Maravi

(LUSAKATIMES) Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe bemoans indiscriminate mining

Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe bemoans indiscriminate mining
Monday, August 2, 2010, 8:19

Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe of the Lunda people in Luapula province has bemoaned the indiscriminate mining of manganese going on in the province. And the Mwata has implored government to accelerate the assembling of the pontoon at Kashiba across the Luapula River to boost trade between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Mwata appealed to government to counter-check the uncoordinated and rampant illegal mining in Luapula province. Mwata Kazembe said this during this year’s Umutomboko Traditional Ceremony for the Lunda people in Mwansabombwe yesterday.

He said a number of investors in the mining sector are going to the province with exploration licenses but instead end up carrying out full scale mining activities.

He said the mining companies and individuals are flouting the exploration mining facility and government should look into the issue and intervene immediately.

The traditional ruler said there is need to devise a legal framework to regulate and formalise mining activities for the government and its people to reap from the mineral.

The Mwata noted that as a result government was losing out on revenue because of the haphazard mining going on in the province as it does not collect any returns for the benefit of the people in the province and country as a whole.

He said the people of Luapula want investors in the mining industry to invest in long term and large scale mining that could create employment for them.

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There is need to improve power supply in the province in order to support creation of large scale mining in the province because at present the power supply is so low and it is affecting the improvement of infrastructure needed for value addition to the minerals being mined,” The Mwata said.
The Mwata also observed that large scale mining could only take place in the province if the area was provided with adequate power supply for mining companies to set up processing plants.

He said once provided with adequate power supply the province can attract big companies to venture in mineral processing for value.

“ There is need to improve power supply in the province in order to support creation of large scale mining in the province because at present the power supply is so low and it is affecting the improvement of infrastructure needed for value addition to the minerals being mined,” The Mwata said.

The traditional ruler, therefore, called on government to utilize water falls, such as the Kabwelume, to generate electricity as this will attract large scale mining companies to the province.

And Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe has implored government to expedite the provision of a pontoon at Kashiba to link Zambia with the northern corridor trade arrangement.

The Mwata said Luapula is expected to benefit from the northern corridor once the pontoon is provided at Kashiba across the Luapula River as it will link the province to the DR Congo.

[ ZANIS ]

Labels: LUAPULA PROVINCE, MANGANESE, MWATA KAZAMBE

posted by MrK @ 1:04 AM