By OLIVER SAMBOKO
TRADITIONAL leaders have demanded that the British government should act on the petition against some London Stock Exchange listed mining companies that are milking Zambia out of its mineral resources.
Last month, the Evangelical Youth Alliance (EYA) petitioned the British government to probe and remove Arc Minerals from the LSE, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands and purporting to be running mines in Zambia.
The petition was also copied to the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Senior Chief Sailunga of the Lunda people of Mwinilunga, through his spokesperson, Mr Kenneth Kanyemesha, has urged the British government to act on the complaint without fail as the continued silence by that government is now a concern to him and his subjects.
The traditional leader said his chiefdom supports the petition against Arc Minerals over their deals in Zambia.
Senior Chief Sailunga accused Zambian directors of not having any say in the running of the company and only being used as rubber stamps.
He said Arc Minerals dealings in the chiefdom are not wanted because despite the company having business interest and making a lot of money, the local community has not been benefitting.
Senior Chief Sailunga also said the people in the area, through the traditional leadership have not been given shares in the mining company.
“Apart from that the company has been lying and claiming to have constructed a road and clinic in the area which is not true,” he said.
Senior Chief Sailunga also said the company has been changing names to keep on holding on to a large piece of land in the chiefdom
And Chief Cooma of the Tonga people said no foreign company should be allowed to short change Zambians through deals in the mining sector.
Chief Cooma said the country is in need of resources for national development, and therefore a shame that some companies that are listed on the LSE are allegedly involved in deals using the companies registered here where they own the majority shareholding which they are using as special purpose vehicles to advance their interests.
