The continued diamond smuggling investigation of the Israeli-Russian Diamond Baron Lev Leviev by the Israeli authorities should make the Government of the Republic of Zambia also institute serious investigation and review his investment at Gemcanton emerald mine formerly Grizzly Mining Ltd on the copperbelt.
Mr El Nefussy a representative of Levi Levieve was deported by the Government of the Republic of Zambia in 2017 for purportedly engaging in serious human rights abuses at Gemcanton mine. Unfortunately, no serious arrests were made to make him unwearable to the law for subjecting the poor Zambians to inhuman torture at Gemcanton before a deportation decision could be arrived at. Government opted to deport him, and that decision has not set any disciplinary precedence to would be offenders.
To date,the issue of torture and human rights abuses at Gemcanton by Levi Levieve’s team has not been adequately addressed.
Many of the victims complain that government has not punished the offenders and feel such a precedence would escalate related acts in future. Zambia is among the African countries where the world diamond baron Leviev has massively invested in emerald mining with very little corporate social responsibility (CSO) going to the poor people of Chief Nkana and Lumpuma area where the emerald mine sits as was the case when the investment was wholly owned by Abdoulaye Ndyaye.
Apart from a lack of CSR, Zambia has been a victim of dishonest by many of the foreign investors who come in and ignore the plight of the local people.
The question of Zambians benefiting from some of the investors coming in the country is becoming a thorny one, as locals seem not to benefit. Whether or not some investors are worth hosting in Zambia has become a National debate. People are wondering whether some companies are genuinely investors or coming in to exploit the country’s resources.
Very serious government’s like Israel have investigated some diamond tycoons like Leviev with very little to leave unturned. The Zambian government , like Israeli government should consider thoroughly investigating Levi Levieve’s investment in Zambia.
What is worrying is a lack CSR at Gemcanton from the time Leveiev came on board as a share holder yet the company is making millions of dollars.
Additionally, the restrictions of the local people to the Gemcanton dumpsite has adversely affected the poor Zambians who were known to survive on such dumpsites at the time Gemcanton was called Grizzly Mines under Abdalaye Ndyaye .
It is the local people’s considered view that the speed at which government has let go of the black mountain in Kitwe for the benefits of the local people is the same speed at which government should influence Gemcanton mines management to allow the local people who are currently receiving nothing from Gemcanton under Leviev .
When Honorable Bowman Lusambo was Copperbelt Minister, Gemcanton was restrained and started making headways towards restoring CSR, but upon his transfer to Lusaka, many of the strides made at Gemcanton were buried to the disadvantage of the locals.
There is fear that if government does review Leviev’s investments at Gemcanton, the people of Zambia will benefit nothing from the emerald mine investment.
While government is seriously looking at the empowerment of the local people in mining industries , it is the people’s considered view that the shares of Leviev at Gemcanton are reviewed to benefit the lower people .
Lack of regard for the local people in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility and unfair trading habits have made different stakeholders wonder whether there is serious scrutiny of some foreign investors’ investment record before they can be allowed to invest in Zambia by the powers that be.
Issued by: Chilufya Mubanga
Lufwanyama resident
That senene Abdalaye Ndyaye is untouchable, he bankrolls PF , nothing can be done.
The only thing poor Zambians can do is beg to become scavengers at their dump sites……Why not try begging to look in the sewers these foringners sh.it in , maybe poor Zambians can find something there as well…….
Senesene
Yaba.
How much of this story is fact, and how much is fantasy?
The trouble with Zambians is we take stories told to us while drinking as fact.
I guess we simply love the “drama effect”.
Writing this sounds like Kambwili’s rants on AVIC. It is treason.
Indigo-Tyrol I share your views. This Story reads like a stolen novel with the last page missing. The author needs to do some more research to back up his information.
Come on Spaka, this guy has survived all three governments. He’s sold his shares and started another mine in Misakashi Lufwanyama. Don’t just make accusations with no facts. Coming to the story at hand , we should call on all Zambians in the whole chain to be patriotic regardless of their party affiliation. Those stones don’t just jump from Zambia into another country. There are officers from point A to the last stage who abet the scourge.
