Over 5,000 former miners of Roan Antelope in Luanshya have petitioned President Edgar Lungu to intervene and give them the money they worked for, saying they are tired of waiting for their money.
The ex-miners gathered at Mpatamato Secondary School where they presented their petition to Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda, who, however, blamed the Administrator General for the delay.
“We request that you help us get our NAPSA and Mukuba funds. We the former miners used to contribute to the treasury through taxes but we feel we are not being cared for despite our contributions and this has caused a lot of misery to our lives. Help us get our benefits, we have nowhere to go apart from crying to you. Please redeem us from this problem. We trust that we can be helped. We have been told enough stories. Go and tell the President that we are crying even if we have made mistakes, please tell the President that we are suffering but we are his children also,” Former Roan Antelope Mining Cooperation Association Chairman Martin Chisanga said, adding that many of their colleagues had died of depression.
And Mr Chanda said he is disappointed with the office of the Administrator General for taking so long to address the matter and encouraged the ex-miners to take up farming to sustain their livelihoods.
” I have known how hardworking the people of Luanshya are. So through the cooperatives that have been formed, we need feedback so that we push for what we have and what we are about to achieve,” Mr Chanda advised and further sympathized with the former miners.
Meanwhile, ex-miner Mr Felix Mwansa reminded Mr Chanda that they were promised payments during campaigns for the Roan parliamentary by-election but nothing had been done to date and warned that this time around, “you tell a lie, no vote”.