THE TRUTH ABOUT LUANSHYA MINE’S SHAFT 28
On April 11, 2024, Mr Hakainde Hichilema led an entourage of Cabinet ministers, senior civil servants, and party officials to commission the lowering of de-watering pumps at CNMC’s Luanshya Copper Mines’ flooded Shaft 28.
At the event, Mr Hichilema and his league bragged that the Copperbelt was back in business now that the UPND administration had fixed Mopani Copper Mines (MCM), Vedanta’s Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) and CNMC’s Luanshya Copper Mines’ Shaft 28. They further claimed that the de-watering process of the water-logged Shaft 28 was a game changer, which will see the creation of over 3000 jobs and, in turn, recapitalise small businesses and enterprises in Luanshya district.
Like we have always said, we socialists are patriots who do not want to defeat Mr Hichilema and the UPND on the back of national failure. We remain committed to supporting any progressive idea and initiative that is intended to lift our people out of poverty, misery, and squalor. All we demand from Mr Hichilema and the UPND administration is transparency, honesty, and sincerity in dealing with important national issues that affect the lives of our people.
Let them be truthful and not excite or highly raise the people’s expectations unnecessarily, especially when they know very well that the undertaking won’t yield immediate results or is still far from culminating into the rosy picture they have painted for the people. The CNMC’s Luanshya Copper Mines water-logged Shaft 28 is a case in point. Mr Hichilema and the UPND administration have deliberately hidden the scope of work involved and the realistic timelines that will enable Shaft 28 to return to full production.
They’ve showed a picture to the people of Zambia and Luanshya in particular that the presently flooded Shaft 28 will come on line and commence production shortly, with over 3,000 direct mine jobs created, which will then result in an instant boost for businesses and the economy of Luanshya. This is a lie. It is not true that the recovery of Luanshya will unfold too quickly and soon. What do we mean by this?
To manage our people’s hopes and expectations with regards to Shaft 28 project, we will provide specifics and estimated timelines relating to the de-watering process and the actual commencement of copper mining. Below are the brief facts about this project:
– The US$500million de-watering project will result in the pumping out of millions of cubic meters of water from Shaft 14 and 18, which are aligned to Shaft 28.
– The de-watering process that is expected to begin at the end of this month [April 29, 2024] will take between 18 to 21 months to complete.
– CNMC Luanshya Copper Mine plans to start the recruitment of a limited number of workers in June or July this year to help in some tasks related to de-watering.
– Once the de-watering process is complete, an additional number of workers will be required to assist with reinforcement and other works in readiness for actual production or copper mining.
– The publicly announced 3,000 jobs [1,800 direct and 1,200 contractual jobs] will not happen anytime soon. These jobs are estimated to be created at the peak of the project when the mine is operating at the optimum level.
– And this is projected to materialise in about three to four years from today. To be specific, somewhere around the end of 2026 to 2027 or more. The truth is, yes, there is a projection of 3,000 jobs to be created, but this will not materialise today, tomorrow, or the day after but after a long period of time. Most probably when Mr Hichilema and the UPND administration are even out of office.
We have laid bare the specifics and estimated timelines of the Shaft 28 project to help our people understand the scope of work involved and how long it will take before they can see benefits. We believe this will assist in managing hopes and expectations. This is a decent way of dealing with people, especially in times when they’re desperate for survival. It is inhumane to deceive people in the manner Mr Hichilema and the UPND administration have been doing.
We urge this administration to learn to face the truth and guide our people accordingly and not raising their expectations unnecessarily. Governance cannot always be about deceit, lies, overstatements and exaggerations.
We know they’re stuck, and they’re under pressure to impress. But they should tell the people the truth and people will respect them.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
I explained exactly what Mmembe is saying clealry in my last post , as a professional Engineer and one with vast experience of working in Underground Mines, but as usual Praise Thugs were at my throat with Insults..
The situation we are in under this government is that Professionals in various fields have been cowed into silence. They are just watching in silence, as praise thugs run the show.
We are now seeing hitches with KCM Plc, where Criminal Argawal is stuck and contemplating selling shares.. barely 3 months after being given the mine. The man can’t borrow the $1.5 Billion from any bank. No one will give him.
