By Michael Kaluba and Leah Ngoma
Mopani Copper Mines Chief Executive Officer Nathan Bullocks residency in Kitwe is surrounded by police officers amidst public discontent towards the mine for placing its Kitwe and Mufulira mines on care and maintenance and sending close to 15000 employees on forced leave.
But Mines Minister Richard Muskukwa has clarified that the Mopani CEO is not under house arrest and that the heavy presence of police at Mr. Bullocks residence is purely for security reasons especially that Zambians are agitated after his failed attempt to flee the country earlier this week.
Mr. Musukwa revealed this at a media briefing in Kitwe today and emphasized that trust between government and glencore is key if the current situation at Mopani is to be resolved amicably but has warned that provisions of the mines and minerals act of 2015 will be invoked after the 7 day ultimatum issued to Mopani by government elapses without the mine justifying its recent decisions.
And the Small Scale Miners Association of Zambia has accused Mopani copper mines of operating a gold smelter secretly and is calling for a thorough audit of Mopani operations in both Kitwe and Mufulira by the team of technocrats recently assembled by government.
Small scale miners’ Spokesperson Samson Mpembwe revealed this to phoenix news and further appealed to President Edgar Lungu to direct the ministry of mines to ensure that Mopani is thoroughly and extensively audited by experts.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miners and allied mine workers have been supplied with face masks and sanitizer and to take part in a huge protest from katilungu house to Mopani central offices and led by the three mine unions namely MUZ, NUMAW and UMUZ, the patriotic front copperbelt provincial leadership, local contractors and mine suppliers against the presence of glencore in Zambia.
In a related development, opposition upnd leader Hakainde Hichilema has called for an immediate resolution of the dispute between government and Mopani copper mines for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Mr Hichilema says the Zambian economy cannot afford to have over 11,000 losses following the decision by Mopani copper mines to put the mining firm on care and maintenance.
He says the upnd economic and mining team are on standby to help government navigate through the current situation.
Mr Hichilema says his party fully sympathizes with the plight of workers, mine suppliers, contractors, other stakeholders and the copperbelt community at large.
PHOENIX NEWS