ILLEGAL GOLD MINERS FLOOD REFUNSA
‘Local cooperatives in shock’
By JOHN KOMBE
AN influx of illegal gold miners has infuriated the legally organised cooperatives in Rufunsa who have now turned to Government to sort out the mess because they are losing out.
Cooperative gold miners in Rufunsa have complained that illegal gold mining in the area had gotten out of hand and Government should reverse the trend by taking decisive action.
Chimwetu Gold Mining Cooperative chairman, Emmanuel Tembo in an interview said that the illegal gold miners who were using unconventional methods had depleted most of the productive sites.
He complained that this had left the four registered gold mining cooperatives in the area in a limbo.
He disclosed that the cooperatives were now looking for new sites, but did not have enough equipment for the exercise.
Mr Tembo appealed to the government to eject the illegal gold miners like it had done in other areas.
He said that the area had enough mineral deposits as seen by the quantity of gold that the ZCCM-IH Gold Company had bought in the past one year.
Mr Tembo said that most, if not all of the Gold, was bought from illegal gold miners as the cooperatives had never been fully operational.
Mr Tembo said that the cooperatives were using one set of equipment making it impossible to compete with the illegal gold miners.
He wondered why the government was not acting to curb the vice and said that the illegal gold miners were mostly foreigner’s hell bent on depriving the local people and the country of the benefits of the God-given mineral wealth.
Mr. Tembo observed that most youths in the area had now joined the illegal miners who were paying ready cash for the commodity.
He said that the country was losing out because the Gold was not being sold to the government agency.
Mr Tembo also alleged that some Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) officers in the area were also involved in illegal mining. He said that this must be investigated and stopped because it was promoting illegality
And Pokela Gold Mining Cooperative vice chairman, Josias Malunga said the area had the capacity to be an economic spinner if the government did more explorations to identify more gold sites.
He said that some private companies that have carried out explorations have indicated that the area had more gold than perceived.
Mr Malunga appealed to the Ministry of Mines and ZCCM-IH to help identify other areas for the cooperatives as the already identified sites had been depleted by the illegal gold miners.
He said that this would help to create employment for youths who were ready to quit illegal gold mining and join the cooperatives.
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