Over 500 miners were on Monday trapped 300meters underground at the Non-Ferrous Cooperation Africa (NFCA) mine in Chambishi owing to the power outage which affected seven Provinces on Monday.
Some miners who were among those trapped said they feared for their lives as the underground plant almost flooded because the pumps that control the water from the mine couldn’t work.
The miners however said no loss of life was recorded during the two hours of power outage. They commended ZESCO engineers for the quick response in restoring power and ensuring that lives were saved.
Families of the mine workers were gripped with fear as they got worried that their loved ones would not return home safely.
A group of family members organised themselves at the residence of one the miners who was among those trapped underground to pray for the safety of their loved ones as they waited for the restoration of power to the mining town.
Meanwhile the power utility company has informed the nation that it has fully restored power to all the affected provinces.
In a statement issued to the media, ZESCO Senior Marketing and Public Relations Manager, Mrs Bessie Banda said that power was restored to Copperbelt and North-Western Provinces by 16:00 hours yesterday, while Northern, Luapula, Muchinga, Eastern and parts of Central Provinces were back on supply in the early hours of Tuesday morning at 01.10 hours.
Ms Banda said the loss of supply was due to failure of some high voltage equipment at Kabwe substation due to a heavy down pour.
Other mines which were affected in Chambishi because of  the power outage as they were forced to stop production are Chambishi Copper Smelter (CCS), Chambishi Metals, NFCA, Multi-Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ), Sino Metals Leach Zambia, and other smaller mining firms in the same area.
Something very very strange is happening at ZESCO. 7 provinces without power for that long. This is not thw first time Zambia has experienced heavy downpours. Honestly whatever is happening at ZESCO is worrying.
ZESCO must get their act together, or else PRIVATISE the utility in the interest of safety, social and economic development.
There is no doubt, Government and ZESCO chaps are short of innovation.
Let me say that I am not one for privatisation, but ZESCO crossed the line a long time ago.
So, yes, PRIVATISE it!
Energy drives the economy and it’s the back born of the economy.so pf continue making funny of this and you shall see what will happen.7provinces with out power now you want to kill 500 people because of your negligence and stupidity lootin of making unnecessary road shadings.
pf continue making fun?? common @.dundumwezi arise we know what you and your cronnies are upto! just know that it wont happen instead you will continue getting exposed
500 people trapped underground? What is going on? This is truly scary. This reminds me of the Mufulira disaster, where 89? Men died underground. This would have been much worse.
In ZCCM, we had back-up stand-by Generators at … Lumwana, . It is truly scary to realise that currently there is no such thing anymore. What on earth is going on in the mining industry in Country? Are Mining Regulations being followed anymore?. Anyone conversant with mining will agree you cannot play dice with underground mining like this. A disaster is waiting to happen in the copperbelt. This is a wake-up call.
*… Luano, not Lumwana…
I have reason to believe there is great incompetence at ZESCO requiring a forensic audit and the situation with the mines has gone substandard on safety! Do some sections in the mines still exist? I am sure with the mass lay-offs in the mines some sections have also been rendered inoperative! I have my doubts on safety and inspections!
One wonders how many other potential deaths, illnesses and accidents can be attributed to Zesco’s epic fails. If awards could be won for sweeping things under the rug and burying our ostrich heads- Zed would be hard to beat.
BASSOPO!!!
Ifintu Ni LUNGU, pa Dununafye’
The inefficiency at ZESCO is worrying to say the least. The response so slow, sale, sale apa.
