MINES Minister Christopher Yaluma has condemned repeated invasions of KCM operations by illegal miners called jerabos, whose conduct has been likened to warfare by the company’s CEO, Steven Din.
Mr Yaluma said he was appalled by the levels of lawlessness brazenly exhibited by the jerabos in their attacks on KCM operations at Nchanga Mine in Chingola, where he was told the mine was losing millions of dollars to illegal activities of the group.
“I have never seen such lawlessness in my life. This is unacceptable. More youths will die here…we will not allow this to continue,” Mr Yaluma said as he was taken on a tour of the mine yesterday and shown a number of areas that had been invaded by mobs of jerabos.
Mr Yaluma’s visit came two days after a jerabo was killed in clashes with police, the second such death in less than a week as police battled the growing menace that has caused anxiety in Chingola.
Responding to Mr Din’s concerns about the presence of illegal processing facilities in town, he promised the Government would shut down any such operations which he said were encouraging the activities of jerabos by providing a market for stolen copper waste.
He said equipment would be confiscated from illegally set-up mining operations and urged unemployed youth, who make up the majority of jerabos, to organise themselves into cooperatives and start operating legally.
Mr Din said the current situation at the mine was like warfare.
“We are losing about US$ 1 million through illegal mining activities and vandalism of equipment which is a sad situation, but following the current happenings over the last two weeks, we are still doing auditing to come up with the actual figures,” he said.
And a leader of the jerabos in Chingola, Kabaso Mulenga, popularly known as Spax, has distanced his group from the attacks on KCM operations, saying in statement that the people invading the company’s premises were scrap metal dealers.
“The people raiding KCM are metal merchants known as scrap metal dealers and not Jerabos. Even the circumstances in which they were killed simply points to what they followed in KCM which is scrap metal,” he said.
Mr Mulenga said Jerabos were a law-abiding group.
“We enjoy satisfactory relations with the law enforcement agencies as we seek to prevent or resolve community conflict and tensions arising from actions, policies and practices taken by security personnel at KCM. And since we never take matters of the law into our own hands, will never engage in such vices,” he said.
Its unacceptable for sure.
Too bad lives have been lost.
You are making them look holy by calling them Jerabos. Please call them by their proper names – Thieves, Thugs. There is nothing like Jerabo. These are robbers
These unpalatable remarks by PF’s bandit~Yaluma are very malicious & predatory.
Jerabos are PF bandits. In 2015 & 2016 visionless Lungu when campaigning pledged to these PF Jerabo bandits that he was going to give Black Mountains to them. But what is happening now in dununa regret style is full wrath of Donchi Kubeba short legged pathological lies of PF as usual.
Why is now PF crying roulette with their own creation of PF bandits? From the looks of things, the jerabos will be drilling on PF’s throats of lies.
PF is now waggling within the perimeters of mwamoneni. Uko! How much is mealie meal today?By the way, NRDC is gone bananas~Yaluma~njala mwa Lungu ndi kunyokola! Ask the commentator for Zambian vs Germany U20 World Cup in Korea.
The Skeleton Key
~206~
The Jerabos as bad as they are but for me I support them 100%. The Jerabos should own these mines or give them licence to operate.
Why?
1)these Jerabos have spent all their money in Zambia where they have built houses, and businesses
2)they have employed a lot of people through their businesses.
So yes they are better than those foreigners who are sending money to the home countries.
PFF is a mess. Lusambo was supporting Jerabos, but Yaluma thinks other wise.
The guys are just ok…give them jobs as you promised ba PF, or kill them all
Today they are called illegal miners, but during campaign period they were called small scale miners and one when died, was almost awarded a state funeral by DR Chakuti Chakuti (hc),awe sure, kukosa pa zed, with this George Orwell as headman……….
This is what happens when people dont see tangiable investment….when see in Nigeria those thugs damaging oil pipelines that is the end result.
For now Chingola is a failed and forgotten town, that is why all sorts of vices are happening. Just look at the town itself, it’s ugly with potholed roads all over as if it was not once the cleanest town in zambia. The town is completely forgotten so the youths are just trying to make the ENDS MEET. First of all, ba chilombo naba Nkhuwa should work hard to bring sanity and cleanliness in that town as the 2 area MPs unlike what their predecessors did.
@ Musula Kupanta
You’r right.the town has been neglected for too long.too much funds embezzlement under this pf regime…
Good morning underfive, who told you that Zambia is your kantemba where you can give commands to the judiciary as to when your treason case should be heard? You will wait until June 12 when the Magistrate gave you a slot to appear before him again, therafter he will commit you to the High court and you SHALL wait for the treason to be allocated to a Judge where you SHALL appear for mention and therafter a date SHALL be set for your trial. Subject of course to more preliminaries in the High court by your lawyers, e.g. if the case will be allocated to Judge Sund.ay…kikikikikiki
you’re an a.s.s.h.o.l.e!
This guys is behaving like a Zambian, I thought the article is about mining, I don’t see treason anywhere
@ Cliff
Stop encouraging illegalities.U can’t go and steal at some one’s yard and claim they were promised. The leader of Jerabos has made their position clear. Understand the article before u comment.
So the leader of thugs is being given audience to address the nation!!! Soon he will be like ISIS and what will you do?
Jerabos should be in hiding and not speaking on behalf of its organisation? This is arnachy in the making!
There is nothing like Jerabo – These are thieves, thugs and Robbers. Call them that please
pf thugs,thieves and robbers…
And KCM are bigger thieves in suits not forgetting polluters!!
