Miles Sampa
SOME IN GOVERNMENT BENEFITING FROM THE PROLONGED CHAOS AT KCM
By Miles B. Sampa,MP (04.11.2022)
Last month during the Friday Q&A session in Parliament, I asked Her Honour the Vice President Mutale Nalumango “ …when the owners saga at the Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) would be resolved so as to bring back ‘money in circulation’ in the town of Chingola, the Copperbelt Province and Country at large. “
I immediately saw the Mines Minister Hon Paul Kabuswe whisper something to her to equip her with data on the topic.
Part of her response was “ The Government respect the rule of law and we are in talks (with Vedanta). We don’t do thing ‘babazonke’ and just because we don’t announce publicly, it does not mean we doing nothing about it. We actually making progress to ensure ownership of the mine is resolved so life is brought back to Chingola residents whose lives depends on full operations at KCM”.
I actually did not take her answer as a firm position given all that most that been said in her responses hardly come to fruition.
Today I however got a surprise via a leak in one of the newspapers showing actual details of Government negotiations with Vedanta and apparently towards their consent exit or back into running the mine.
The leakage is both good and bad news. Good that the Vice President answer to my question was actually true. Behind the scene, there has been detailed negotiations with Vedanta PLC for some amicable solution.
The bad news in that it’s not normal for details and print copies of what government is discussing with a private company to find its way into public domain or newspapers.
The leakage was definitely made by someone close to the talks in higher ranks of the Government. It’s not hard to deduce that there is so much infighting within the UPND government and some do not want a solution to the KCM saga.
Some in the higher echelon of power want ownership debacles at KCM to prolong so they can continue milking its resources undetected. It is said that white collar thieves thrive better where there is confusion and most of which they support or sponsor.
The reason why City market and Intercity bus station have not been cleansed of cadres is the same reason why KCM ownership saga has prolonged todate. Resolving KCM was one of the UPND main campaign promises but over a year later into power, it’s been wala (zero) results.
The truth is that some big fish 🐟 inside or close to ‘the parte and it’s government’ are ‘swallowing’ from these public revenue sources mentioned (KCM, City market & Intercity bus terminus).
In the case of KCM it’s a South African & a Zambian ‘consultant general’ whose surname is that of the renown late coach of the Zambia 🇿🇲 football team. The two have already found a global briefcase street buyer for KCM so they can make a ‘ka somthing’ or is it a ‘chi something’ for their personal pockets. They are greedy and care less of of the Zambian treasury or ordinary citizens looking up to full KCM operation to resurrect from current high levels poverty.
Sometimes I begin to feel like I am some ‘prophet’ on the UPND Government. About all I have debated and warned inside Parliament since August 2021, most have come to pass.
I warned that 2022 will end and there will be no deal for KCM because there are some within UPND keen to sabortage the process as evidenced by the deliberate leakage today of their top level negotiations with Vedanta PLC.
Its under 2 months before 2022 ends. Kwati nine profeti (my priction will come true as if I am some economic and political prophet).
At this rate, 2022 will end and there will be no ownership deal at KCM due to government and UPND ‘big wigs’ deliberately holding the mine hostage for their stomach advantage.
Meantime in 2023, the Vice President will come back in Parliament for the Q&A session with same “ one KCM,….we are not a chipantepante government. We do things in a methodical and systematic way”. Lol.
MBS04.11.2022