Mines and Minerals Development Minister Paul Kabuswe has assured Zambians that the Government will involve the public in finding solutions to the impasse surrounding the disputed ownership of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM).

Mr. Kabuswe said the Government is aware of people’s complaints and reservations against Indian investor Vedanta Mineral Resources, who have expressed willingness to return to KCM.

Speaking during a recent stakeholders meeting organised by the Chingola clergy at Life Gospel Fellowship Ministries International, Mr. Kabuswe said the Government will prioritise the interest of Zambians during negotiations.

He also repeated that the Government alone cannot resolve the KCM issues minus involving Vedanta.

“We are now in charge and we have to deal with the mess at KCM. It is so messy because for us we are saying can we unlock all the assets including KCM and Mopani Copper Mines. Right now, you heard my statement I think two days ago where I said the next arbitration between us (Government) and Vedanta is in January 2023. So what do we do between now and then? That’s why His Excellency the President is saying let us get out of court. Let us sit down and talk. So getting out of court is talking to whom? I want us to answer that (telling the gathering). We are getting out of court with whom? (Vedanta the crowd responded. So they are the character to sit down with, we have to sit with the demons and discuss. That is the scenario we have found ourselves in,” Mr. Kabuswe said.

“They (Vedanta) are not going to go by blowing them. No. it is by sitting with them. We either choose to sit with them in court or we sit with them outside court and say guys we cannot mine in court. I have said as a Minister, we have been mining in court. I have heard all the complaints but we have to sit with the devil. The option is either we wait for 2023 and when we are saying January 2023 arbitration it’s not just the finality to the discussion. It can even be adjoined again to June. So meaning we will have protracted legal battles. We can’t win like that. So what we need is support from the Church. I like the permutations given by Bishop Joseph Kazhila. The permutations that Bishop Kazhila has put across we must open our minds like he was saying that we need to look at what are the different permutations about resolving this Vedanta issue. Like the NDC President (George Sichula) said, let’s not work with the knife to resolve a matter. We must go with an open mind. As a government we have not given a position. It stands as it is that Vedanta lost its social license,” he said.

Mr. Kabuswe said Zambians have a chance to make proposals to the Government on how best KCM could be unlocked.

“I want to assure you the kind of President that you have and the kind of government we are not going to negotiate things to please anyone. Any negotiations that we are going into as a government, we are not going from a position of weakness. We are going from a position of strength because these assets are sitting in Zambia. You elected us to make sure that these assets can benefit the people of Zambia and we are going with that in mind. Wherever we are negotiating, KCM, Mopani..I have complaints and issues on how Vedanta treated people. I have taken your word. I will sit with the President; this is the feeling of the pastors. Whatever permutations we will follow we will carry the nation along. We may not call all of you. Quickly after this discussion do a position paper on the different permutations that you would want for Vedanta so when you give a position paper on various suggestions that you have. If it goes to this, we want you to do this; if it goes to that we want you to do this,” Mr. Kabuswe continued.

He added:”I am alive to the fact that Zambia has been mining since the 1900s, we have people, we have engineers, we have accountants, and we have people that have been metallurgists for a long time. The mining brains are there in Zambia but get the mining brains to bring them together, do proper negotiations, and do a proper transaction. What are you going to do about salaries? What are you going to do about CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)? What are you going to do about the mining license? What are you going to do about the roads where you are sitting?”

In his remarks, Chingola senior clergy Bishop Joseph Kazhila asked the government to find a credible investor to run KCM.

Bishop Kazhila said people want an investor who will have the interest of Zambians at heart.

The opposition Socialist Party has insisted that President Hakainde Hichilema is a puppet of the western countries.

Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe recently accused President Hichilema of being a puppet of the west.

Dr. M’membe’s accusations against the Head of State were criticised by United Party for National Development (UPND) deputy National Chairman Andrew Banda.

Mr. Banda, the eldest son of the late former President Rupiah Bwezani Banda, argued that President Hichilema was not a puppet of the west.

He said President Hichilema was a genuine Head of State elected by millions of Zambians.

The Socialist Party (S.P) has, however, issued a follow up statement insisting that allowing AFRICOM base called ‘office’ in Zambia would constitute not only an unacceptable violation of the country’s sovereignty.

SP Copperbelt Provincial Spokesperson Joseph Kangwa said Mr. Banda is defending President Hichilema because he is seeking a job from the New Dawn government.

“Calling President Hakainde Hichilema a puppet of the west is not disrespecting the people who voted for him as opposed to United Party for National Development (UPND) deputy national chairperson, Mr Andrew Banda’s sentimental statement published on 02 June, 2022 in the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper. Contrary to Mr Banda’s view, Dr Fred M’membe has no history of disparaging Zambian presidents; he just calls a spade a spade. You do not need to be in the opposition party to know that President Hichilema is a puppet of the west, but we understand Mr Banda’s predicament as he may have also been a puppet of the late Presidents during his service in the foreign mission under the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). Being part of the privatization of the Zambian Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) in 1997 which resulted in millions of Zambian people losing their jobs, and triggered the periods of intense economic turmoil that engulfed the Copperbelt and Zambia from 1997 hitherto, and allowing the American government to open its U.S. Africa Command in Zambia is evident enough to tell that Mr Hakainde Hichilema is indeed a petty bourgeoisie and a puppet of the west. However, It can only take a genuine leader to see that, not a simpleton person,” Mr. Kangwa said.