The emerald sector is a perfect example of ineffective government. cr00ks have now infiltrated the sector.
Lufwanyama should have been a developed city by now.
That’s all Lungu and his PF are. Just overseers of foreigners who come into the country to loot our resources. All kinds of criminals posing as investors are allowed into the country with no proper vetting whatsoever. And this is the result. Foreigners laugh at us black people and call us all kinds of names, while they make money off of our resources. They use our people as slave labor; abuse them in every kind of way, including beating. And then we allow these foreigners to dump their toxic waste in our rivers and on the ground, thus destroying the environment. They know no one will hold them accountable as our leaders, who are supposed to hold them accountable, are already bought and paid for. They release poisonous fumes into the atmosphere which cause lung cancer to our people. In…
… addition to all this, they evade paying taxes or outrightly refuse to do so, with no consequences whatsoever. When are we Zambians going to wake up and put a stop to this ? When are we going to realize that our resources are, first and foremostly, supposed to benefit us more than they should be benefiting foreigners? Imagine the only benefit our people get is going to the dump site to scrap for a living, while foreigners get to keep all the wealth. This is tragic and is the reason why we Africans are constantly laughed at and looked down upon. It’s like we don’t realize how valuable our resources are, and foreigners come into our country to take them from right under our noses—like we’re little children. What a shame.
WHAT ABOUT THE SCHOOLS AND CLINICS AND BRIDGE AND ROAD MAINTENANCE BY THE SO-CALLED SENE WHO HAS REVIVED MINES THAT WE ZAMBIANS FAILED TO RUN.
STORY IS FULL OF HALF TRUTHS AND INNUENDOS
ALLOWING ILLEGAL MINERS IS AGAINST THE MINING ACT AND IS DANGEROUS.
GOUNASI HAS ALSO PROVIDED JOBS WHICH WE ZAMBIANS FAILED TO PROVIDE IN LUFWANYAMA FOR MANY MANY YEARS
Gounasse has been stealing emeralds long before Baldwin Nkumbula died and no one has ever said anything, now because there’s fire burning in some distant place good for nothing idlers want to be like they are vigilant, like some Christians behave when Boko Haram abducts girls. Why can’t some people keep their mouths shut?
How does one steal emeralds?
Have you been keeping a detailed timeline of events?
Oh, I forgot. Your buddy Mutale told you all this while you were drinking Chibuku at that Chiwempala tavern.
My bad.
So you Ayatollah you want the thefts to continue , if there are any, just because they started long time ago ???
Idiocity.y at its peak, that’s why you guys are busy begging foringners to let Zambians scavenge on the dump sites ati 500,000 jobs while the alpha and omega of pf moves around in a new jet…
@Spaka, I am not a good for nothing idler like you. How do investigations in Israel trigger a probe into activities of a company domicile in Zambia? Are you sure such an investigation will get anywhere? Kokai brain! You have failed to investigate Gounasse, Katumbi had claimed that Mwanawasa was keeping his trunk of emeralds collected from Zanaco, was he investigated. Just shut up if you’ve nothing to do
Too much empty talk by our people against hard working individuals. Gunasse is not the only one who owns an emarald mine in Lufwanyama. My brother in law had a mine and after a long time of struggling he hit the Eldrado. He about 8 luxury cars, got another wife, stopped going to church and abandoned the mine. Another one after getting a good piece went and bought a bed at K250,000.00 from RSA. Gunasse never did such things. He started small by exchanging cars for emaralds from peddlers called ba go-come. He grew his money and eventually his mine to international standards. If you want you can also get a piece of land there and compete with Gunasse. He’s survived six presidents so why hasn’t he been arrested if he’s a thief?
Majority of Zambians are immune to common sense, good living, & proper leadership.
They would rather see investors boss them around, & pay them a pittance, & to top it all they would rather proceed to a P.F rally every 4 years, to beg for vitenge, & drums of Chibuku, whilst Dancing to J.K’s Dununa nonsense.
TO A ZAMBIAN, THAT IS PROGRESS!!
