Chief Ishima Sanken’i (vi) of the Lunda speaking people in Zambezi district has expressed concern over the mining exploration that has been going on in Zambezi for close to seven years without results.
Speaking in an interview with the media at the weekend, Chief Ishima said since 2017 Anglo-American has been exploring but no mining activity has been seen.
“We requested them to help us in the upgrading of Kasisi secondary school which is now a full-fledged secondary school.
“They have also done a laboratory which I think is the best and the biggest in Zambezi district but what we want as Zambezi district is the mining because they have been exploring for too long”, he said.
Chief Ishima said there is need for the local people to start benefitting from their natural resources through employment once mining starts.
“As you have seen God has blessed us with a lot of natural resources, talk about minerals, timber and even oil but these people are still exploring and that really saddened us”, he said.
The traditional leader, however said people in the area are grateful for the Corporate Social Responsibility that the company is undertaking in the district but they want more.
Clear case of PF corrupt leadership. Why would you allow a company to take that long exploring? If they can`t find anything, ask them to leave.
They have been stealing the minerals under the pretext of exploring.
I agree with the Chief, last time another company was in the area mining diamonds on the pretext of exploration. They had equipment that could pinpoint the mineral which that accessed through assay holes. The same was suspected to be the case at Twin Rivers in Limulunga. Some believe that these were the diamonds that fueled the push for the restoration of the BA64 or independence of Barotseland. It’s not like Zambia doesn’t have the oversight capacity of these activities, it’s the officers charged with responsibility that have failed the nation. We heard of people that received VX Land Cruisers and kept quiet. Corruption isn’t the equivalent of Bowman building a house and putting zebras at his residence.
The chief may be right but sometimes these things take time. Original drilling may show traces of mineralization, so you may need to do further drilling to firm up the final results. The best thing is for the government to send geologists to collaborate the results so far done.
This is where we as Africans fail to see potential and lose out in minig …I mean the hardest part about mining is the exploration it is very costly and you need patient backers with deep pockets, even if minierals are found is it worthwhile to bring in heavy equipment and for how long. This chief is already happy with the bribes he is recieving but wants more for himself instead of talking about scholarships.
I wonder if Mutati’s visit to Zambezi had crossed paths with these investors.
comment is awaiting moderation? what for?
Zambian chiefs need to be educated to the fact that it is not only mining and looting forests for timber that can bring development…………….
Tourists, manufacturing and commercial agriculture in areas of deleted trees can all bring jobs………..
The chiefs are complicit in all this and do not deserve any sympathy.
tHOSE DUMB CHIEFS SHOULD ALL BE SACKED. WHAT DO THEY KNOW ABOUT MINING…..?
I remember Mwanawasa announcing the discovery of oil in that district. What happened?
@ lord angus: How?