Mines should be mandated to purchase emergency generators to have a back up for important essential equipment.Period
Generators may have existed and it can not be far fetched to make a guess that they have been looted!
this is what happens when cadres are appointed to positions that they’re not qualified for
Filelungula mwa Lungu Ka kachusa supervisor. This is what happens when the country is run by failures who only dream of imbote, kachasu, vodigar and a lot of other beers on display. A major crisis awaits this country because starting from the president himself down the line to the least person in their hierarchy, they are all cadres whose skills are all questionable. They are only good at destroying the law and the constitution, smuggling mealie meal and other goods outside the country for quick money, corruption and other vices. In fact, the best description that suit them is they are all like a herd of monkeys who have invaded the maize field with the view to fill up their empty stomachs. Ba Lungu, his only important program is to board an aircraft in order to explore the world and to…
…Some miners who were among those trapped said they feared for their lives as the underground plant almost flooded because the pumps that control the water from the mine couldn’t work…..unbelievable, underground water pumps relying only on ZESCO power source…??…and the mines safety department allow the underground to operate..??…that can be compared to a driver on a highway being allowed by a policeman to pass thru a police check point without wearing a seat belt…..
….the article should have mentioned of the suspension of underground mine manager, head of safety and other senior employees…
..can LT also give us the statistics of how may premature babies died in hospitals as a result of incubators switching off…..or is it a state secret…??
The issue is scaring at the CHINESE mines.. I have worked in by then ZCCM mines before and the mine managers used to ensure that there was a checklist to be followed every period of time to inspect emergency machinery and equipment. Simulations were being done in the event of power failure. these were called DRILLS. Can MSD please visit this mine and ask for an emergency procedure and if it is not there help them have one. instruct them to seek audience with KCM or any underground mine of their choice and learn how it is done. This is not the first time that power had been disturbed … has the mine been hiding issues only to learn about them now? As for ZESCO..managemnt should resign. MULETUSEBANYA sana. Is this the first time it has rained in like in Zambia? Does ZESCO feel ashamed?…
Bantu Botatwe Engineers, get your asses together or you will go in one batch
Fake story. There are a lot of alternative escape routes in any underground mining operation u may go to in the world. This is just one of those political fake stories reminiscent of gullible Zambians.
@tutu! Imwe taata muli batuutu saana! Why do u always stray away from the main story? Are u a stray dog?
IT IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE FOR A MINING COMPANY TO OPERATE WITHOUT STANDBY GENSETS IN THIS DAY AND ERA. ON THE OTHER HAND I THOUGHT CCS HAD THEIR OWN POWER GEN EQUIPMENT LIKE GANGOTE HAS, WHY WHERE THEY TOO AFFECTED?
If it were in Nigeria, there is only one answer, the gods have reject Lungu as the Igwe of Zambia, it is an abomination to have a visionless leader, incompetent managers, ignorant ministers and useless thieves as GRZ leaders.
A very nice story to tell kids when they re bored.
U nid to understand that the economy is booming in either ways so is power z needed,u nid to understand that it should v started with unip,mmd now it’s pf to plan for the future either more generation or upgrade of the system for it teks tym to undertake.planning is good for when you get to Ndola there are some roads which are impossible to expand cause there’s ored structures and others things alongside.for blackout over 7 provinces it’s a sad coz zesco can do better in investing more arrestors or related compared to protective breakers which trips out if there’s surge o lag and the mines should do there part in having stand by gensets o have coal fired power plants.Electrical/communications engineer
Technically speaking,why are we putting every blame on zesco.when it comes to underground mining,standby power system facilities are always there,if the chinese havent installed,govt should quickly direct the ministry of minerals to make sure all underground mines have such.lets us not bring investors who only want to loot our nation.God bless Zambia.
Even the sun does not shine everyday,if you are technically handcapped you will continue blaming zesco till you die. systems fail,natural disaster,technical failures and many more.mining companies should take care of there employees knowing that anything can happen underground. Look at poor KCM they have standby generators.Mine safety department should do something concerning this issue.
It cannot be smooth running all the time. On the surface we meet different problems. Even when night driving is suspended for a certain class of vehicles it only increases the traffic levels come daylight. To stop accidents would be to challenge God on mode of dying because it is not written how each one of us shall die. Correct me if you are better informed.