He said President Hichilema is driving the agenda of the capitalists at the expense of the majority suffering Zambians thereby putting the country’s sovereignty at great risk.

“That said, it is imperative to answer some of Mr Banda’s questions. “If HH is a puppet, then who is a leader, is Fred himself a leader?” He asked. In simple terms; a leader is a servant of a group of people having authority to lead or direct and do what is best for them and the country. A puppet is a person controlled by another. In this case, President HH is the puppet of the West in the sense that he is driving the agenda of the capitalists at the expense of the majority suffering Zambians thereby putting our sovereignty at great risk.On the contrary, Comrade M’membe is the living legendary of Zambia. He is a beacon of democracy and free press we are enjoying today. Dr M’membe played a key role in the revolution of one party state to multiparty democracy. Since then He has always been in the forefront in the transformation from one government to another,” Mr. Kangwa said.

He continued:”Mr Banda and UPND should know that allowing AFRICOM base called ‘office’ in Zambia would constitute not only an unacceptable violation of our country’s sovereignty, but the whole Africa. It would be an insult of the highest degree to the devoted men and women who sacrificed to death until they brought independence to Zambia. Mr Banda and his superior should ask themselves a question as to why president Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, his father the late president Rupiah Bwezani Banda, the late president Michael Chilufya Sata and Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu refused that request. And why the former South African president Thabo Mbeki mobilised the African leaders by that time to oppose the move.”

Mr. Kangwa said President Hichilema should always protect and defend Zambia and it’s sovereignty.

“If President Hichilema is a puppet, why did Zambians vote for him?” Mr Banda questioned. Well, the truth is that Mr HH is the first and most unpopular person to have been elected as President in our history. Approximately 50 per cent of the 2.8 million people UPND have been bragging about voted for HH out of frustration as people got fed up with the Patriotic Front(PF) government and because HH was the only one close. Others voted for him out of sympathy of him losing five times. Otherwise, he was never a choice of all those 2.8 voters. That is probably the reason Mr Banda admitted that some people still cannot believe that HH is the Republican President and it is clear that Mr Banda is among those people even though he intentionally could not admit it.

“The advice of the Socialist Party under the able and competent leadership of Dr Fred M’membe who has lived his whole life defending our country’s democracy and its sovereignty is that the UPND should respect the Zambian people who entrusted their whole future to lead them, not to death but to freedom and abundant life. And President HH should always remember that he had sworn to protect and defend at all cost the Zambian Constitution and sovereignty of our country as such, we do not expect him to do the opposite. The people have the power,” Mr. Kangwa concluded.

The Chinsali Magistrate’s court in Muchinga Province has set free former Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo and his five co accused persons while a prima facie has been established on his sibling Andrew Kampyongo.

And the Shiwang’ndu law maker Stephen Kampyongo praised the judiciary through the subordinate court for dispensing the matter in a professional manner.

This is in a matter in which Mr Kampyongo and six others are jointly charged with one count of endangering the safety of an aircraft contrary to section 8 of the civil Aviation Act number 445 of the laws of Zambia.

In making his ruling, Chinsali magistrate court Principal Resident Magistrate Julius Malata said the State failed to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the accused are guilty of the offense leveled against them.

Magistrate Malama said it is the duty of the prosecution to provide sufficient evidence that implicates the six accused as perpetuators.

He added that the state only managed to produce evidence which implicates Andrew Kampyongo who is said to have been the driver of the Land Cruiser vehicle that was used to commit the alleged offence.

“The evidence produced by the State is only harked on the Land Cruiser therefore, does not implicate the other five accused persons,” said Magistrate Malata.

He said visitation of the crime scene after six years of the incidence by the arresting officer Peter Mundenda who was 12th state witness and failure to bring to court their key witness ( unnamed ) who is a pilot of the aircraft involved, made the state to produce insufficient evidence.

Magistrate Malata said due to insufficient evidence by the stat, the court has set free Mr Kampyongo and five other accused persons.

Speaking soon after he was set, the Shiwang’ndu law maker Stephen Kampyongo praised the judiciary through the subordinate court for dispensing the matter in a professional manner.

Mr Kampyongo said he is elated that the matter has been put to rest which gives him more time to work in his constituency.

” The matter was depriving people my constituency of many services under my responsibilities ,now that it’s over, it’s time to work and continue offering checks and balances to the ruling party,” Mr Kampyongo.

Mr Kampyongo has described the judiciary process involving his case as interesting.

He has since advised the current Inspector General of police to ensure that officers under his charge conduct themselves in a professional manner not influenced by politicians.

And the defense team George Chisanga and Leon Limba have expressed delight with the outcome of the case.

ZANIS reports that in an interview after the ruling, Defence counsel Chisanga said although Andrew Kampyongo has been put on defense after the Court established a prima facie against him, the defense is confident of a positive outcome.

Counsel Chisanga said five witnesses will be called to the witness stand in favour of the defence.

“We are happy as defense team as we are ready to commence the defense of our client who has been found with a case to answer, ” said Counsel Chisanga.

And Magistrate Malata has since set 7 July, 2022 for defence in the case of Andrew Kampyongo.