Chaos has characterized operations at the Black Mountain in Kitwe that officially resumed on Monday morning.
Scores of people were on Monday captured in a video operating at the Black Mountain in a disorderly manner.
Furthermore, some people picking chrome, the mineral found at the dump site, on Tuesday morning ran amok disrupting operations at the Black Mountain in Kitwe.
The scavengers, mostly youths, refused to leave the site following the elapse of the three hour scheduled picking time and started stoning vehicles.
An increased number of police officers have been deployed around the Black Mountain to keep vigil.
Meanwhile, Copperbelt University Don Dr. Brian Chirambo has advised the Government against disregarding environmental management as operations at the Black Mountain resume.
Dr. Chirambo, the Head of Department under Environmental Engineering in the School of Mines and Mineral Sciences at CBU, said a little has been said on environmental protection as cooperatives begin to operate at the slug dump.
Dr. Chirambo said just like safety issues, the environment like water bodies near the Black Mountain should be protected to safeguard the lives of people.
He has since called for serious engagement on the implementation of the environmental management plan at the Black Mountain.
Kitwe District Commissioner Lawrence Mwansa has told ZNBC News that chrome hand-pickers will no longer access the Black Mountain until further notice.
Mr Mwanza also disclosed that it was a serious error and breach of the Mines and Minerals Act for operators at the Black Mountain to allow chrome hand pickers at the site.
He also accused small scale miners popularly known as Jerabos and some foreign investors operating in Kitwe of sponsoring the chrome hand pickers who are causing confusion at the black mountain.
Meanwhile, UPND Copperbelt Youth Chairman Warren Hinyama has alleged that some individuals are sponsoring confusion and fake rumors about current operations at Kitwe’s Black Mountain.
The UPND Provincial Youth Chairman told journalists that there are few selfish and greedy individuals who worked on the black mountain previously and currently are trying by all means to sabotage the gains of the new dawn administration under the leadership.
Mr Hinyama said the UPND Youth Wing on the Copperbelt is warning individuals sponsoring confusion and fake rumors about current operations at Kitwe’s Black Mountain.
He said the UPND Government and President Hakainde Hichilema have given the slag to youths, community and women which is an inclusive empowerment for every citizen who desires to be involved.
Mr. Hinyama encouraged Zambians and other stakeholders to ignore people who are against current operations at the Black Mountain because the UPND Government is working hard every second to better the lives of all Zambians.
“We would like to warn individuals sponsoring youths to disturb the current economic empowerment of the Black Mountain in Kitwe.The Black Mountain has been given to the youths, women in mining and the community at large by his Excellency President of the Republic of Zambia Mr. Hakainde Hichilema as one of the many empowerment programmes that the UPND Government has line up for youths, women and all Zambians,” Mr. Hinyama said.
The Government last month officially handed over 30 % of the Kitwe Mineral Slag Dump commonly known as Black Mountain to cooperatives owned by the local youth and women.
The Black Mountain located between Wusakile and Nkana West is owned by Nkana Alloy, who are the major shareholders with the Government having a minor stake.
When handing over the 30% portion of the Black Mountain in February, Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Paul Kabuswe told the cooperatives to begin operations with immediate effect.
The headline screams the true definition of UPND Bandits government led by a demagogue President HH the liar in chief
Just form a GRZ mining body to extract minerals from the slug dump and channel all profits to the unemployed youth in terms of vocational training in towns where the slug is found……………..
It is a hand to mouth existence right now for those youth at the slug or foreigners behind the mining benefiting…………
Saulosi you tone down. Why do you have so much hate for the President. Your language is that of a bitter person.
Or better still………….
Extract minerals from the slug under one professional body to channel profits to sustainable business ventures that will benefit the unemployed in sustainable way…………..
This was expected. The PF suspended operations there trying to bring sanity, they failed. Like @ Spaka says you need a professional body to run this business and will be compelled to employ the locals. It will reflect badly on Mr Hakainde’s goverment should there be a loss of life. Avoid political appeasement. Your friends tried, it failed.
And this Hibanya is not in touch with reality. The people causing confusion there are not a separate group, it’s everyone desperate to get a piece of the cake. Just sell the mountain to a proper Mining company not cadre based cooperatives. I said it when Kabuswe handed over the mountain…. the moment he mentioned the president’s name, I knew that the guy had no solution of his own.
KABUSWE SHOULD BE FIRE FROM TE MINISTRY OF MINES. THE GUY HAS NO CLUE . HE HAS BROUGHT CONFUSION IN EVERY ASPECT OF MINING IN ZAMBIA. PLEASE BA KATEKA , GIVE HIM SOMETHING ELSE TO DO . NOT MINISTRY OF MINES….MAY BE MINISTRY OF GENDER! …MINES IS TOO BIG FOR HIM …..BACHEPA BA KABUSWE
We pray no lives shall be lost in the confusion.
The UPND has taken too long to transform from being a Party doing politics to governance. The shock of reality of being in government is still on. They weren’t ready to govern. If they don’t recover soon, they’ll find it difficult to face the people in 2026.
Good observation. Next to the black mountain there is a small water body that runs pallarel to the railway line . This stream goes to empty in the kafue river. We should ask ourselves , how much chrome is now going to the kafue river.
Form a Proffesional Mining company that will employee these youths, Keep them away from the dangerous mountain.
Readons given for riot should be considered 3 hours work is not enough compared to machines working more than three hours please look into this issue Ba minister.
Running a government is not the same as animal husbandry. What we are seeing here is people who can not tell between governing human beings and taking care of animals. For this UPND youth yapping, no one is funding anyone. This is 2022, people just took videos and posted online.
Now rioting has broken out.
WEV PRAY LIVES ARE LOST
HOW ELSE DO YOU CONTROL HOOLIGANS