MINES and Mineral Development Minister Paul Kabuswe has said the Government in conjunction with the Kasenseli community has developed a community beneficial mining model for Kasenseli Gold Mine which was shut down about a year ago.
Mr Kabuswe also says he will in the course of the week receive an update from Chambishi Metals investors and an- nounce the way forward to the nation as he asked for more patience from stakeholders.
He said during a meeting with Mine Workers Union leaders in Kitwe at the weekend that contrary to some stakeholders’ view that the New Dawn administration was hell-bent on destroying the mining sector, the Government was working around the clock to resuscitate all idle mining operations.
“We will soon announce the way forward for the Kasenseli Gold Mine in Mwinilunga. We have developed a community beneficial mining model that will see the Government and the community benefit from the gold deposit,” Mr Kabuswe said.
He said it had taken more time to resolve because the Government wanted every stakeholder involved in the process adding that soon the way forward would be announced.
Mr Kabuswe said his ministry would ensure that the mining industry was well diversified as the new mining policies were looking at diverse mineral resources from copper ,manganese,emerald nickel to gold among others.
He said the Government was also keen to see that value addition was enhanced to increase benefits for the country.
On Chambishi Metals which has been in care and maintenance for more than two years, Mr Kabuswe said the investor would hand in a report in the course of the week.
“The way forward will be known next week (this week)…there were misunderstandings between the current investor and the old one regarding shareholding which I think has been ironed out,” he said.
Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ), National Union of Mine and Allied Workers (NUMAW) and United Mineworkers of Zambia (UMUZ) presidents Joseph Chewe,Saul Simunjika and Wisdom Ngwira called for urgent resolutions of issues surrounding the mining industry on the Copperbelt.
Among the issues concerned included delay in announcing the out- of-court settlement of the KCM impasse between ZCCM- IH and Vedanta Resources, the majority shareholder and financial challenges facing Mopani.
The union leaders demanded for a clear-cut road map on the two mining operations including as well as on the Kasenseli Gold Mine and Chambishi Metals.
