31 January 2008
Ndola — GOVERNMENT has charged and fined a Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) mine manager and three other employees for the pollution of Mufulira water system on January 2 this year.
The company polluted the water supply system affecting 800 Mufulira residents who were attended to at Ronald Ross and Malcom Watson Hospitals.
In a ministerial statement issued in Parliament yesterday, Mines and mineral development minister Kalombo Mwansa said the mine manager had been charged and fined for failure to provide general leadership and emergency standby pumping facilities.
The underground manager was charged for ineffective supervision, the shift boss for negligence and ineffective supervision and the pump man for negligence and they were also fined.
He said investigations revealed that a pump attendant failed to switch on an emergency pump on 730 metre level resulting in the overflow into the mine water pumping station.
He said the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) had suspended the In-situ operations due to failure by MCM to operate in accordance with the approved environmental management plan.
He said Government was concerned about the second pollution of water in Mufulira and had started reviewing legislation to provide for stiffer penalties against erring companies and officials.
Dr Mwansa said the Mine Health and Safety Policy which would provide strict safety guidelines was being formulated while the Mines Safety Department was also being strengthened.
In response to Chasefu Member of Parliament (MP) Chifumu Banda (FDD) who wanted to know if the victims would be compensated, he said the victims were free to take any action they wanted although Government wanted to stiffen punishment.
The House also heard from Deputy Mines Deputy Minister, Maxwell Mwale that ZCCM Investment Holdings was in the process of selling Kabwe Mine shares to a successful bidder although it would maintain 20 per cent.
This was in response to Bweengwa MP Highvie Hamududu (UPND) who wanted to know the progress on reviving the Kabwe Mine.
And Mr Mwale told Kabwe Central MP Kayula Kakusa (MMD) who wanted to know how many Zambians were shareholders in the preferred bidder for the mine that Government was happy that the company had five shareholders three of which were Zambians.
Commerce Trade and Industry Deputy Minister, Dora Siliya said U.S. $900 million would be invested in the Chambishi Multi Facility Economic Zone to come with 6,000 jobs and 6,500 houses.
Energy Deputy Minister, Gaston Sichilima said up to March 2007, Zesco exported U.S.$10 million worth of power to Zimbabwe while Zimbabwe paid US$427 million for use of Zesco line.
Meanwhile speaker of the National Assembly advised Namwala MP Robby Chizyuka (UPND) to take the issue of racism to the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) after he observed that the MP was debating on racial lines.
He also announced to the house that MMD had chosen Solwezi West MP Humphrey Mwanza as its deputy chief whip.
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