B.A.F.I.K.A.L.A(PF) you promised them more money in their pockets, give them.they have families to look after.Soon everyone will be a thief just like the presido and the entire pf elite…lol
Lazy just got a payment from the KCM Indian boss after his recent State House…they are all crooks!!
Follow up this Kabaso Mulenga, aka Spax criminal and squeeze his things very hard and azaulula.
LIES HAVE SHORT LEGS.
– Lungu promised these youths the Black Mountain.
– Lungu promised these youths 500,000 jobs
Who do you blame them for being initiative? We don’t condone theft but this problem is self created by PF regime.
It’s a well known fact that KCM steals $Billions from Govt by under-invoicing exports & over-invoicing imported spares & claiming huge ridiculous VAT refunds from ZRA.
Thieves robbing fellow thieves…where is Bowman?
Yaluma is a decent man. frankly, he is very sober in his dealing… I totally agree with him. This country needs us and we shall held responsible to prosperity if we allow lawlessness. Surely, what happened at KCM is a sad issue .
Let us identify ourselves with leaders who stand on the side of law and order. Yaluma is truly a sincere man who is not easily carried away with cheap populism… He has respect for humanity and dignity.
His interests is to protect zambian youths who voted for him. But it seems he has forgotten his mandate & chosen to protect KCM, who is the bigger thief.
Unbelievable statement from a spineless minister once referred to by late president Sata as ‘foolish minister’.
Here is a minister grappling with criminality all because its Kambwili or Musonda ‘Spax’. Jerabos are criminals who are legitimising themselves under PF government as scrap dealers. What has that to do with invading a mine plant?. Jerabos are criminals glorified by PF government, never existed in previous governments.
When we told you that PF government sprang up from thuggery and deception of late Michael Sata, PF cadres protested aggressively calling us names. Remember late Michael Sata with vile woman called Nakawala, a current version of Mumbi Phiri’s toxicity. Jerabos are a version of PF thuggery culture. That’s how boastful Kambwili got part of his wealth including…
HH alebola. Aba ama bolls. Someone told me he has been told how masturbate.
Team edgar , you are pathetic….how can say such lewd things… Kula iwe….
Even if you hate HH don’t insult…. Fear GOD a while even if you are not a Christian because Christian don’t insult .. Muslims don’t insult … Who taught you how to insult? Tell me because we need to pray for your teacher and you.. ECL and HH are good family man who have different views on each other… Even Marie Len Pen and Macron cant insult each other… Donald and Hilary cant insult each other….
Zambian culture we don’t insult and what is your culture
KCM is just a criminal organisation. Have you seen what damage they have done to Chingola stream, Nchanga stream and the Kafue River? Have you seen what pathetic water people in Chingola are subjected to? Have you seen how deplorable the working environment is at KCM? Have you seen the damage KCM has done to the morale of the miners, and the damage to mine infrastructure through neglect by not ordering spares, not machine replacement, un reasonable shut downs…?
Yaluma you are just politicking. Those boys need jobs. They need a livelihood. Yet you and your visionless leadership have allowed KCM to import Indian labour for skills our able and many colleges produce in abundance annually. Yaluma STOP politicking. TAKE CARE of the INTERESTS of ZAMBIANS, NOT FOREIGNERS in KCM.
WHEN SOME OF US SAID THERE IS TOO MUCH LAWLESSNESS IN THIS COUNTRY UNDER THE CURRENT REGIME, WE WERE CALLED NAMES. LOOK AT VENDORS, LOOK AT ANOTHER GROUP OF THUGS CALLING THEMSELVES AS PF CARDERS? WHAT IS SHOCKING IS THAT, WHEREVER SUCH GROUPS OPERATE FROM, THEY EVEN MOUNT A PF FLAG AND THAT BECOMES A NO GO ZONE AREA INCLUDING THE POLICE. WHERE ARE WE GOING AS A COUNTRY? DEAL WITH THIS LAWLESSNESS BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF HAND
Not all PF officials condone lawlessness. Every home has some bad elements…Truly , the challenge PF has to deal with is indiscipline within its rank and file.
The architects of the indiscipline are some senior PF official. For example, look at the behavior of Kazier Zulu, Kennedy Kamba.etc
I was on a plane when I witnessed two female cabinet minister drunk and saying that Nigerians run airlines but they run the country. One of them has a court case of her seat nullified and the other has some romantic stint in the USA.
BWANA MINISTER. YOU PEOPLE ARE REAPING WHAT YOU SOWED WITH YOUR CAMPAIGN MESSAGES. YOU PEOPLE HAVE SPOILT THIS COUNTRY BY GIVING POWERS OR PROMISES TO CADRES AND JERABOS. YOU PROMISED THEM WHAT THEY FEEL IS RIGHTLY THEIRS NOW JUST FOR VOTES. NOW SEE. OUR COUNTRY IS RUINED. THE POLICE HAVE NO POWER OVER RUTHLESS CADRES. THEY DICTATE AS TO WHO MUST BE ARRESTED. WHO MUST BE MOVED OUT ETC. YOU SOWED BAD SEEDS AND IT IS HARVEST TIME NOW FOR YOU PEOPLE.
You promised them more money,give them now. By the way, where is the police?
Yes indeed, where are the Police! They are camped in Lusaka for the Great Treason Trial of course.
We need fresh brains in the mines ministry. Yaluma is a missed call. Joyce nonde was promising at Labour, she has become mute like cow when its ruminating.