KCM CEO has not been deported by Government, he could have fled the country-Lungu

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Edgar Lungu
Edgar Lungu
Edgar Lungu

Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) Chief Executive Officer Kishore Kumar is reported to have fled the country.

Mr Kumar who has since left the country was quoted in some sections of the media to have alleged described President Michael Sata’s threat to revoke KCM’s license as a “mere rhetoric”.

Mr Kumar who also defied government orders went ahead and fired 76 KCM employees before he left the country yesterday.

Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu disclosed this development to Journalists in Lusaka today in an interview.

Mr Lungu said the KCM Chief left the country using the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport but could not state the exact time.

“We wanted to have an audience with him as Ministry of Home Affairs over the statement attributed to him but we didn’t because we’re told he left the country,” Mr Lungu said.

President Sata directed Minister of Labour and Social Security Fackson Shamenda to talk to Mr Kumar to which the minister managed on Wednesday this week but he is disappointed with the attitude and conduct of Mr Kumar.

The Home Affairs Minister also refuted some media reports that government has deported Mr Kumar to his country of origin, India.

He said Mr Kumar left the country on his own, adding that the government wanted to engage him into talks before he decided to leave without notice.

Mr Shamenda said government is not going to tolerate arrogance from any employers because they are not the only employers in the country.

67 COMMENTS

    • True dat Sau….

      We all know that the Presido has a soft spot for the poor (and in most cases lazy) and that he’d never let his people get fired.

      I’ve been fired, laid off and suspended before so believe me, I know how sh-it it feels to lose your ka job….

    • @mop I said that because I thought it wise not to say much based on that one sided story.Otherwise I felt disappointed by that news.Now am glad the true story is out.

    • On behalf of all Zambians and all diaspoara and all LT bloggers

      Please ensure he never returns back
      Thank you,

      Signed Sealed and delivered.

    • Thats the media for you.I bet that false story in the morning has done its intended purpose i.e to make the government look bad.

    • you Mr Lungu… how could that man Mr kumar flee the country when there was still important issues to discussed with the president and the Zambian govt?? why didnt you `catch` him or at least stop him like RB or Prof Chirwa??

    • The truth of the matter is that they have deported him and Lungu, as always, is trying to foo.l the foo.lish.

    • So what next you lazy Zambians, you have just chased an investor. Everywhere you go in the world, there are technological advancements, be it in agricalture, aviation industry, all aimed at improving processes thus increasing productivity. All this comes at a cost of the individual human being, in mining and more so there the requirement is even higher. The governments role should be only to improve tax collection, there is no other way!

    • What? So we have people like “Jo” also blogging on LT? I just can’t believe this guy’s HATE SPEECH in this day and age… He belongs to the stone age.

    • The report says he left the country on his own. There is nothing wrong with that. Why would he be arrested for leaving the country legally? Government is just upset that it has been denied an opportunity to humiliate the guy.

    • Mmhh his conduct could have been better yes,but i think our president’s approach is more of a concern to me. Im sure Zambia is now less attractive to other prospective investors. Ba Jo those kinds of comments are uncalled for,lets not take our peace for granted by making careless comments like ‘tamfyeni aba tonga naba lozi’.

  5. It seems to me like the level of stupidity has increased since 2011,starting from the media and down to us bloggers,hope it’s just a mere coincidence.This Kumar guy could have left the country for other reasons and yet some part of the media are telling us he fled and the other that he was deported. It also seems to me like people are no longer using there heads to think but rather there emotions which which makes it even worse.

    • Whatever reasons he has for leaving the country, he knows that there’s a problem to be solved and that the government wants to dialogue with him.
      Everyone is enjoined to respect the laws of the country including (and especially!) foreign investors like Mr. Kumar.

    • ka nine chale kapuba sana, he is a pf cadre in the pro kabimba camp. kumar didnt commit any offence he was actually right ilya yalifye mayor retholic.where is the case?

    • Nine Chale, don’t lie – there is no law like that iwe!!! Matter of fact a CEO does NOT need permission from a government to follow his diary obligations. Just admit that Zambia is failing to re-skill its workers and would like to keep pre-independence attitudes and practices in place while the world marches on. How do you privatize and then start prevailing upon those who have replaced your hopeless, state-run initiatives?

    • @Nine Chale:
      Dialogue or subject to intimidation? And the dialogue should be between parties which are willing to accept economical reality in order to find solution or between illegal autocracy and cheep populist demagoguery?

      I wonder how you will react if that autocratic authority order you to give up your pay check or house just because he perceive that it has authority?

      Do you know that laws of Zambia regulating relations between host Country and investor are subject to final adjudication of the arbitral bodies established under ICSID (WB/IMF) and UNICITRAL (WTO) Conventions of which Republic of Zambia is a signatory?

