CCM to re-open soon, says Mwale

CCM to re-open soon, says Mwale
By Tovin Ngombe in Sinazongwe
Sun 24 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT

MINES minister Maxwell Mwale has said the closed Chinese Collum Coal Mine (CCM) will re-open next week once the mine inspectors verifies that management has adhered to the guidelines given.

When he toured the CCM mine, Mwale said his officers had not done enough in inspecting the activities at the mine adding that there was need for regular spot checks.

He said despite the negative reports about CCM, about 1000 jobs had been created and the lowest paid worker gets K450, 000.

Mwale noted that the functioning of CCM has an economic benefit to the country as it would reduce on the importation of coal from the neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe.

However, chief Sinazongwe said CCM have safety problems and the workers’ salaries were too low.
Chief Sinazongwe told Mwale at his palace that the CCM management could have increased the salaries to K450, 000 because they heard that he was visiting the area.

He said the mine was experiencing a lot of accidents especially underground and urged CCM management to consider having an open pit mine like their counterparts at Maamba Collieries (MCL).

CCM Shaft Two assistant director Danny Lau said the company produced 8000 metric tonnes of coal per month and their potential customers were Lafarge, the mines and other small companies.

CCM operations manager Shikabwali Shamuteka said the company had adhered to the government’s directives to improve sanitation at the mine.

Shamuteka explained that the company had built shower rooms for workers, toilets, and had started building houses for workers.
And Maamba Collieries employees on Thursday went on rampage, blocking their managing director Stephen Mutambo from entering the mine area.

The workers hurled insults at him for failing to pay them their six months salary arrears despite the company selling K15 billion of coal.

Quick action from Sinazongwe police saved Mutambo from being killed by workers who were wilding metals and stones.

Sinazongwe police guarded Mutambo and whisked him away from the workers who wanted to lynch him.
The workers then grabbed the keys to the vehicles of the human resource manager, Percy Simwale and plants manager Famous Kabwe whose vehicles they parked in the garage and only promised to release them once their six months arrears were paid.

Some workers talked to told ZANIS that they have sold about 35,000 metric tonnes of coal worth K15 billion but management had failed to pay them their salaries.

They said management had subjected them to torture as they had failed to explain how they used K15 billion kwacha from the sale of coal.
The miners said their children had been chased from school owing to their failure to pay the tuition fees.
Five months ago, Mutambo promised the workers that their salaries would be paid once coal was sold.

The workers said Mutambo had been staying in Lusaka since July and was running the company through ‘remote control.’

However other sources within MCL said management had used the money to pay creditors who did work at the coal processing plant.