Mines and Minerals Development Minister Richard Musukwa has accused Mopani Copper Mines of using the Coronavirus to cease operations in Zambia.
Mr Musukwa says the reasons advanced by Mopani today for placing its mines in Kitwe and Mufulira under Care and Maintenance are very inconsistent with what they said yesterday in a video conference which they had with the Authorities.
The Minister has since urged Mopani Copper Mines to rethink their decision to place the Nkana and Mufulira mines on care and maintenance and open dialogue to find solutions to the challenges they are facing.
Mr Musukwa said government was open to dialogue not only with Mopani but other mining companies on the challenges they may be facing in their operations.
Speaking on Capital FM in Lusaka, Mr Musukwa said Government cannot allow arbitrary closure of the two mines but can at the moment only entertain scaling down of operations by the mining company.
He said Mopani Copper Mines is hiding under the cover of COVID-19 to cease operations in Zambia and has challenged them to be transparent and clearly state why they want to put their mines on care and maintenance.
Hundred of Mopani miners were this morning sent back home after management proceeded to placing the mine on care and maintenance.
Mopani Copper Mines General Manager Colyn Farr met the miners who were in the morning shift and advised them to return home.
Mr Farr then proceeded to issue letters to employees, sending them on mandatory leave.
The letters issued by Mopani Copper Mines Human Resource department to employees indicated that workers will be paid their basic pay and housing allowances for at least 3 months and are not allowed to take up full time or formal employment elsewhere while leave days will not accrue during the period they will be home.
Scary
Look here, business is business. It doesnt make sense for anyone to run a business that will not make money. How do you explain that to shareholders?
I business, you look at short, medium and long term. If all these are glum, there is no sense in continuing. The best you can do is cushion your employees during the winding down.
Sadly we have a failure of a government with no plan, so we expect the worst.
Though on a different front I must commend Dr. Chitalu Chilufya. His ministry has run the CODIV 19 outbreak admirably, considering the constraint we have in the country. Too bad he is not the one at the head of government and PF.
Mining by private corporations has been a curse to Zambia since mines were privatised. It is like walking on eggshells all the time with these guys. Lord have mercy!
Geat work by the minister. His calculated stance has meant mopani were scared to layoff workers or put them on unpaid leave. This is what being clever is all about. Meanwhile the opposition cannot see what the minister is trying to do. Next mopani will give an undertaking that no one will be fired. Great job
Ba primary school teacher namufilwa
Richard Musukwa can you stop this tit for tat in the press, you won’t solve this problem through press statements. Can you engage Mopani and agree on 1 final position such that the statement you issue will be collective and authoritative. You’re embarrassing us. We know Mopani as a stubborn investor but then it won’t do for you to engage in such a public exchange. If you can’t handle Mopani alone get Yaluma at Commerce and Bwalya Ng’andu at Finance and include the Kopala boy Mwakalombe and engage Mopani. Bwalya Ng’andu is a very sober and mature Minister who hasn’t been tainted by the Black Mountain deals, so he’s equal to the task. If you can’t do that seek advice from Mayo Inonge Wina. That’s how you do things not everyday blablablabla in the press, please grow up.
I am not sure how to put this, but I think you are the only person in the world who does not engage his Brian when reading or writing.
There is nothing that the Minister has done or said that is praise worthy. Kakaiza zezulu your myopic analysis and thinking is worth bakabova
This dull minister, who is not affected by corona virus!? You should have listened to their concerns and by this time around you would have reached consensus. Your arrogance made it worse.
Did Lungu deliberately go around and appoint the dullest people in Zed or what?
In PF’s administration, the vocabulary word: uncertainty does not exist. Because if they had it in their arsenal, they be impeccable with their words.
Assumptions are bad.
Perhaps let me add that it seems Richard Musukwa thinks that it’s business as usual for everyone. It’s only in Zambia that this inept Govt has allowed trucks to line up the road from Kasumbalesa to Sabina. Most of those drivers are swahili from Tanzania and when they chew murungi it makes them more bigger, stronger and reliable than Zanaco. With the PF poverty villagers at Chambeshi, Fitanda, Sabina, Misenga, Fitobaula etc. are in trouble. They’re bruising mothers together with their daughters. That’s why Binwell Mpundu has cried for the quick removal of those beasts, they’re worse than mwana apeluke. Richard get to Chililabombwe and see what your govt has done. Instead of wasting our time go and address the issue of truckers in your constituency, mambala iwe
Let them go and make sure it Zambian run or get equity partners at 49% which 100% Zambian management.
At a time like this a cool mind, like that of BOZ president and the president of Zambia, should be dealing with major corporations. I don’t trust the finance minister.
Mr Minister don’t do baby cry.These
Are benefits of bringing foreign investors .They can wake up at anytime and put their hands up.Sit down and offer them incentives.
But minister, You personally said it here yourself that there is no way Mopani will close its operations. And some people did respond here that you are toothless & that Mopani ll definitely do as it wishes. So the bloggers here were correct.
@Vote Him Out, we’re well informed than most of the chaps in Govt. We know what’s happening on the ground, PF is no longer with the people
Mopani are doing the right thing in mining there is no social distancing they are just caring for their employees.
NATIONALISE. The govt has no power over these mines. Even to enforce tax nor to make them pay their own electricity operations costs. Sadly, they are right on the reason.
The Zambian go t is so nervous because our economy is always on a knife edge. There is no argument that the Corona virus needs to be controlled by protecting workers. The govt wants to ba careless with people’s lives. They are dragging their feet on effective measures. It can’t be economy for lives.
Really laughable …what happened to all that talk two days ago? You thought you were dealing with black mountain kaponyas. Its only okay if your govt uses covid–19 as an excuse. Sit down Mr Primary School Tutor.
Just like you are also using the corona virus to steal & mismanage the economy. Dollar reaching K20 ati blame the virus. People not getting paid ati blame the virus. Unbudgeted for expenditure ati it’s an emergency for the virus. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. They are also learning from you on how to use the virus to their advantage.