By NATION REPORTER
HAVING fired Luapula Province Minister Derricky Chilundika for illegal mining of Sugilite, President Hakainde Hichilema should decisively move and stop the looting of copper at Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) on the Copperbelt, stealing of gold at Kasenseli Gold Mine in North-Western Province and the rampant plunder of Lithium in Southern Province, Brian Mundubile has advised.
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Mr Mundubile, the Patriotic Front (PF) presidential candidate says there is grand corruption in the mining sector through which the country is losing millions of dollars in illegal mining of copper, gold, Lithium and Sugilite.
Mr Mundubile has asserted that high-ranking government and ruling party officials are allegedly involved in the looting of the country’s minerals and that President Hichilema should not leave any stone unturned in his crusade against large-scale corruption in the mining sector.
He said there was a much bigger and well-syndicated illegal mining operation at KCM where heavy machinery has been deployed by known politically exposed persons.
He said copper worth millions of dollars was being illegally mined at KCM in Chingola and that a Parliamentary Committee that was tasked to investigate illegal mining had discovered that a company called Sensele was conducting large-scale mining with the knowledge and approval of the authorities.
“For me, the real and much bigger corruption is the illegal mining of Copper at KCM. There is a big illegal mining operation going on at KCM in Chingola by a mining company called Sensele. It is a syndicated illegal mining and the copper being looted is in millions of dollars. So Mr Chilundika involvement in illegal mining of Sugilite whether right or wrong cannot be compared to the large-scale illegal mining at KCM.”
“President Hichilema should use the same zeal he has employed to deal with the illegal mining in Mansa and stop the looting of our copper at KCM by taking the same action he has in dealing with those who are involved in stealing Sugilite,” Mr Mundubile said.
And Mr Mundubile, the leader of the Opposition in Parliament and Mporokoso PF Member of Parliament has claimed that the former ruling party is aware that some known ministers had been making nocturnal journey to North-Western Province to personally collect gold being illegally mined in the region.
He claimed that there was illegal mining of gold at Kasenseli Mine in Mwinilunga and that some ministers were allegedly involved in the scandal.
“We have information of ministers driving in the night to Kasenseli to pick up gold which is illegally being mined. We know there is illegal mining going on in Mpika and heavy has been delivered. The President has given himself the challenge by acting swiftly on the scandal in Luapula. He should move with the same speed and curtail the illegal mining of Lithium in Southern Province.”
“We want to know what has happened to the criminals who are involved in the illegal mining of Lithium. What about the ministers who are journeying in the night to Mwinilunga to pick up gold. Big names have been mentioned in the illegal mining of gold in Mpika and Mwinilunga and big names have been mentioned in the illegal mining of Lithium in Southern Province. The fight against corruption in the mining sector should be genuine,” Mr Mundubile said.
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