By OLIVER SAMBOKO
A WHISTLEBLOWER has said some Ministry of Mines officials were involved in a scheme where some shareholders in a mining company allegedly illegally transferred exploration rights to companies formed by them to dupe government officials.
And the New Congress Party (NCP) has called for a probe into the alleged illegal transfer of exploration rights without following due process.
One of such company, has been placed under receivership.
This was after the mandatory four-year period of exploration when the company was compelled to surrender 50 percent of the allotted land licence. While Government was in the process of awarding the rights to the rightful applicant, the company gave the same to another company, which turned out to be owned by one of the shareholders.
It is believed some officials at the ministry of Mines in the previous administration were fully aware.
Zambians must rise to the occasion and ensure that foreigners do not siphon minerals from the country in the name of creating employment while muscling out Zambians from owning mineral rights in mining entities.
And New Congress Party (NCP) leader Peter Chanda has warned government to be wary of such schemes and take interest in legal battles over mining rights before Zambians lose out.
He warned that government should be alert to manoeuvres where cartels are formed to muscle mining rights from locally owned mines through schemes where mining licences are suspended and quickly awarded dubiously.
He said that foreigners have formed cartels with some officials in the Ministry of Mines to fight local companies with a sole purpose of ensuring that they take over the mining sector at the exclusion of local companies.
Mr Chanda called upon Zambians to rise up to the occasion and make sure that they begin to venture into mining, saying the trend that is obtaining now where foreigners
are owning mines 100 percent, and in cases where Zambians own mine licence, it’s usually in partnership with outsiders who eventually force them out of the partnership through trickery.
He said his party is aware that foreigners have formed cartels to siphon minerals from the country using some officials in the Ministry of Mines.
Mr Chanda said it’s sad that local companies are being sidelined by the Ministry of Mines in preference to foreign companies when the opposite should have been the norm.
He said if Zambia was to prosper and become a middle income country, Government should come up with a deliberate policy that will ensure that local companies are given preference when it comes to issuance of mining licenses.
Mr Chanda said the development agenda of the country cannot be achieved without the full participation of the Zambian people, therefore government should rise to occasion and ensure that the mineral resources benefit the locals.
He said he was aware of some shareholders who illegally transferred exploration rights to companies formed by them while duping government officials that such transfer was adhered to in line with the legal requirements.
He said it was no wonder that there were so many cases involving mining rights and urged government to take interest to protect Zambians from being cheated out of their legally acquired mines.
