Maravi

Mumbwa copper mining activities worry DC

Mumbwa copper mining activities worry DC
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe in Mumbwa
Monday July 07, 2008 [04:00]

THE only legacy that increased copper mining activities will leave in Mumbwa is pits and holes because local people are not benefiting, district commissioner Dowell Chilimboyi has complained. And Chilimboyi has urged Mumbwa residents to utilise the increasing economic opportunities in the district to uplift their standards of living so that they shrug off the tag of ‘Mumbwa-Mumbwa’.

‘Mumbwa-Mumbwa’ is a phrase that is mockingly used by most Zambians in reference to the perceived economic retardation of Mumbwa residents. In an interview, Chilimboyi urged the ministry of mines to ensure that mining companies going to the district paid some levies and taxes to the local authority. Mumbwa has in recent times reported increased mining as well as prospecting activities.

“What is happening now is that most of these mining activities, once they get their licences from the ministry of mines, that is all.

When they come on the ground, they are taking quite a big chunk of these minerals without giving anything to the district or even paying levies to the district council or even the chiefs’ palaces where they are doing their mining activities,” Chilimboyi said.

“Some of them are small and large scale miners who, after two to three years of mining, they go away and all we are just remaining with are open pits. meanwhile, our roads are being damaged by heavy trucks that are carrying the copper ore…this is despite some maintenance that is going on. So we are still battling to find a way the district can benefit from this.”

And Chilimboyi said plans to electrify chief Kaindu’s palace up to Kaindu Basic School and to link it to a very big health centre has reached an advanced stage.

“We are the people who should take advantage of the availability of some of these economic projects that are coming in Mumbwa. This is an opportunity to revamp the agriculture and other economic activities.

The time for ‘Mumbwa-Mumbwa’ is gone…local farmers are getting richer while the government is also improving infrastructure like roads in the district,” said Chilimboyi.

Labels: MINING, NEOLIBERALISM

posted by MrK @ 2:15 PM