  8. Good afternoon

    That’s the foreign investor for you. No genuine principles, just profits. Instead of complying with our government to find a solution, they just drop our workers like hot potatoes and dissapear like quicksand.

    Zambians will never be happy until copper is fully under their control. Both in terms of ownership and management. Mark my words.

    • Lol, I like you Charlie man, but ZCCM was in Zambian hands from 1972 for over 25 years. These were the saddest times man. Did you experience lining up for soap or Saladi for 10 hours. Maybe lemme ask you, how old are you man? Kikikiki, but sure Zambia has not even memory to shade light at the end of a tunnel. Is there a tunnel even?

    • @Mailoni Government, yes I was a little boy then but I remember the ZCCM era very well. Nevertheless, I believe the wheels of times have turned and we can only learn from the mistakes we made. How many times did Europe go to war?
      They suffered great losses but they managed to pick themselves up and be where they are today. Abraham Lincoln said ” Every generation deserves a new revolution”.

    • OMG Abraham Lincoln economics in 2013? Honey, there is reality on the ground. In this computer age, patriotism alone not edible. The economy is a tightly knit fabric that you allow a grade 7 patriot only at your peril. Take heed, think say fourth years from now if disorganization in commerce persists. Closure of one mine is not only about 12000 employee. It is taxes, destitution, squalor among workers and those in the supply chain and their relatives, supporting infrustructure, shopping malls, filling stations name it. There is no choice other than civility in today’s times. Nothing dear nothing. If you say we must learn from past mistakes, then which past are you talking about?

    • Nine Chale, remember that Govt failed to run ZCCM and that is the reason we are in this quandary. If KCM closes what will happen to remaining employees? Problems is majority of bloggers have limited knowledge of what is going on before commenting. Govt of Kaponyas gets rumors from Kaponyas and the Head utters statements based on baseless rumors. A CEO of a private company can’t be drawn to politics of some senseless fools. He is too senior for that; and why waste time with people without brains busy building mansions at the expense of true Zambians?

    • why should he comply with a goverment of fools,to them imposing a wage and employee recruiting freeze is ok kcm ati iyo.but uli chinangwa iwe cadre kumar is right and 2016 will bounce back

    • @Nine Chale, True, We Zambians are foolish, actually we love, getting to bed with everyone. Indian company investing in Zambia?? That alone is disaster. Nothing person with Indians but sorry, They are very Naïve and would never contribute to economic Growth. They want everything cheap, very selfish and surely Zambians would not have the best conditions of service. Let them Go, all these are wrongs of Chiluba who did not understand privatization. Let’s get back these Mines. Nothing wrong we can run them better than Indians.

  9. Does Kumar need to get permission from government to go outside the country to consult with his shareholders? Why do people say he has fled? Kumar is a free man, he can take leave anytime. Government should be careful how they handle the KCM issue. Copper is an important forex earner, so don’t mess up Mr. Sata. Meanwhile PF concentrate on your wrangles and the death of your cadres because of Sata’s indecisiveness. Please don’t mess with copper!

  10. Ok Charlie man, what was the value of the mines in 1968 and in 1998. For Luanshya mine, the value of dismantling old machines under the ground, pumping water out, and sending under water divers to dismantle rotten equipment costed more than the value of the mine bosses. Now that’s how government runs mines. However, your innocence is humbling. I see a lot of it here

    • Thanks for the kind words. I know there are a lot of enormous challenges involved in running the mines but where there’s a will there’s always a way. We have Zambian engineers and other experienced and qualified work force within and without the country. If we merge and change our attitude towards work in general, I believe we can successfully manage our mines.

      Once we get going, even the critics will realise that the best thing that has happened is for us to gain total control over our resources. That is the real independence.

    • I understand you Charlie. What is going on in you is the weeping of the blind. OK let do gung-ho here. The story of old soviet. We collect all the 200 engineers outside of Zambia, we take all the civil engineers in Zambia and pile them up in Chililabombwe, we blow the whistle.. Dig. Lol. Aldabra Kadara, melt, manufacture, sell… Lol. It don’t run that way. You patriotism must only end at making rules of engagement what you are suggesting is what Sata is doing. But that’s ok for him. You sound too young to be in a league of ignorance. Who said you throw the water together with the baby? Who said leaders should show public anger and work under the guidance of anger and patriotism alone? There is only one way. To remove the uncouth from serious matters.