If a company sells 51% of its shares, then it ceases having a majority, and can’t dictate policy directions of the company. What then happens with the agreement Criminal Argawal had with the Zambian government on which basis he was given back the mine ?? Bwafya ba Hakainde… disaster and confusion in all sectors.meanwhile he wants a force majeure on power exports, when the same government said it wasn’t exporting Electricity. Kutamba ko fye.
Hallucinating Hypocrite fuseki iwe PF criminal you failed to open MCM ba PF criminals imwe. Sit down and watch the development PF Kelenka iwe.
Silence! The genius engineer is thinking !!!
If you own a house and cant pay your zesco bill, you can go to a financial institution and borrow. But if you already have a previous loan or fail pay on the previous loan; other banks will not lend you.
As a family member I can not come to say that house is mine. Even if to belonged to our late father. Ownership has moved. As Zambians what you want to suggest is that you own KCM no your interest through ZCCM-IH makes you minority shareholders. Under UNIP you misapplied the prosperity of the economy and subsidies the mines to a point where you could not afford to run them. Professional or not that is the status. You cant afford to buy back Vandenat or whatever his name is. If you could he is offering his shares now buy them. But you cant because you have too much nkongole that you already owe. You are over leveraged through the recklessness of PF. Even their takeover of the Company was illegal, you would have had to pay so much more in damages. So you as Zambian government opted to settle out of court and hand the company back. So while you make noise about the state of the mines and the capacity. You dont have the money to buy back the mines, how on earth can you even suggest you can run them ba Professional Miner? If you did, you would have obtained a mining licence and run your own mine instead of making noise here. “Put your money where your mouth is” as the saying goes….
Mining is not cheap business, its also very speculative by the time the ore is processed for marketing the Price you may have projected isnt the market price. Agriculture is the same way but the investment level ia not as high neither are the risks. Please stop misleading people with nkani ya mu mooba. Keep hallucinating, but take medicine to help those psychoic episodes, Zambians need your mind and opinions after medication not before.
If you really are a qualified engineer, you are a very disappointing one from your lack of use of logic. Engineers use logic so qualifications are just on paper not practical. And from your comments, one can see that you held a junior position without any major business decision making but only production decision making hence your lack of understanding how mining business work but only understand how to mine the copper from the ground, if you did, you could not make such a senseless comment.
Let me tell you that I have also worked in the mines for many years and I can tell you for a fact for most Zambians do not have the capacity to run a mine profitably and that’s a fact.
Secondly, Vedanta own KCM legally regardless of their shady behavior and there was nothing we could do to change that fact and prolonging the dispute with them in court was very detrimental to the KCM asset and the at large country so it was only right to discontinue the court cases so that the mine can be revived.
Now an opportunity has come for Zambians who have been complaining that they want to own the mines to purchase shares in the mine since Vedanta is selling some of it’s shares so why not take advantage of it and buy those shares but busy complaining that Vedanta has no money. Mining is not a child’s play and requires a lot money and financial discipline which both attributes we lack as Zambians.
It’s noise makers like Butternut head Gumu Gumu Mumembe Fuledi who derail constructive debates in Zambia!
They would rather stick to primitive politics of Negativity!
You need to learn to give the benefit of doubt, allow something to work and avoid being a prophet of doom all the time!
Let the real Chinese Engineers show you how to move mountains!
Forget the fake Engineering the West has taught you in order to retard you!
Where the West says is impossible, that is where the Chinese Specialize!
They don’t teach ” It can’t” in China!
Zambia’s many problems are too artificial!
Give Zambia to the Chinese and you won’t hear of any Loadshedding or hunger!
You are crying of 8 hours of loadshedding in April? What happens in October?
Sixty years of independent neglect!
No service investment in Energy generation!
This Paradise called Zambia is being messed up by shallow-thinking homosapiens!
Shameful!
-This is a lie.
-The truth of the matter is 3000 jobs is projected.
So what exactly are you talking about Mr.membe? Or you are just a lost soul? Please stop confusing people, you know it hates me because not many will have interest in figuring out your hypocrisy.