The Mines Minister, Paul Kabuswe, has announced that the government has found a solution to the challenges at Konkola Copper Mine-KCM. Kabuswe made this announcement during a public meeting at Twafwane School ground in Chililabombwe District, where he was accompanied by President Hakainde Hichilema on a working visit.
According to Kabuswe, the government is currently consulting with mine unions on the decision it has made regarding KCM before it can engage other stakeholders. He assured the public that the nation would be informed about the decision on the mine once consultations with unions are concluded. Kabuswe also urged the public to be patient as the current challenges at KCM would soon be over.
This announcement comes after residents of the Copperbelt demanded that the government makes a quick decision on the challenges facing Konkola Copper Mines Plc and Mopani Copper Mines. The residents, who came from different districts of the Copperbelt, expressed their concerns about the adverse poverty resulting from the challenges at the two mines. They also highlighted the rise in prostitution and divorce, which they attributed to a lack of income.
The clergy in the area also lamented the situation, with Pastor Simon Kiboko of Kitwe stating that the government should give KCM back to Vedanta Resources to boost the economy of the Copperbelt. Similarly, Pastor Charles Chileshe, also from Kitwe, noted that the challenges at the two mines had resulted in adverse poverty for the local people.
Sydney Banda, a youth from Mufulira, also expressed his concerns, stating that his peers were engaging in illicit activities because they had nothing to do despite being graduates. Banda appealed to the government to quickly resolve the problems at the two mining firms.
The government’s announcement will be welcome news to the residents of the Copperbelt, who have been eagerly waiting for a solution to the challenges facing KCM. The government’s decision, once announced, is expected to provide a boost to the Copperbelt’s economy and improve the living conditions of the local people.
They have found a solution? What are they waiting for?
Even if the indian comes back things won’t improve. Without recapitalization the mine production figures will remain the same or even worse. These guys didn’t put in any money in the company and that was the main reason they were kicked out in the first place… with overwhelming support from the resident.
The Indian will just come back to get what he left behind, that’s all.
These clergymen should be honest and say exactly what is the reason the situation has become worse.
Argrwal won’t fork out even a rupee to invest in the mine.
I am sure if you look into this Pastor Simon Kiboko of Kitwe and his church coffers you will find a large donation from some middleman from Vandanta…there is no way a pastor can just start pushing for some company to come back out the blue.
Kabuswe is too dumb for that position just look at him in the photo…busy making vague announcements for the past 12 months.
You all already know my stance on the failed upnd mine strategy. So I will just copy and paste it here again:
Zambians have themselves to Blame. They voted a vengeful childish president who undid all the good things we did out of spite. Now Zambians are crying for a return to what they had under pf. You have realised your mistakes f00Iish Zambians.
Our long term plan was to slowly commence an indigenization programme like the mugabe one to give you Zambians control over these mines. Buy you f00Iishy voted in a guy who sold our nation companies for peanuts to become a millionaire
Liquated of KCM illegally by Lazy Lungu and his corrupt Advisers is what caused all this…but an impostor based in the UK trolling everyday wouldnt know the difference along as it submits any comment for the day.
The 2023 budget put finished copper output at 3 million tonnes per year. We cut so much tax from mining to achieved that set farfetched figure. Already, it is a incentivised loss. What next is Zambia doing economically right to improve living standards? Farming is a let down too. Our fuel prices fluctuate more often than the Kwacha pendulum swing changes. Inflation rate has moved to 10.2. It will mean K5k for a typical household to barely survive per month. Coperbelt has lost on revenue, roads, jobs, social welfare, etc. Will we ever recover? What happened to Bally Will Fit It” soothing carol of hope? Only God knows.
Milingo was liquidated from the “illegally” nationalised KCM, to necessitate an out of court negotiation. Why must Hon. Kabuswe come to Unions when they should have been given a seat on the negotiation table? What’s government hiding by excluding workers’ rights? GRZ can’t make a “decision on the mine once consultations with unions are concluded” because talks have left out workers already. What if workers won’t be for the idea, what next? Unless we wipe off selfish, incompetent, stingy or corrupt people, hiding the real deal, who don’t know how to undo the mess created by “Lazy Lungu”, we won’t reach conclusions any time soon. How long will it take for the disarray to be corrected? This is why masses want that minister fired. He is a bottleneck.
My take is that there more complex issues in the matter and the government is not sure how to handle them. Hence the WE HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION, ETC pronouncements.
They should just be brave and come out, we won’t bite them.
Who has failed among these: the president, the minister or the collective cabinet? Any failure from one or several of them is a caboncopy of another. They belong to the same WhatsApp group.
We have got a lot of intelligent and highly educated individuals in government. Unfortunately they have all deposited their brains in the president/ even former presidents. They are afraid to offer their professional opinions on how these two mines can become viable.
Be reminded that if you ask Harry Truman, he will tell you that the buck stops with the president.
A LT regular commentator once said, leaders put their brains on sleep mode during their term of office, only to pick them up when they leave power.
How have “they all deposited their brains in the president” when the president has his own on hibernation?
There’s no sane person that can take Kabuswe seriously because his greed overshadows logic. He’s a liar and a suspect. His fingers are soiled. If HH fires him today, tomorrow he’ll be behind bar. Kabuswe can’t find a solution for KCM in which he isn’t a beneficiary, so he’s talking nonsense. How many times has he announced a possible solution? Just look at how he responded to Kambwili?