PRESS STATEMENT
28 TH OCTOBER 2020
WHEN TWO ELEPHANTS FIGHT ITS GRASS THAT SUFFERS, PAY MOPANI MINERS FIRST THEIR BENEFITS.
Glencoe has offered Government to buy all its shares. Looking at the level of investment Glencoe has pumped in both Mufulira and Nkana mines, it’s likely Glencoe is not asking for not less than 4.5 billion USD. Assuming that is the amount Glencoe is asking for and that the PF regime is broke, Government should tell Zambians where they are getting this money. We demand that miners are paid their full benefits first. As UPND we are saddened how PF is destroying our mining industry. When two elephants fight it’s the grass that suffers; miners and Zambians will ultimately suffer.
The PF regime should be very cautious on who they choose as a partner. From inception most investors were and are still only interested in the smelter and refinery departments to treat cheap concentrate. During privatization it was decided to sell Mufulira mine as a single unit, hence the on and off problems of putting both mining and concentrator departments on care and maintenance. This is likely to happen again, Mufulira and Nkana mines are old mines that are very expensive to run profitably. The new shaft at Mufulira is meant to hoist copper ore straight from 1690 meter level straight to surface, we doubt if ZCCM IH will sustain this operations.
If the PF regime makes any mistake in handling Mopani mines, this will result in a lot of problems for the miners and the Country at large. Already PF has messed up the issue of KCM and this should serve as a lesson and avoid falling in the same trap. Once a mistake is made miners should brace themselves for massive job losses and this will also mark the end of Zambia being a major copper producing country.
The idea of only PF cadres benefitting from our minerals as the case is at KCM is criminal. Zambians have a choice of either going down with PF or liberate themselves by voting out this corrupt regime. Miners should refuse to be hoodwinked by these PF crocks and thieves. PF is worsening the already weak economic situation by taking politics to our mines. This Country needs productivity in all sectors of the economy to pay nkongole. Penalties and fines will not pay our huge debt.
Percy Chanda
UPND – Chairman for Mines and Freedom Fighter