District Commissioner Miniver Mutesa confirmed yesterday that she received a negative response when she approached the giant emerald mining company regarding rehabilitation of the roads.
Ms Mutesa said this when Gemcanton Investment Limited donated over 500 litres of pesticides worth more than K60,000 to six Lufwanyama chiefdoms where army worms ravaged maize fields.
She said while Gemcanton had been responding positively to requests for corporate social responsibility programmes like road rehabilitation, construction of schools, and helping farmers affected by army worms, some mining companies had a negative response to such programmes.
“Last year when army worms invaded farmers’ fields in Lufwanyama, Gemcanton came to their aid by donating pesticides to them and even today you have repeated your gesture. However it is of serious concern that some emerald mining companies in the area are responding with negativity towards such programs. “I approached Kagem regarding rehabilitation of the roads in the area and their response was negative,” Ms Mutesa said.
Meanwhile, Chief Lumpuma of the Lamba of Lufwanyama district has urged Gemcanton to go beyond donating pesticides and look at other farming inputs like fertiliser, as a way of supplementing Government’s efforts.
He said Lufwanyama’s population comprised the farming community, which needed fertiliser and seed -hence it was imperative that Gemcanton and other mining companies supported them through agro inputs.
He said while Government had its own farmer input support program, the private sector needed to join such efforts.
“As we appreciate this donation, we are asking you to go further and look at donating fertiliser and seeds to the community and as a private sector you need to support Government,” Chief Lumpuma said.
And Gemcanton chief executive officer Abdu Bah said his company was looking forward to a good relationship with chiefs and the community.
Mr Bah, who spoke through the mine’s manager Mr Lungson Mukuma, said the company had decided to donate the pesticide because it had realised the damage that army worms could cause.
“Our community in Lufwanyama depends on agriculture and so we decided that we donate the pesticides to save the crop fields from being ravaged,” Mr Bah said.
Under the guise of CSR the government is asking business to do what they were elected to do.
If the government is broke why not tell everyone then pipo can understand the situation on the ground in zambia.
Minister of agriculture and the president himself has said that the focus is on agriculture yet we are asking private business to provide seed and fertilizer. Is this the diversification the government has promised.
The government has diversed its responsibility into the private sector
Hhoooogho, is that how our brothers work in mines, breaking rocks by hand, no machinery?
Chief Lumpuma is a shareholder in a Shepherd Bushri Mining company(SNM). Why can’t he be an example by encouraging SBM to contribute?
Nonsense! Why should Kagem be in private hands? Nationalize the mining of gemstones so that we reap maximum benefit
Kagem employs too many Indians at the expense of Zambians. What is the benefit to Zambia if you have resources which end up benefiting Indians? The President and Hon Lusambo should look at this critically. Resources are being looted by foreigners before our eyes and nothing is being done. Why does Kagem employ so many Indians? Don’t Zambians need jobs? That place is full of Indians doing jobs that Zambians can do. Indians there have turned it into their bedroom coming in whenever they want. If you go there for the first time, you might think that you’re in India. Who gives Indians so many work permits? Every Zambian job should count. The number of Indians at Kagem can make the number of Senegalese at Gemcanton look like nothing.
Can GRZ also look into reports of heavily armed Senegalese and chinise guards at these mines, why should we have foreigners doing guard duties ???
MY OPINION! There is clearly something wrong with mining policies… we cannot have mining firms utilizing and damaging what government is constructing in roads not only in the area and not to mention regulating them for free.
We are and have created an enabling environment for them to operate in and reap there profits which they externalize anyway outside the country.
CSR should be enshrined into law and published so we know what these MOPHOS are doing. We should also ensure that we follow up to make sure whatever we give them to construct to be maintained.
Citizens, these guys are riding on our backs… and just to extend the unconfirmed truth, most ministers are in these guys pockets because I’d really expect a patriotic minister to object and allocate responsibilities to…
to these MOPHOS.
There is no law that mandates CSR. These guys pay millions of kwacha in taxes. The responsibility is for the government to be serious and start working and not forcing the mines that we cheaply sold to pay.
How much is enough in taxes and how much is not?
Also find out how it used to be in the past and also across such companies in other countries. They have a separate report documenting what they are doing and what they have done including what they intend to do in the future.
The problem with Zambians is that we are locked in and have no idea of what we should be commanding.
If you feel the mines are already paying so much in taxes according to buy in comparison to whom?
Ba lusaka times try to verify Your News before publicising it . Recently the president went to officially receive the state of the heart School , the min hospital , full furnished, done by Kagem all this took more than two million dollars , which is bigger 60,000 Kwacha and 2,000,000 Dollars? ask the DC to tell us, may be she also ate . Mr President can you tell us who is doing what in Lufwanyama , did you go to open the road or you went to open the school , Lies always come back . send you OP to go to lufwanyama to go and ask who has done more good things between Gem canton and Kagem . but the reason why i say kagem has done more is that i saw President on TV praising Kagem but to day the Dc goes the opposite way . may be Gunase paid the repoter , Ubufi ubufi ubufi why should lies be on…
These lazy Politicans like Lungu and co need to educated on what CSR is …its not mandatory; these companies pay tax and you use it for other things….if its not enough increase it, dont ask them to do your job they are not the army would you can order around!!
@ JAY JAY Some people like just talk out of their sh!tholes… people are suggesting how to sort out CSR because governments cannot keep on collecting taxes and constructing. They leave the taxes where they are so that the firms can have a breather to also do CSR.
Development is not just from government sh!tholes.
Example INDIA ok sh!thole? you check
India is the first country to have corporate social responsibility (CSR) legislation
Last time i checked kagem is 25% owned by THE ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT, where are the profits from govts share of profits going.
Why are we a nation living on handout or expecting handouts.
We want grants,we want CSR, we want donations for cholera, we want donations for schools, independence day celebrations. Anything that is happening we ask for financial,support.
In australia your employer doesn’t pay for any funeral expenses or give food for family.
After 54 years we are still growing up, grown men at 35 are still called youth. Zambia the real dreamworld. Wake up,
@ Masalamuso… can you give us the data that can inform us where you have wittingly observed zero funding of any of government resources from these investments.
You see when you argue, you do not use your SH!THOLE, you use your mouth and brain by making citations where we can all follow up and not innuendos and accusations. You are telling me all the money government is receiving from all the investment is stollen and we are going hand in cup to beg for investment. Am sorry I call you a SH!THOLE if this is your perspective.
Has Zambia ever benefited from Emeralds? It seems all others including Africans have always chewed.
Ba Lufwanyama DC too much begging,she is always flashing letters using the office of the PRESIDENT begging.CSR is not mandatory and must only be done at the discretion of the involved company not by FORCE.We are denting the investing image of our COUNTRY.
Zambezi , your lack of respect is only surpassed by your lack of intelliget argumentation. I asked a question with regard to where the profits to government are going or have gone. With some more education you will realise at no time have i accused of zero funding. You for reasons best known to your limited intelligence start to defend the governmemt, for reason only known to yourself. You show your class, sorry , lack of it by the unnecessay foul language that you are using. Maybe it is acceptable when you try to prove yourself with our old colonial masters in the UK in the bars ,but to use that language on a public forum and direct it at me is totally unacceptable. Lusaka Times if you had any degree of credibility you would not have let this foul mouth have his tirade published…