Social Anthropologist James Musonda is urging the government to immediately suspend operations at the black mountain after death was recorded on Thursday.
Dr. Musonda says it is embarrassing that the black mountain empowerment has started recording deaths despite the government assuring stakeholders that operations are safe but have been engulfed by confusion and disorder.
Dr. Musonda tells Phoenix News that operations at the facility were rushed without adequate safety measures put in place and is suggesting that the black mountain be sold to either invest into Mopani and create formal jobs and contribute towards the county offsetting its debt.
He adds that the new dawn administration will not bring sanity to the mining sector by refusing to heed to advice from numerous stakeholders to halt operations immediately.
And United Party for National Development –UPND- Kitwe district youth Chairman Bowas Kapata has attributed the fatality at the black mountain to the failure by youths to adhere to laid down procedure and has suggested that chrome pickers who are seen climbing on tipper trucks must be arrested to safeguard lives.
Mr. Kapata however disagrees that operations should be halted at the black mountain saying youths involved must begin to follow safety procedures to avoid any fatalities in future.
That’s the SECOND death at Black Mountain. And STILL minister Paul Kabuswe is not sacked? The president said he didn’t want to sack Kabuswe because he was just following his instructions, but I’m sure he didn’t mean that would include people DYING? Kabuswe really f4cked up and must GO
Having grown up on the copperbelt, I recall that it was strictly prohibited to be on mine premises if you’re not an employee, mainly to avoid accidents. Teenagers shouldn’t be in a mining area, they should be in a play park or in school. We need to rethink this idea of “chrome pickers” who in my view are scavengers
ISN’T IT THE RESPONSIBILTY OF THE MINISTRY OF MINES TO CHECK ON THIS
AND IF NOT COMPLIANT SHUT IT DOWN
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH UPND
DONT MAKE IT POLITICAL
HH YOU BETTER WAKE UP AND SORT YOUR MINISTERS OUT THAT’S
3 SERIOUS PROBLEMS NOW CEMENT >> KACHASU>> NOW THIS
This government is incompetent. Hh will do whatever it takes to make himself appear a good president even if it comes at the expense of lives. To them, more deaths equate to sacrifice
This government is incompetent ???
Coming from a PF puppet paid to blog on here and considering how his party grossly under preformed
DOEDNT GO DOWN WELL !!!
Someone has got vested interest in this. Yesterday at the junction of the Chibuluma Mindolo road one of the black mountain trucks tipped it’s contents right in the middle of the road. What surprised me is that as people were removing and sorting whatever it was police in full riot gear and armed were on guard through out. How did the police know what had happened for them to deploy their men there? And should a mere truck contents attract the full force of the police? There are many areas where police presence is required.
Pleasing the youth at the expense of non compliant to safety is the worst. In the first place the youths you see on the black mountain have no safety attire and no safety training. Hon Minister of mines, it is time to call a spade a spade. Find better ways for empowering the youths. Actually, most of the youths engaged in picking up minerals in black mountains across Zambia have never really been empowered. The youth continue picking up minerals, get sick from dusty particles, use all the money they make, go back to pick up minerals, as a result they continue in cycle of poverty. I wonder if the youths engaged in this type of employment contribute toward NAPSA. Take for example Kabwe mine black mountain, how many youths can we point out that they have been empowered.
Look at that unsupported hanging over the ” miners”.
Tikki the upvotes don’t lie
Government needs to take over operations at the black mountain. Just now it’s free for all. Let government facilitate by forming Co operatives or a company and these so called scavengers can then be either members or employees.
FORGET THE UP AND DOWN VOTES
RATHER LOOK AT THE COMMENTS AND THE LITERACY OF SOME ON HERE
THEN YOU’LL UNDERSTAND
“UPND- Kitwe district youth Chairman Bowas Kapata has attributed the fatality at the black mountain to the failure by youths to adhere to laid down procedure and has suggested that chrome pickers who are seen climbing on tipper trucks must be arrested to safeguard lives.”
These were PF cadre initiatives you took on board instead of closing it and instead having proper co-operatives and companies..you can not expect call boys and thugs to suddenly start adhering to rules. That’s like asking the troop of buboons not to raid your maizefield.
Iwe ka Dr Musonda ka sir: As far as i remember, Doctors all their life are paid using only one method-tax payers money(tax payers includes Jerabos too). So you ka sir you want the Dump site closed-where will your ka monthly Doctorate salary come from? Besides that,the mountain is closed and then all these cooperatives who invested their time into this mountain will come eat Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at your house iwe ka Doctor?
Its a very lame excuse indeed, especially if coming from a University graduate,shameful indeed. Even in Driving where you dont need a degree they taught all of us, including you that, when driving a bus or any passenger car & one person crosses the road-what do you do? Given the law of the road is that do not take away human life? Now you carrying 30 lives & one life interfered at point blank,many students failed this test cos they said i will apply emergency breaks. Emergency breaks can lead you own bus overturning or hurting your own passengers which can be worse than a single life. So you end up losing 20 lives instead of one. Well, im sure this kama Doctor hasnt got a drivers license either.