Stop Promoting Lawlessness, Harry Kalaba’s Mining Statement Is Reckless
Tobbius Chilembo Hamunkoyo -LLB
When Harry Kalaba, a presidential aspirant, claimed that “you can’t be an illegal miner in your own country,” he made a deeply misleading and dangerous statement.
His words reflect a serious misunderstanding of the law and reveal poor leadership judgment.
Zambia is governed by the rule of law, not by emotion or personal entitlement. Under the Mines and Minerals Development Act of 2015, anyone who engages in mining, whether a citizen or a foreigner, must obtain a valid mining license. Mining without such a license is illegal. Citizenship does not exempt anyone from this legal requirement.
Kalaba’s remarks are not only factually wrong but also irresponsible and reckless. As someone aspiring for the presidency, he should be the first to promote respect for the law.
Instead, he is encouraging Zambians to engage in unlawful mining activities, a stance that could promote disorder and undermine national development.
Illegal mining is not a victimless act, it destroys the environment, endangers lives, and deprives the country of much-needed revenue. Promoting such behavior is not leadership, it is populism that can lead Zambia down a path of chaos and lawlessness.
Kalaba’s position ignores the need for sustainable and equitable management of Zambia’s mineral wealth. Minerals are a national resource meant to benefit all citizens through lawful, regulated processes.
Government systems are in place to ensure that mining is done in a manner that supports community development, protects the environment, and contributes to the national treasury.
Encouraging people to mine without licenses disregards these systems and opens the door to corruption, exploitation, and misuse of our resources.
Harry Kalaba’s statement must be condemned in the strongest terms.
Zambia needs leaders who uphold the law, not those who bend it for political gain. Encouraging illegal mining on the basis of citizenship sets a terrible example and promotes lawlessness.
In a constitutional democracy, no one,not even the most patriotic citizen, is above the law.
What kalaba should have advocated for is a simpler way of legitimizing mining by making the process simpler and cheaper to obtain the same license’s, at the same time educating the citizens on how the process can be attained. Many people are ignorant about even the current process that is obtaining now.
Which the current regime is trying to do. The problem we are not accustomed to doing anything structured. We dont appreciate structure even when the funding aspect is in our faces. Empowerment scheme to and seminars to understand and appreciate what we want to undertake requires. Remember what used to happen before the Construction sector imposed requirements? How different is this from that?
What was even more amusing was when he was asked in an interview.
“Mr. Kalaba who do you expect to lead the nation after the next elections?”
Kalaba : You are looking at him.
“How do you expect to do that when in the last ward elections results, your party candidate could not even get 100 votes?”
Ndweee…..
In the last seven years ba Kalaba, awe. Lungu led Zambia for seven years but has not been president for the past seven years. Check your English ba Kalaba if you are serious about being elected as president of Zambia. So far your rating is too low.