By ROGERS KALERO
SMALL-SCALE miners also known as Jerabos on the Copperbelt are elated with Government’s decision to give them 30 percent shares in the Black Mountain, vowing to ensure all youth benefit.
The Chapamo Mineral Processing Limited’s chairman, Mr Kelvin Tembo said they had learnt from the previous experience and would now try to ensure that no youth was left out from benefitting from the “Black Mountain” in Kitwe.
“We will try to ensure that no youth is sidelined from benefitting from the “Black Mountain” when Government gives 30 percent shares to the young, Chapamo Mineral Processing Limited has said.
Black Mountain is the collection of residue minerals near Wusakile in Kitwe that had accumulated during the time of ZCCM operations.
Mr Tembo was reacting to Ministry of Mines Permanent Secretary, Mr Barnaby Mulenga, who indicated that Government was considering giving out its 30 per cent shares in the Black Mountain to youths in Kitwe.
He said Chapamo has 3, 000 direct beneficiaries and more than 6, 000 indirect beneficiaries and so he was hopeful that Government’s consideration to empower youths with another 30 per cent empowerment would come to fruition.
He said the 30 percent from the “Black Mountain” would help to cushion the impact of the Covid-19 among the youth, saying the pandemic has hit hard various sections of society and sectors of the economy.
Mr Tembo said his organisation would work with Government to ensure that as many youths as possible benefit from this gesture from the state.
He said his organisation was happy that Government was considering giving 30 percent shares from the Black Mountain at a time it had issues with Nkana Alloy over the borderline which had not been resolved.
According to Mr Mulenga, Government was considering giving out its 30 percent shares in the “Black Mountain” to youths in Kitwe.
This follows a High Court judgement that allowed the State to pull out of its partnership with Nkana Alloy and Smelting Company Limited
Following the judgement last week, Government remained with 30 percent shares in the “Black Mountain” because it gave out its 10 percent to the youth three years ago.
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