    • Not quite the way you have put it. What we need is a proper concept and a plan to reclaim ownership of our resources. The rest will naturally fall into place once we get started. Patriotism matters but it must not lead to an ultra-nationalism.
      I do not see anything wrong with showing investors that we are can get angry and passionate about being exploited. It will make them think twice if they have intentions of coming to milk us dry.
      I could go on debating with you but I have to call it a day now. Weekend fever is catching up… let’s continue another day. I appreciate the objectivity in your comments.

  11. KCM must know that it is cheap to react childishly over government policies. If the cost of doing business in the country becomes expensive consider ways of renovating and using more effective mining systems.

  12. LET HIM IS VERY USELESS. THER WAS EVEN JUBILLATION WHEN THE NEWS WENT ROUND THAT KUMAR HAS BEEN DEPOTED. WE WANT GOVNMENT TO PROBE KCM INCLUDING ZAMBIAN MANAGER.

  13. Kaunda is behind all the confusion that has suddenly engulfed the country. His utterances lately are a testimony to this.

  14. U demons can’t just shut up even wen u know dat u had it o wrong.MUNYA B4 UNDRESSING YO CLOTHES. ZAMBIA WITH DEMON POSSESED MEDIA. But know dat Sata will always b wat God says he Z.Not wat u demons say.leave ur country nd go 2 hell,yo abode!

  15. So saying that the President’s statement is “mere rhetoric” is now a crime in Zambia? Why did the Home Affairs Minister want to have an audience with him over the “mere rhetoric” prnouncement? Bullies….go take over the mine and lets see you run it and turn a profit!

  16. Its important for the media to come up with an earlier story and reverse it. Atleast it gives some people something tovrant about and massage their ego. It doesnt do the job but atleast it gets the web count traffic going..

  19. Private companies try to make, invest and save money. Govt grabs money by force and wastes it. KCM is a business and has to lay off workers in order to remain competitive and sustainable. Govt is a necessary evil and has to force companies not to lay off employees in order for them to get more votes. What we are lacking is leadership, common sense and someone to talk to some rhetoric person at plot one, woodlands

  20. Home affairs did not know? Zambia, Zambia, but these guys know when RB is at the airport and confiscate his passport on numerous occasions. And this dangerous CEO who has fired your own employers(Electorate) you have no Idea he has left the country?? Wenye, Bufi, Boza, Ufi, Lie.

    • He was told to run before Home Affairs was informed… in a country like Zed the cleaner knows what will happen before the Madam’s husband – get it?

  21. It appears some bloggers are just againest govt no matter what happens,lets be objective any govt would be worried when its voters are being left jobless..now that KCM boss is called for a meeting he bolts,,an we see nothing wrong,,visibility study of KCm mines required urgently..

  22. Only us miners feel the pain imwe ba nkusa! These guys just wanted someone to say ‘get out!’ let the fool leave!!!!

  23. vedanta guys lacks money to re invest in new mining methods, they have invested heavily in smelter and concentrators including KDMP. unfortunately, KDMP seems to be a flop after missing the ore body. KCM needs to be bailed out by government especially on taxes, kcm is running on different units, so government needs to understand that for kcm to operate effective price of fuel has to be relatively cheap. kcm has to transport concentrates from other mines to nchanga then anodes from nchanga to nkana for refining. electricity tarrifs high and still going high, toll gates fees etc. former finance minister once said do not over milk the cow, for it will die and you will have no milk tomorrow. just on PAYE GRZ is making an average of K2500 on each employee so imagine how much grz will loose

  24. FACT: Kishore Kumar is CEO for all Vedanta Base Metal companies and not only for KCM. Other base metal companies under Vedanta are found in SA and Namibia among others. He rarely stays at KCM for a month. He is always travelling to other countries to sort out problems there. His travelling this time is nothing but a mere coincidence. Those, like myself, who work for KCM know this. But I know those of you who are ignorant will continue arguing among yourselves. I will also continue laughing at you sorry selves.

  26. Governments are meant to govern not to do businesses. Getting involved in mining this time around will not help the situation. Kaunda failed to run mines.

  27. this whole thing is a cover up for all the wrongs that kcm and the stealing of copper
    and not accounting for it.Copper has been $8000.00 per ton and only this year has come down to $6500.00,even a lay man on the street knows that the cost of production
    is dollar $2000.00 per ton. Kcm has been producing 200000 thousand tons of copper
    every year.Total copper produced in the last seven years1.4 million tons is worth 10 Billion Dollars ,at the production cost of 3 Billion dollars.Where is 7 Bilion dollars
    syphoned.Only god knows that these thieves have sued this money to buy assest in
    India and today call themselves to be a 30 Billion dollar Vedanta group.The sweat and
    Blood of Zambian workers have paid for what Vedanta is today.Kumar knew all what had happaend in the company for him…

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