Dispute has arisen over the ownership of the disused slug pit commonly known as Black Mountain in Kitwe’s Wusakile Township.
A group of Chinese investors is claiming ownership of the Black Mountain and are forcing police to chase away the thousands of young people who depend on the mountain for livelihood.
The Black Mountain is now a source of livelihood for more than 1,000 young men without jobs in Kitwe.
The Black Mountain is one of the old heaps of waste rock which piled in Kitwe’s Wusakile Township by the ZCCM before privatisation.
Information has resurfaced that the PF Government has decided to sell the dump site to Chinese investors who extract copper from the waste.
Small Scale Mining Association of Zambia President Simon Njovu said the youths in Wusakile are not happy that the PF government has sold the Black Mountain to Chinese investors.
Mr Njovu said his association has information that Government has forced Chambishi Metals to sell the mountain to Nkana Alloys.
“Government needs to be careful on how this matter is handled. The youths are now threatening to decampaign the PF government if they don’t rescind this decision,” Mr Njovu said.
But Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma has clarified that the decision to transfer the mountain to a foreign investor has not been made.
“What we have are options on the table on how to deal with the Black Mountain, what is true also is that there is a lot of illegal mining taking place there which has to be stopped. We also aware that young people need jobs to sustain their lives but off course generation of income needs to be done within the law,” Mr Yaluma said.
He said the manner in which the illegal miners are currently operating is hazardous because they risk being buried alive when the caves at the mine dump collapse.
Mr Yaluma said it is Government’s desire to create employment for the youth in the mining sector and to ensure that they work in a safe environment.
People close to the matter revealed that a group of Chinese investors under a company called Nkana Smelter appeared on the scene around 2011 and started claiming ownership of the mine.
Wusakile MP and Deputy Mines Minister Richard Musukwa has opposed the move to sell the Black Mountain as it would deprive poor youths of their livelihood.
Mr Musukwa has pledged to defend the existence of the Black Mountain as long as he remains Member of Parliament.
bazavutana nama jerabos..wina azamwalila
Why are the fish in the lakes not sold to Chinese? Not to compare, but all are natural resources. I see no problem of Zambians going through waste, they are just recycling.
I own that rubbish and pay jerapos to steal from it
bribes again to the detriment of poor Zambian People….
when does it stop ?
At the time of privitisation, the Nkana slag dump (Not slug pit) was sold to Chambishi Metals to feed its smelter to recover copper and cobalt.When the cobalt price became depressed in 2007/2008, it became uneconomical to run the furnace and chambishi Metals closed the smelter section and about three months ago, the slag dump was sold to the Chinese. Dear countrymen, please discourage the youths from doing their mining at the dump becasue it is very dangerous. In 2008, I witnessed the death of ten (10), young peoole who were buried alive in a trench they had dug to access some copper/cobalt. The real beneficiaries are the big Jerabos and not the small copper copper who do the dirty work.
Yes our youths are unemployed but that can not be an excuse because what is illegal is illegal
Now they will turn to our homes for survival. House break ins have reduced because the “mountain” has kept the boys busy. Give them permits and ensure there are government safety officers on duty at all times.
Evaluate what they do, add safety to that process and employ them as an augmented source of the ore you are looking for. Pay them for the ore they turn in at the mine. Win-win, if you ask me. Unfortunately we inherited the system of push-back that we inherited from colonialism. Change your mindset and your environment will change, too.
Just a thought..! If at all the so called Black Mountain/Soil has been sold out to the Chinese, what procedural criteria was used in disposing it off? On the other hand, does it mean our own ‘mighty’ Jerabos couldn’t match the disposal bid?
That MP Musukwa needs to b careful or just shut up… he creates a a lot of excitement in the wrong direction and results are usually bad, can he research and avoid politicking on issues to do with life, such issues need responsible leadership not cadre mentality. That thing is or was owned by Chambishi metals. Ministry of Mines must sit with CM and iron out issues not everyday issuing statemets, most of the reckless
Guys waste or whatever. Its time we Africans learnt that there must be some orderly procedure in whatever we do. If we are going to give the mountain to jerabos give them the papers too. Centuries ago, we ‘sold’ our countries for nothing to people who arrived from Europe and gave one King a paper to mark on. These whites could then show this paper to any of their European rivals to indicate they owned the land. Dont we learn?
GOVT SHOULD JUST PUT IN PLACE LOGISTICS BY WHICH SAFE EXTRACTION OF THIS RESOURCE CAN BE DONE IN A CONTROLLED WAY.
AS ALREADY SAID, REGULATE AND ENFORCE SAFETY AT THIS BLACK MOUNTAIN SO RICH WITH RESOURCES. ENGAGE PROFESSIONAL EXCAVATORS. GIVE LICENSES.
RIGHT NOW CRIME IS ON THE RISE IN KITWE TO AN EXTENT THAT GEYSERS ARE BEING STOLEN FOR THEIR COPPER CONTENT. ZESCO AND ZAMTEL CABLES ARE BEING MORE VANDALIZED.
THIS MOUNTAIN HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF WEALTHY TO MANY YOUTHS AND FAMILIES IN KITWE. PLEASE, DO NOT ROB US OF THIS. INVESTORS WILL ONLY EXTERNALIZE THE PROCEEDS.
Since mining commenced at Nkana, the damp belonged to Rhokana Corporation then its successor Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines Limited and finally Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited. After ZCCM, the damp passed through many hands, including some Zambian fraudsters. Truth be told, the damp is a repository of rich copper, cobalt, gold and other metals.
In the 30’s through the 40’s and 50’s when our mining head grades were +4% and our processing technology was ‘primitive’ by modern standards, we dumped as waste, copper at +2% on those dumps. We never recovered cobalt and gold until the 50’s. With the technologies now availab,e, those dumps could be worth a bundle!