Minister of Information and Broadcasting services Chishimba Kambwili has lost a Nephew in the mine accident that happened at Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) South Ore Body Shaft. Mr Kambwili’s nephew, Honest Mushota is one of the four miners who were buried alive on Sunday around 23:00 hours in a rock fall.The night shift on 3,240 feet level had over 90 miners on duty.
Mr Kambwili has commended Government for the support rendered to the bereaved families.
Mr Kambwili, however, called on Mopani Copper Mines to avail the bereaved families with information about the cause of the accident and progress the mining firm has made in its rescue operations.
“As a family, we appreciate your coming here to mourn with us. I lost a nephew in that mine accident who happens to be the son to my sister. As a family, we would like to know what transpired because we haven’t been availed with any information up to now,” Mr Kambwili said.
And Operations at Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) South Ore Body Shaft have been temporarily suspended following the death of four miners in an underground mine accident on Sunday.
By press time yesterday, MCM’s rescue team and engineers of the mining company had not retrieved any of the four bodies which are trapped underground.
The deceased miners, who were working as machine operators, have been identified as Emmanuel Kyongola of J59 Chamboli, Honest Mushota of 74 Geddes Street (Nkana East), Arnold Mambwe of H2-63 Chamboli and Abel Mutali of 893 Ndeke township.
MCM corporate affairs manager Cephas Sinyangwe and Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) acting general secretary George Mumba said in Kitwe yesterday that the rescue team was still searching for the bodies.
“The rescue team has not yet retrieved the bodies. They are still trapped in the soils. We don’t know how long it will take to retrieve the bodies,” Mr Mumba said.
Mr Sinyangwe said the rescue team is on the ground working tirelessly to retrieve the bodies.
“It is a huge operation and our team is on the ground,” Mr Sinyangwe said.
Copperbelt commissioner of police Joyce Kasosa on Monday said it could take two or more days to retrieve the bodies.
Meanwhile, the families of the four miners yesterday wept uncontrollably as Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge, led senior Government officials in consoling bereaved families,
And Government has directed the Mines and Safety Department to institute thorough investigations into the cause of the mine accident, which has claimed lives at MCM’s South Orebody Shaft.
Mr Musenge, who was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development Richard Musukwa, Kitwe district commissioner Chanda Kabwe and mine union officials, visited all the four funeral houses to console the bereaved families.
And Mr Musukwa said government is saddened by the accident and assured the mourners that a team of mine experts and engineers has been constituted to retrieve the four bodies.
“As government, we are working with Mopani Copper Mines to ensure that the bodies of the miners are retrieved. The team constituted to carry out the operation is working round the clock to ensure that the four bodies are retrieved,” Mr Musukwa said.
Serves him right, after all his nephew just corruptly got that job through his corrupt connections.
Condolences to the other three who genuinely got their jobs. May their Souls rest in peace
bukala bwanoko kapoli iwe
Have you always been an a@sho!e or you one day just decided to specialize in being one?
Wait for your turn.
Where is your humanity? Don’t lose your humanity just because you have been provoked.
That is why you Tonga bull your UPND will never rule this country because of the heartless behaviour of you and your president. HH store from the people of Zambia huge sums after being given the powers to sale the mines on behalf of the government and ended up selling them at under valued amounts. The souls that have died without getting their benefits are on HH s shoulder. Now a relative to our brother honourable Kabwili has died in a tragic accident and you say he corruptly got the job which is wrong. Go forbid. May the soul of all our departed colleagues rest in peace.
You are a stu.pid Kolwe. Even in this matter you want to bring in politics. Be serious iwe kabalwe
My condolences to the bereaved families. May the souls of the deceased rest in peace.
Thank you for everyone that sends the condolences to our family.
We appreciate
Thanks
BB2014
@ Tubulu..
Ecclesiastic de Catolique..Imyeo yabafwa yikale tondolo mumaka ya kwalesa!! Amen
@2.1 Mushota so you are related to Kambwili? That explains some of your blogs. Lol
How’s kabwili lubinda or hh nephew the story should have been about accident
Who’s is kabwili lubinda or hh nephew to zambians
I had to re-read the story to see where Lubinda and HH’s nephews may have been mentioned. I still don’t see the relevance of your reference to Lubinda and HH’s nephews.
@ Africa…you are such dumb….umutwe wobe naufwasa….uleikala fye nga bakabova pakuti umutwe wobe wilafwasa-fwasa
Who is kambwili anyway? Why not mention the other families? I feel like vomiting everytime Chimbwili is mentioned.
I hope that the government will not find Kambwili’s nephew’s funeral! Moaning mines should fund all 4 funerals. We need to know how the Mopani Rescue team and engineers tried to dig out the miners. Do they have the correct equipment or they just went and stood there is a typical Zambian style of helplessness?
The mines should be the one to fund the funeral costs as well as compensate the poor families. Not just with terminal benefits but compensate for the untimely loss of life. Do they have life insurance?
My father worked in the mines, I didn’t appreciate how dangerous the job was even though in Chililabombwe there were several accidents. Let’s appreciate the work that the miners do. And all the more reason for government to collect more royalties from the mines. The sacrifice people pay is too big. The ultimate sacrifice; life.
My heartfelt condolences Mr minister.We are with you in this time of bereavement.God bless you and your entire family
So we are only being informed about this today on Thursday because the miner is related to BUFFOON Kambwili…shouldn’t we be questioning KCM’s health and safety recorded?
No KCM here baba. Its Mopani.
It was an accident. Death always brings grief and pain to the families. I can imagine what is through the minds of the family members. Lets put everything in the hands of almighty God. MTSRIP.
I can’t wait for the monster himself to die
Condolences to the entire family. May God comfort you.
I dont see the relevance of kambwili here. We shud look at the miners in total.
Pity Mopani terminated the contract of a Mr Harris who was known to have a safety record that is second to non
This is rubbish you should reported of all the miners who died in that accident not just one relative to a useless dull minister.
My heart felt condolences. I worked at SOB Shaft (underground) for 4 years, this news really affects me. To the bereaved families, may you find hope and warmth in the almighty.
He was a very good childhood friend. RIP my brother.