Former President Rupiah Banda has advised that no effort should be spared to ensure that the mining project in the Lower Zambezi National Park does not go ahead.
Joining the First Republican President Dr Kenneth Kaunda among other prominent Zambians in opposing the awarding of the license to Zambezi Resources to mining in the National Park, Mr Banda said he is opposed to the project.
Mr Banda said he is not convinced that due regard was given to a number of important considerations such as the negative impact the mine would have on the lives along the river and depend on it for food, fishing and agriculture.
He said it is a well known fact that mining activities invariably negatively impact rivers because of the sludge and other harmful chemicals and residues that are offloaded in the river and the surrounding areas.
Mr Banda said this alone means that people are exposed to all manner of health risks, and economic ruined as they can no longer make a living from fishing as the fish is killed by the poisons being dumped in the river and watering crops and drinking from a contaminated water source poses further health risks.
He has also observed with deep concern that even the economic benefit that may be derived from the minerals is nothing compared to the long terms damage on the environment and ecosystem that currently supports some of the rarest species of birds, game and forests sitting on a vast area covering 240 square kilometers in the middle of the Zambezi game park which can never be replaced once lost.
Mr Banda encouraged Zambians to always place the wellbeing of future generations ahead of quick economic gains even in the hard times because Zambia will always be there and its future is brighter as long as the current generation acts with foresight and resilience.
He said the fact that so many Organisations and eminent Zambians including Dr Kenneth Kaunda have expressed concern to do with this project should be sufficient evidence that it is not in the public interest.
Mr Banda said this is one project that should unite all leaders regardless of their political affiliation.
This is a political knock out for Harry Kalaba. (HH) already has gay stories following him.
The opposition in Zambia is weak and fragmented and led by useless quacks like Akainde (HH)
We need a name and shame all who where part to the the approval. This is national sabotage of greatest order
@Kudo. Talk about your fellow PF thugs who were bribed to issue licence Not innocent HH. Your hate speech will kill you.
Well said Mr Banda and please put your weight on forest 27 ,let those super powers who built there be arrested and face the law.
When even the most hardened corrupt RB tells you that there are places you can not go, you surely have to listen. These chaps want to sell everything. Next they will sell their daughters and wives to highest bidders.
The problem might be that our leaders have already chewed the money.
This is what happens when morally devoid kaponyas are in office.
They have zero knowledge of our rich history.
They only know the history of taverns, shebeens and corruption.
All the more reason why you shouldnt listen to him!
When you compare the magnitude between the two, RB was not corrupt
Evan’s when the devil himself tells you hell is the worst place you wouldn’t want to be won’t you listen to him? The devil knows hell better than you who hasn’t been there yet. Rupiah knows well so listen to him.
No dadidi. If a corrupt man tells you not to go somewhere it’s because he wants to keep the hidden spoils there for himself
HARRY KALABA cant be leader.I had respect alas he is exposed now.The man was not thinking.it seems he had a deal in it.usel—–esss chap
This is not a Harry Kalaba Issue only but PF in General. If Harry kalaba did, the President and Cabinet can reverse. so why are they taking time? Kalaba never acted alone but the cabinet did. Mr President, help us by cancelling this bogus deal. Not good for the People, Planet, and Prosperity. People of Lufwanyama have remained very very poor despite emeralds being removed from their land. What do they get, dust and Tb from mining activities.
Separation of governance. It is a court order, so the government through the attorney general need to appeal, or take it back to court. Also private citizens can sue, it is that easy.
Industry is like that. It can damage environment but the damage must be mitigated and put in context. Mining engineers will work in direct collaboration with environmental experts to keep damage to the barest minimum while at the same time reversing the limited damage through proper restoration measures. or you are suggesting that the mines must be closed forthwith? It is unfair to consider economic activities from the negative perspective while at the same time wishing the country to develop rapidly and competitively. perhaps a new mining company must be assigned to the site but cancellation of the mine project will do a lot of damage to people through poverty and unemployment.
You are too theoretical my friend… That isn’t the case in Zambia… We can cite alot if examples in Zambia. No environmental restoration .What jobs? The lower Zambezi supports a thousand ecosystem depended species including humans. A mine will employ less than 500 people and support foreign economies and it’s people.
It is good that we have confused private citizens like you. Please never run for political office.
And you call yourself a doctor. You are a misguided missile.
Dr. Kasonde Makasa,
You have overstayed in ZIM which is not making you to think clearly over the issue of mining in the lower Zambia. Better to take a precautionary approach over the matter given the reasonable suspicion of potential harm of numerous proportions to the natural environment, animal and human life that mining activities pose. Even developed countries have certain areas of the environment that they always want to keep intact. Talk about the case of the US under Trump trying to explore for natural gas, petroleum and other natural resources in Greenland and the opposition they have received from Sweden.
Thank you President Kaunda and President Banda for your valuable support on this matter. Hopefully President Lungu will value your counsel and do the right thing.
Now that our surviving beloved former Heads of State have spoken, we now wait to hear from the sitting Head of State President Lungu. Hopefully he will make his position known soon. Anxiously waiting!
Why is lungu silent , ?
Has he chewed from the proposed mine ?
Or has he been promised something ?
He is a sitting president he cant speak like any one of us he has to wait and speak last
He is a disgrace, this Lungu. And Rb is right to insist everything be done to stop this. I also wonder why HH has said nothing.
7.1Â Â Benny Onyango
How come lungu did not speak last when the FIC Report came out ?
Or when concourt was about to rule on his 3rd term or second term ?
After two heavy weights of Zambians politics have spoken this projects should just be dead in the woods. The mining economic benefits are enjoyed more by foreigners than the Zambian apart from a few crooked Zambian who just enrich themselves and their families
Did not the same Alabee govt begin the tender process with Zambezi Resources? Correct me if I am wrong please
Ah so Mr Banda speaks. What about his son Henry’s corrupt doings during the father’s term-Interpol alert etc? Banda the prime cause of what we see going on today. Joining the band wagon for credit which is undeserved. He ushered in the culture of weakening of all state structures for private gain.
RB is a saint compared to lungu,
The corruption we see today is like of which zambians have never seen nor God forbid will ever see again…….
so there are some minerals beneath the lower zambezi and all are saying don’t mine the minerals because the warthog will be disturbed?!!! lets get serious for once zambians.. that is money there and money always wins. what we need to do is ask the to be miners to help in relocating the animals to another game park as part of the deal… or sale all the animals to serious guys like findlay etc or take all the animals to zimbabwe side and lets start mining zambians.. there is more money there than the dingi (game meat)
R.B, IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CORRUPT THIEVING GUNDWANE’ IN STATE HOUSE TODAY!
R.B is like a parent who has a beautiful 17 year old daughter, feels pity for a homeless person with convictions for s3xu.@l m0lestation of young girls, but because this m0lester comes from his village (kum -mawa), he takes him into his lovely house against the wife’s & family advice, then acts surprised when he returns from work one day to find his Beautiful daughter in tears, coz she’s been m0lested by the same questionable guest.
R.B, KNEW J0NA LONG FINGERS HAD, NYUNYA’D NJOMBA A WIDOW, WHIST A PRACTICING LAWYER, so why did R.B go FLAT OUT endorsing ba J0na???
** pity on a homeless person *
** pity on a homeless person *
Bakulu bakamba. When ECL comes back from Bots, he needs to look into this matter.
Lungu is just a ceremonial president. We basically ruling ourselves lungu is nowhere to be found at critical times we should just assume that we have no leader. The man gets guts to talk outside the country then becomes a silent lamb at home