Thursday, March 28, 2024

Mining Audit report finalised and handed over to President Hichilema

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Mines and minerals development minister Paul Kabuswe says his ministry has finalized and handed over the Mining Audit report to president Hakainde Hichilema and will soon announce the resumption of the issuance of mining rights.

Mr. Kabuswe said the audit report was handed over to the President and new mining recommendations have been made.

He said very soon the re-opening of mining licence rights will be announced adding that the mining licence was suspended two months ago to allow for the cleaning of the system.

“ The new dawn administration is committed to ensuring that the mining sector is transformed to a sector it has never been before, “ he said.

Speaking in Chililabombwe, today, the minister noted that the transformation can be traced from the Kansanshi investments is massive and will bring jobs to the people of Zambia.

Mopani Copper Mines and Konkola Copper Mines will both be unlocked so that they actualising the government’s vision of reaching 3 million tonnes.

He said the government also wants to re-organise the mining sector so that the people’s lives can be transformed.

Mr Kabuswe noted that he will make sure that all these get done and not just talk and become a government of rhetoric.

Last month, government through the ministry of mines and minerals suspended the issuance of mining licences to pave way for auditing process

18 COMMENTS

  1. If I was the president, I wouldn’t trust this audit report. Paul Kabuswe is such an amateur, everything that leaves his hands has to be mistrusted.

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  2. Kaizar Zero right after we finish with Lungu era corruption/thievery inquiries .HH has never been convicted of any wrong doing in privatization process.

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  3. Does the audit include the Black Mountain? Hope the recommendation will not victimize PF members/ supporters.

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  4. @KZ, the comedy in how your mind operates. You had a thug for a president who instituted this inquiry into privatization which never gathered any pace. You hold onto this privatization story and try to blame a consultant. The real question you should be asking is what your government at the time used the money it received before defaulting on loans despite having collected over $1bn from this process.

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  5. Report findings
    1. 12 youths protested that they want Vedanta to take over KCM.
    Recommendation, give KCM to vedanta because the youths have demanded for it, we are a listening government.
    2. Let’s continue to give dumb sites to youths groups, they fight over it and some have died.
    We recommend to continue with this.
    3. Mining and environmental issues are controversial and mining should be environmentally friendly.
    Recommendation: let’s go to Zambia’s pristine nature reserve in Lower Zambezi National Park and begin climate friendly mining.
    Finshi fimbi?

  6. If you aren’t a good politician the best you can do is being honest but I don’t see that in Kabuswe. The stage managed protest by youths in Chililabombwe will burn your fingers soon. It’s one of the many questionable actions that we hear about you. Unfortunately you aren’t in the league of clever and popular politicians so don’t force it. I fill sorry for you

  7. These upnd chaps are waste than pf, you can call me names but it’s fine what i will say is nothing but the truth. When pf formed government on 2011, MMD was collecting 0.6% tax pf pushed it to 20% tax and they had plans to increase the percentage to 50% because of what was discovered in the mining sector…fo.olishly these clueless chaps in the upnd government have cancelled everything politicizing the mining sector which is a very sad development…We must not politicize the mining sector because at the end of the day it’s for every Zambian to benefit whether you are Pf,Upnd, Socialist, Heritage you will benefit…Tu under5 government stop politicizing and do what is right, it’s stu.pidity to give mining firms tax holiday kindly cancel it..

  8. HH7 should be very careful..he should have created an independent team of technocrats to undertake such audits not ministry

  9. This is what happens when tables turn upside down. When youths protested to remove Vedanta under the PF regime, it was not politically motivated. Now when youths protest in favour of having Vedanta back, it becomes politically motivated. What is not politically motivated in Zambia?? The regime that fought illegitimately to remove Vedanta lost power to voters. Allow the new politically motivated decisions to implement their plans!!

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  10. @ Ngoma Yamaano we need to start seeing things at a bigger picture! Vedanta was kicked out because of under declaring, not paying suppliers, twisting government, falsehood .. Honestly speaking which youths or a normal person can support Vedantas return! Please politics aside, if the nation doesn’t benefit now..it will never! Tax holiday valued around 1.8 billion dollars is not a joke..And kindly tell your tu upnd youths not to be shallow.

  11. @David Yamano: Its the youths that vedanta promised a 20% salary increament, the youths that have been unemployed since Vendata was closed who were duped that GRZ will instead employ them directly but instd nothing of that sought happened and it was Milingo transfer all gains into his personal accnt. So to answer your question again “it is these youths that are supporting vendata back”. They have seen the “more money in your pockets” did not deliver,even worse than the peanuts Vendata was paying them. Now they ve experienced this ordeal & these youths are back with positivity.

  12. It is stupid of the PF regime to use an illegal means of trying to remove Vedanta. If there was evidence of Vedanta under declaring, not paying suppliers, twisting government and falsehoods, why bring in a liquidator which is considered illegal. Now this illegal action has subjected the country to international judgements where the country will even lose more money. My anger with the previous government is that they addressed challenges without following the laws and what is set in agreements with investors!

  13. Pardon me, I am just curious, is this the same audit conducted by Prof Oliver Saasa’s firm that Kabuswe is referring to? If it is, the audit then is NOT even worth the paper it is written on. Going by what TIZ, other publications, and informed individuals have said about it, all can say is that HH needs to be very careful who he listens to and whose counsel he seeks. On matters akin to the LIFE-BLOOD of the country’s economic survival, it is crucial that as President you get the truth and nothing but the unvarnished truth. And you can NEVER get such independent and unbiased audit from your own political cronies. Prof Saasa being HH’s economic adviser can not at the same time be given a contract by the mines, or otherwise, to carry out an audit of the mines and think that he/his…

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    firm would be unbiased and neutral. I don’t even know why HH thinks that this sort of INSIDER DEALINGS are appropriate or acceptable. THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST HERE IS OBVIOUS AND ST!NKS.

    I also don’t understand why African leaders/presidents all seem to suffer from the same disease the moment they assume office…….the disease seem to be ARROGANCE & the “DADDY” SYNDROME. Hichilema is NOT our daddy, he is our President and he needs to listen and listen well. This cuddling of the mines he is doing is NOT going to go down very well with his most IMPORTANT CONSTITUENCY the Zambian people. He may win high praise from his foreign benefactors and political cronies around him, but Zambians sees what is going on and are perfectly capable of forming their own opinions. And…

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    in my humble opinion, so far HH/UPND don’t inspire confidence or hope that they intend to FIX anything when it comes to the mining policies that have bedeviled our country for far too long……and time is ticking!

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