By SILUMESI MALUMO
PRESSURE has mounted on Government to re-open Kalengwa Mine in Mufumbwe which has been closed for many years.
Mufumbwe UPND Member of Parliament Elliot Kamondo, said the prolonged closure of the mine had contributed to the high level of unemployment in the district.
Mr Kamondo said that many times people had called upon Government to look into the matter but nothing had been done.
He made the call in Parliament during the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure including Capital and Constitutional and Statutory Expenditure for the office of the President in North-Western Province.
Mr Kamondo said Kalengwa Mine had remained closed for many years, and this had disadvantaged residents.
He said the district in particular had lagged behind in terms of development because of the closure of the mine.
“We need Kalengwa Mine to be opened so that the unemployment level in Mufumbwe can be resolved. These are the things we have been yearning for so that people in the area can have jobs,” he said.
Mr Kamondo also bemoaned the lack of implementation of resettlement schemes by Government.
He said in the 2018 and 2019 budgets, Government promised to establish the resettlement schemes but nothing had been done.
He expressed sadness on the failure to work on feeder roads in many parts of of the province.
Meanwhile, provincial minister, Nathaniel Mubukwanu, said the concerns would be taken on board, but insisted that Government had delivered the road infrastructure development in the region.
The minister said Government had done the best in ensuring that economic roads such as the Solwezi-Chingola road among others were worked on.
He indicated that out of the 67 health posts which were allocated to North-Western Province about 47 were operational.
OPEN KALENGWA MINE, GOVT TOLD
