Government’s ban on the night-time movement of freight and goods vehicles is hampering mining sector operations, First Quantum Minerals (FQM) has warned.
Statutory Instrument (SI) 76 constrains the movement of any freight or goods vehicles from travelling between 2100hrs and 0500hrs.
As it stands this regulation is damaging the economic viability of the mining sector,” said FQM head of government affairs John Gladston, who welcomed suggestions that the Statutory Instrument may be amended imminently.
“The government’s willingness to take swift and decisive action to amend the SI and give the mining industry vehicles the exemption they require is hugely welcome,” he said.
First Quantum Minerals, which operates the Kansanshi copper mine in Solwezi and the Sentinel mine at Kalumbila,
FQM produces around half of the country’s copper, and between its mines and neighbouring Lumwana some 40-50 truckloads of copper concentrate and at least 30 truckloads of finished copper travel on the Solwezi-Chingola road every day.
RSTA has adequate powers as was seen when two bus operations were warned but unfortunately it never lasted a minute as GRZ reversed it.
30 trucks of cathode and 50 trucks of concentrates and North Western has no link road, Chingola-Solwezi, what a mess?
Anyway it is govt of thugs!
Meanwhile FQM is speaking sense here, night travel really amazes me here, especially coming from a learned Engineer like Brian Mushimba?
You have Grade 12s for ministers and MPs who see no difference between a HGV and PSV, to them they are all the same.
Just continue ferrying copper during day shift you are fearing that the by products which you don’t account for taxes will be exposed one day?
Mines don’t need to steal at night they can do it anytime…its folly to squeeze everyone in the day and it does not help with decongesting the roads.
Its a no brainier banning HGVs from travelling at night especially for a land locked country like Zambia, even a country like Britain came to stand still during the Farmer and Drivers Fuel protests of 2000 as much of her goods is transported at nigh when the highways are clear. Ban buses nut not HGVs…and make a mandatory for trucks and buses to be fitted with Dash Cams…with Buses having speed limiters
I agree with FQM on this one. Cargo trucks are not like buses that carry human life. Trucks ought to move at night.
What Govt has done is to simply make the economy come to a stand still from 21 hrs to 5 hours
Come on people even Botswana it’s there and it worked. Heavy duty trucks have claimed so many lives. Buses are even much better than the trucks. Let’s be careful with these investors who only care for there production and what not. Ask the same people to drive at night and see how truck drivers are a pain in the neck. You find ten trucks making one single line without thinking of leaving any space for small cars to over take them. Everything has an advantage and disadvantage. Count the advantages of the ban before you kill the people.
The statistics speak for themselves just for this year…buses have been involved in more accidents and more lives have been lost, complete ban without investing in PSV/ HGV driver training, insurance will not help matters. Only in Zambia do you see a Bus Driver with 80 passengers overtaking at blind bend at over 120km/hr.
No qualms with the suggestion to review the SI in good faith. But what makes the mines feel they are so special? Is it because they have hooked us by the ass? What’s bad for the mining industry is bad for the other industries. This thing of giving preferential treatment to the mines is simply causing nausea.
They are special because the whole Zambian economy depends on them…
@jay jay, granted, mate….but I thought the Law ought to be blind?
Its a question of knowing which side your bread is buttered…we are a land locked country that heavily depends on haulage sector to move goods from point A to B as our Rail is outdated.
This SI suits and encourages Zambian laziness. The most successful countries in the world have converted night into day. We have too many excuses as a people and it is these excuses that are killing us. Time is money! A little folding of the hands and a little sleep is enough to bring anyone POVERTY and FILTH!
Totally agree.Fit all buses with dash cams and speed limiters but leave the trucks to move at night.The current challenge with this SI is that there is so much traffic on our limited roads and eventually this will cause more pile up accidents.