy and they have always been there for Zambia of course just like there have been in other countries in Africa and the world over. I think as they try to make money on us we also have to make money on them.We all get a share but one thing we should make sure is not to be giving them too much land to be there permanently because in the end they will end up starting to rule.Even this tendency of saying lets sell to foreighn investors, if all belongs to foreigners the ordinary Zambian will have nothing and will be ruled by foreigners does matter where they come from Africa or …
cont..overseas they are forigners if people want to obatin or have ceratin priveledges lets make them strict that they become permanent residents or Zambian citizen so they cannot run away.And that they cannot go back to their country of origin becasue many countries do not accept people who have changed their nationality willingly to be a citizen of where they have come from.Only those who have married usually are exceptions.So if the Chneese has come to Zambia and are willingly to put in more investment and to allow them to borrow from Zambian banks let them apply for Zambian citizenship so that even when they make money they cannot run away nieither can they sell the country to China
I don’t like this Idea of worshiping the Chinese. Its the same thing that led to slavery and Colonialisation, when we worshiped the Muzungu. Very soon we will be fighting for Independence from China, like Tibet. While yes we accept their contribution to our economy is enormous, they should know that they also need us (and our raw materials). What I want to say is that, the Chinese and we, need each other and so both of us should get a fair deal here. Win win! The GRZ should not put its butt on the line by trusting the Chinese on human(employees) rights issue. Cos they(Chinese) have a lot of skeletons in their wardrobe on human rights.
shall we now be told what to do? GRZ is annoying everywhere in the world pipo have bad things to say about anyone so chinses are not the exception, would a serious investor be turned off because people say BAD THINGS ABOUT ME? Unless this was an issue concerning safety of the Chinese investors let pipo voice out their grievances, until we see what to appreciate, just because they GRZedars are getting their kanono from it doesnt mean everyone should smile n be happy. SO WHAT IF USA r doing what, ifya ku kopela just for the sake of it , the chinese dont do it for the goodness of their hearts its business for them as well
Foreign Investment is very much welcome. We know how difficult it is at the moment for third world countries to acquire loans. They do not have the security needed to obtain these finances. It is true when the government says that it almost impossible to obtain huge amounts like US$600 million! At the same time we also have to excercise caution when these contracts are signed. This applys to the government.
china people.i salute you,you guys are mavericks.you know the working culture and you never give up even when the odds are against you.yes pay peanuts to a chap who used to evade school that’s why he is called a cheap labourer after all you employ no one at gun point. And make sure as the americans come to you asking for salvation of their economy they shoid “chucha” tell them in china there is nothing like human rights,there it is discipline
Rights go to your head,you go to the chamber moreover what has changed now that they are not considering human rights records when it’s there time to beg