Maravi

Govt invites bids for RAMCOZ tailing dams

Govt invites bids for RAMCOZ tailing dams
Written by Kabanda Chulu

GOVERNMENT has started inviting proposals for the purchase of tailing dams that belonged to the defunct Roan Antelope Mining Company of Zambia (RAMCOZ) mines in Luanshya.

However, some industry experts have advised government against including the costs of environmental rehabilitation in the purchase price since it would be unaffordable to Zambian small-scale miners.

It is understood that several tailing dams and mining slug dump areas contain soils with higher metal contents and the areas have been a target for illegal mining and quarrying.

According to the Office of the Administrator General, which is the official receiver of RAMCOZ assets, requests for proposals for the purchase of tailing dams have opened and previously submitted bids would not be considered.

It stated that drilling and sampling operations to determine the current metal contents of the dams had been concluded.

“The drilling and sampling exercise gave the results that are given in the request for proposals (RFP) document and the information on the metal contents enables prospective applicants to make preliminary project proposals with six hard copies of proposals at fee of K500, 000,” it stated.

And some industry experts, who declined to be named, commended the government for allowing disused dumps and mines to be sold to ex-miners and to the general public.

“However, we wish to state that costs of environmental rehabilitation being included in the purchase price is too high to be afforded by Zambians because during privatisation of the mines, ZCCM Investment Holdings took over environmental liabilities from the foreign investors, but why should this cost be passed on to poor Zambians?” asked the experts.

Labels: DAMS, INFRASTRUCTURE, MINING

posted by MrK @ 10:29 PM