JUST ONE MINERAL CAN SORT OUT OUR POVERTY PROBLEMS
… suggilite bakuba, lithium bakuba, gold bakuba and yet the country is moving backwards – cries Antonio Mwanza
Lusaka, Wednesday, October 4, 2023 (Smart Eagles)
Opposition Socialist Party (SP) Deputy General Secretary Antonio Mwanza says it can only take one mineral to sort out the country’s poverty problems.
Speaking when he featured on United Voice Radio today, Mr Mwanza said a tonne of lithium costs $37,000.
“We have copper, we have lithium. Comrade, today as I was waiting for the program I was looking at lithium, a tonne of lithium is $37,000. Just imagine if government would just take over, regularize and allow the Zambian people to run the lithium industry. Mining, exploitation, selling, as well as coming up with finished products from lithium,” he said
“Just one mineral can sort out our poverty problems. Talk about suggilite, talk about gold, all these, according to us we believe that they must be made as strategic minerals that can help us to create jobs, help us to boost our reserves, reserves are critical, we have to use our reserves also to negotiate debt, to negotiate contracts, arrears, and also to pay for essential goods and services.”
Mr Mwanza proposed that government should make suggilite, lithium, gold, emerald and all precious minerals as strategic minerals that should be run, administered, and managed by the Zambians.
He castigated some government officials for allegedly stealing the same minerals that ought to be used for the betterment of the country.
“But ba Mwisa nabesa. UPND officials, government officials, they have gone in, suggilite bakuba, lithium bakuba, gold bakuba and yet the country is moving backwards. We are losing hundreds of millions of dollars, money that government can use,” he said.
“All these issues of free education where a child doesn’t have books, free education mwana sanadye, free education mwana alibe nsapato, free education mwana alibe desk ponkala…”