Mr Din told Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo who was on a fact finding mission to the plant on Saturday morning that shutdown is necessary to bring about increased efficiency in mine operation.
He briefed Hon. Lusambo that KCM is replacing the old and almost obsolete smelter plant with a modern facility that will process higher volumes of ore with better energy usage.
Mr Din also dispelled reports that the shutdown of the plant will see more Zambian miners lose employment at the mining giant.
He revealed that to the contrary, KCM will maintain all the existing 500 permanent jobs and create 200 temporary jobs during the period of the shutdown and construction of a new smelter plant.
Mr Din emphasised that KCM has a strong Zambianisation agenda and has since promoted promising young Zambians into key leadership positions in the company through extensive training programmes.
He however admitted that procedure was not thoroughly followed when undertaking the shutdown but promised to engage the Ministry of Mines and other relevant government department during the period of the shutdown.
And Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo told Mr Lusambo that Government is interested in win-win investment partnership for the mining sector.
Mr Lusambo said he was compelled to swiftly tour the smelter plant to get first-hand information on the state of affairs at the facility and deliver a message from President Edgar Chagwa Lungu that the PF Government is committed to protecting the interests of Zambians as it engages with the investment community.
He also told Mr Din that Government is concerned that KCM has now started delaying the payment of monthly salaries which he said has the potential to dampen miner’s productivity.
Mr Lusambo stressed the need to prioritise local contractors in the awarding of contracts as a way of spreading the benefits of mining investment.
He stated that Government is happy with the level of investment in KCM but stressed that foreign investment should benefit the local people.
That is good news.
We hope that stands.
I hope Lusambo knows something about the Indians at KCM. The Nchanga Smelter is not the “old and almost obsolete smelter plant” that needs replacing “with a modern facility”. This plant was put up around 2008/9. In engineering terms that’s hardly ancient tech. Unless the Indians made a catastrophic choice of technology, there must be something else they are doing. Indians are like PF; they can lay off hundreds of workers but announce that there are no job losses. LIARS!
With the abnormal increase in fuel prices which is going to affect operational costs, it’s too early to speculate. But if you ask any economist or business professional, job loses are at the corner because of fuel increase.
the problem is not about the shut down cos we all know how shrewd these indians are.
the problem is the one sent to solve it.
is lusambo capable of handling these cunning tricksters who have had a field day out of that mine,with literally no capital investment to talk about?
honestly don’t we have real people in govt who can pump some sense into these indians apart from this one.
just asking…..
i Have just one word to say: INDIAN
Can’t be true. Jobs will be lost.
Indians with their game of numbers. From time out of mind kcm has always claimed to have run the mine at a loss. They are just a bunch of criminals, a bunch of crooks. I don’t trust kcm Indians.
Liars the real reason why the smelter is not operating at full capacity is because no other mining companies wants to do business with them because of bad business ethics. The little anodes they are producing are also being exported thereby starving the tankhouse at nkana.
That’s PF and Vedanta for you. Obviously jobs will be lost. Time will tell and shortly.
That’s PF and Vedanta for you. Obviously jobs will be lost. Time will tell and it will be sooner than later.
As long as clowns like lusambo are getting kickbacks from these foreigners they will allow these ceos to continue telling lies.
Guys,
I smell a rat here
That is a brand-new smelter. Only First Quantum’s smelter in Solwezi is newer.
I think it is being starved of feed.
The Solwezi smelter treats concentrates from Kansanshi, Lumwana and Kalumbila
Chibuluma’s concentrate goes to the Chinese smelter in Chambishi, half the distance to Chingola
The PF Govnt must let KCM go so that another investor can be found to run KCM mines!!!this company run by greed indians has lost its value!!!indians can never tell Govnt that they have made any profit as all they know is complaining about loses on daily basis.hey i dont like indians!!
