By NATION REPORTER
ROUBLE has erupted in Mkushi after irate youths protested at Sacko mine claiming senior United Party for National Development (UPND) members have corruptly invaded the mine at the expense of the youth who worked tirelessly to ensure that the new dawn was ushered into office.
The youhs have accused senior party officials of grabbing the mine promised to them during campaigns.
The infuriated youths stormed the UPND offices in Mkushi to register their anger and fingured out First Lady Mutinta Hichilema as working with a certain company called Ndalumba and Truestone Mineral Processing Limited which has deprived the party zealots from benefiting from the mine.
The UPND youths alleged that President Hakainde Hichilema had given the mine to his wife whom they claimed was working with her young brother called Nickson Chibawo, national youth chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso and Obvious Mwaliteta, the Lusaka Province chairperson.
And a check on the Patent and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) by the Daily Nation revealed that Gilbert Liswaniso and Obvious Mwaliteta were shareholders in Ndalumba Resources Limited as claimed by the youth.
The check also revealed that the supposed younger brother to Ms Hichilema Mr Nickson Chibawo was equally a shareholder in the company.
Other shareholders include Kelvin Munyau, Li Xiaonan, Tillas Sichinga, Christopher Besa, Kennedy Mwewa, Gao Jinkun and Enock Simfukwe.
The youth claimed President Hichilema had promised to give them the mines once in government but they were shocked and disappointed that the head of State had instead abandoned them in preference for the First Family.
“Ba President (Hichilema) at bapela ba Mutinta iyi mine ukupitila muli Ndalumba but apa naba chinja babika muli Truestone iya mu Chinese (The President has given the mine to Mutinta (First Lady) and now us the youth here in Mkushi) do not want ama (the) Chinese,” said one of the disgruntled youths in a video that has gone viral.
The disenchanted youths said it was only logical for President Hichilema to consider empowering them because they sacrificed a lot for the UPND and it was time they started benefitting from their political toil.
They said President Hichilema needed to fulfil his promises by ensuring that the mine was given to them as he had pledged before forming government. The Sacko Mine in Mkushi has become the latest mining corruption scandal and centre of controversy after the Muwombe Sugilite Mine which has so far the dismissal of Luapula Deputy Permanent Secretary Royd Mwansa along with a number of District Commissioners. The Sacko mine has also seen the arrest of UPND ardent member Mubita Nawa after they caused commotion at the mine.
But, Clayson Hamasaka, the State House Chief Communication Specialist says social media reports to the effect that the First Lady had been given Sacko Mine were false and malicious because the First Family was not part of the shareholders of the controversial mine.
“There is a false and malicious media report alleging that the First Lady Madam Mutinta Hichilema owns a mine in Mkushi. False and malicious in the sense that the First Lady Mrs. Hichilema does not own any mine anywhere, not even under proxies.
Those who have observed her lifestyle so far will attest that the First Lady is largely reserved and conservative. She is content with what she has always been before becoming the First Lady,” Mr Hamasaka said.