ZAMBIANS SHOULD START THINKING OF STRONG LEADERSHIP, AT THE RATE WE ARE GOING GENERAL MIYANDA WOULD BE AMONG THE OPTIONS TO COME AND “MOP” THE UNHYGIENIC POLITICS WE FIND OURSELVES IN. WITH LEADERS AND THEIR CADRES ON THE PAY ROLL OF MINNING COMPANIES THE MEANING OF INDEPENDENCE IS DIMINISHING QUOCLLY. RIGHT NOW FOREIGN HYENAS ARE CIRCLING ZAFFICO LAND FOR NOTHING ELSE BUT MINERALS HIDDEN UNDER THE FORESTS. SOME UNPATRIOTIC CITIZENS ARE DOING THE BIDDING FOR THE.
Mubanga is a useful ***** by Gounasse who wants to use pf crooks to fix his partners . he is the one using the money to fix his partners. each one of us has his own time . ask the former wife to Gounasse , She will tell you the worst scarring story about this Devil . God is watching us all
@ 1.2 and 1.4, I agree the article is quite jumbled up. It should have provided some background first.
Torture, human rights above, CSR…..what exactly is this article about!? Sounds like the author does not have facts and confused about many issues here. I can understand abuse of employee rights and in a mining context also not following safety standards etc but that does not amount to torture and abuse of human rights. We should not exeggerate situations. Also then we bring in CSR. Unless explicit convenants exist which might be attached to the mining license, a private mining company has no legal obligation to engage in CSR….maybe a moral one!
Having been associated with emerald mining in Lufwanyama since the late ’80s, I appreciate the writer’s view regarding the plight of indigenous Zambians in this sector. Gounasse had flooded the then Grizzly mine with his kinfolk from Senegal and Mali to ensure that the locals are sidelined and operate on the periphery. He operated a shady system were emeralds are taken to him by ba “Go-Come” without GRZ knowledge. There are a few other Senesenes dotted around Kitwe running similar rackets. And because Gounasse has amassed so much money, he is “untouchable” and he can bankroll his way to plot one. In essence, moving from him to bring in yet another proven crook, the isreali Lievev as an investor under Gemcanton has virtually not changed the status quo but it has instead been…
This ndyaye has just lost the case in the high court over all his assets. He is a crook trying to crook the Israeli partner out of his shares in the mine by first having him deported and next by transferring all his shares in the name of his son. This is what happened with Zambezi cement when the real owners were deported on the behest of mahtani. Immediately ECL came into power those Italians were handed back the plant. Same thing will happen here.
Whatever the facts or the Fake News possibility to this piece; the bottom line is that neither CSR nor People Empowerment is the correct solution to this theft by investors/government collusion.
The government of the Republic of Zambia (through time to now) needs to be told loud and clear by the Citizens that we will not tolerate the theft of our resources any longer. Nationalise or we will stand up to you. The wealth of this generation and the next is going into dubious pockets some of which is government connected. Enough. #NATIONALISE NOW!!!
May I take this time to advise Readers of a new Party being formed ……The Mines Party. Apparently I need at least 100 members….get ready to back me. I’ll sort this mess. I wont make President but I can put thorns on their seats in Parliament!
Will let you know when we start…whose laughing…shut it
This Chilufya Mubanga must be a frustrated stone dealer. With his business going nowhere, he takes all the blame on these guys.
Dear editor.
Piece of advice please do not publish stories which u do not ve facts abt this story if zambians denied scavenging the gemcanton dump site is false its at kagem were these things happen were the so called r chased with security dogs etc….
I challenge u visit one of the gemcanton dump sites n c how hundreds of pipo are scavenging the dumps everyday they are like flies on ???? n the come back n tell the pipo the truth….
11 Thanks. 90% of bloggers supporting the article don’t even know what really goes on there or let alone know where in Lufwanyama these mines are located. Some of us go there. ..since 1976. .regularly and just wonder at how excited Zambians become after UKUBEULA. Be it a stolen piece or legally mined quantity, people just lose it. The next day after wasting their money they start accusing foreigners. Of course underhand activities go on. But this happens everywhere because people are greedy.