…the mining union says miners are losing hope and confidence in government’s commitment to revamping the mining sector
By ROGERS KALERO
IT is regrettable that Government has once again failed to announce the new owners of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mines (KCM) despite assuring miners and other stakeholders that the new owners of the two giant mines would be unveiled by end of last month,” the Mine workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) has said.
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MUZ general secretary George Mumba said the failure to fulfil many promises and assurances regarding finding investors to recapitalise KCM and Mopani was now making miners to lose confidence in government in general and the Minister of Mines in particular.
Mr Mumba was reacting to Government’s failure to announce the new owners of KCM and MCM on grounds that negotiations with the prospective investors of the two mines were still on-going.
Mr Kabuswe, the Mines and Minerals Development Minister said he was unable to announce the new owners of KCM and MCM because the process of negotiations had not been conclusive.
A fortnight ago, Mr Kabuswe informed the nation that Government had given itself a deadline of July 31 to announce Vedanta Resources as the new owners of KCM as all but one condition had been agreed.
But on Monday, Mr Kabuswe failed to announce the new owners of the two mines, much to the disappointment of the mine workers unions who now think the minister did not know when the new owners of the mines will be found.
Mr Mumba said the mine workers unions would now be forced to think the government did not know when the new owners of the mines would be found and was resorting to occasional updates thereby creating more anxieties.
“The Minister of Mines and Mineral Development, Mr Paul Kabuswe was speaking with confidence when he assured us, that by July 31, 2023, Government will announce the new owners of KCM and MCM, but we are disappointed that he has failed to announce. This is regrettable, very regrettable.”
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