The PF Govnt must let KCM go so that another investor can be found to run KCM mines!!!this company run by greed indians has lost its value!!!indians can never tell Govnt that they have made any profit as all they know is complaining about loses on daily basis.hey i dont like indians!!and please NEZ stop calling Hon.Lusambo a clown!!this is why most of us cant vote for upnd because the only thing you people in upnd appreciate are those things done by those who support your tonga god hh!!!GBM today is your darling because he supports hh!!if goes from upnd like Miles Sampa or Dr.Canicius Banda,all bantustans will call GBM all sorts of names!!!you are just like these indians who run KCM!!!
Flash back…
President Lungu’s economic diplomacy has continued yielding results. He is currently in Saudi Arabia where he is signing big deals that include:
1. Construction of a mordern maternal and paediatric hospital. This initiative started under Dr. Kaseba. Madam Esther Lungu picked it up and now it is being finalised.
2. Oil deals which will see the cost of fuel go down to as low as K5. 5. per litre. Negotiations have been going on and finally the deal will be signed……
Add also 500 000 jobs lungu was to create in 2016….
There you have it pipo. Don’t belive not a single word PF say……
Instead of fuel being K5.5/L it’s now K11/L. PF are such sick liars.
With a drunken Master from Malawi in the driven seat brace your self with more job losses and unbearable high level of poverty. I fore see an uprising against EDgar Chakolwa Kaloba Wrungu.
@NEZ, these problems did not start when PF came into power the chaps are just st*pid. LPMs government left these problems. Ask anyone who worked for KCM about one former CEO called CVK and you’ll get a hint of how old these problems are.
Sata campaigned on a platform of fixing the “infestors” but was very quickly bought by the same people after winning in 2011. PF have been lying about jobs and everything since 2011. At least LPM had clean hands.
KCM is going. Very soon all miners will be given zero term contracts without pension and redundancies should they lose their jobs. IMF is taking over control
Zambianation came ho an end in 1990
Who is buying minerals? C’Mon tell them the truth
1. As usual devil worshippers will congregate and celebrate any misfortune befalling Zambia, the very country they want to rule. But Zambians have refused to ballot them into power. You shall know them by their words and if you hapoen to meet them, observe their long blood stained and teeth.
3. Does it mean in UPND they have never heard of maintenance? No wonder the only car that looks regularly serviced is HH’s. Every car needs maintenance and will normally be available for a day or two every three months as the mevhanics attend to the filters, brakes etc.
4. Similarly a smelter also undergoes regular maintenance once or twice in a year. Is this the first time UPND have heard that Nchanga Smelter is on maintenance?
5. I thought HH knows sonething about mining operations being an…
5. I thought HH knows something about mining operations being an economist and having being associated with mines privatisation (kiikikikikiki) in the 90s. Or was he more interested in “scheming” at the time?
6. By the way after spending so heavily during his campaigns and on lawyers during the evidenceless petition, and trying to bribe judges successfulky and unsuccessfully, is HH still among the top ten richest men in Zambia?
7. HH was pipped at the polls in 2011 by a humbly educated politician and in 2015 and 2016 by a humble not so rich but well loved man of the people. That is the root of his bitterness.
By the way before the elections HH stated that the UPND would have three PVTs one known by all members of UPND, the second one by his selected officials (excluding bembas and ngonis), and the third one known only by himself alone. Please tell me which one was presented to the Concourt. The only that I have seen is that fooolish one which is based on the total number of registered voters rather than the actual number who voted in the less than 60% national turnout. Is that the personal copy for HH? If it is I understand his bitterness,,,,,kikikikikiki
“And Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo told Mr Lusambo that Government is interested in win-win investment partnership for the mining sector”. NDELOLESHA FYE. Ba LT pulizi proof-read before posting your articles.
the battle is real, kcm is a sinking titanic. how do you pay delayed salary to an engineer of K 6000. no increment since Pf came into office in 2011. this is why we wanted HH to clear the mess but useless PF cadre played the game of tribalism
$25,000,00 worth of a mine plus a plegde of $200,000,000 investment, duped! who is foolish to trust an indian, lies and truth weight the same to an indian! kikikikiki eya!