By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
ZCCM Records show;
Chililabombwe alone has over one billion tonne of copper reserves old records reveal
….Nkonkola Deep has reserves worth in excess of $200billion…
The purported discovery of copper on the Copperbelt and is being announced now is well documented under ZCCM.
Someone has just accessed these earlier explorations records and begins to make grandiose announcements..
Tuka shibuka lilali?
For example look at the exploration details of copper finds in Chililabombwe (Kilila Bombwe).
Greater Konkola (refer to Fig. 1) which is an area of 23 km x 10 km
contains a number of orebodies viz. Konkola, Kirila Bombwe, Saddle
Lode, Kakosa and Fitwaola.
Exploration and mining activities to date have
revealed a good knowledge of the behaviour of these orebodies.
The greater Konkola area can support a geological model of about a billion
tonnes of ore resources at 3.1 1% total copper.
Hence this area represents
the potential for high output mining operations in the long term.
The Konkola orebody was exploited for a brief spell in 1957/58 by No 2
Shaft.
Mining was discontinued due to economic reasons.
Investigations
in 1973 and 1988 both concluded that re-opening would be uneconomic
at the metal prices then prevailing.
The Kirila Bombwe orebody (refer to fig. 2) was divided into Kirila Bombwe South and North sections due to the existence of a large barren
gap on upper horizons.
These are being exploited by No 1 and No 3 Shafts respectively.
The orebody is continuous below 700m depth. It has
been explored by surface boreholes down to a depth of 1900 metres in the southern part and 1150 metres in the northern part.
The ore reserves which can be exploited by the two shafts are now limited
ui’g, economic production
and at the current rates and efficiency of mining, economic
start declining
will start declining by the year 2000 at No 3 Shaft and 2005 at No I
Shaft, or continued copper production it was necessary to plan for mining at depth in this orebody.
Hence the Konkola Deep Mining
Project.
A number of studies have been undertaken to assess the feasibility of
mining at depth and to draw up a most suitable plan consistent with the company’s corporate objectives.
Preceding study helped as a
stepping stone for the following study by effecting improvements and
incorporating new ideas. The latest of these studies was completed in
April 1992.
This represents ZCCM’s latest plans for Konkola Division.
This paper attempts to put forward the philosophy and concepts which
formed the basis of this KIRILA BOMBWE OREBODY
Because of the existence of the barren gap, the two ore zones, Kirila Bomwe South and North have been treated in the past as two separate orebodies and two separate mines.
Their growth in all aspects from
exploration to ore production and future planning took place as two
separate entities.
Because of various reasons such as the dip and thickness
of reserves, rates of mining, start of mining ete., the two mines ended in the configuration that they are today.
Down-dip advance of mining in
the South orebody is far more (950mL) than in the North orebody
(590mL).
Initial attempts at long term planning for Konkola saw the two mines as
separate, independent entities.
When it was realised that below 700m level, the orebody is continuous the thinking changed.
The orebody was
viewed as one and planning to exploit it to its full potential started taking shape.
If this was documented, why didn’t you and your fellow misleaders do something about it during the 10 years you had the opportunity to do so? That qweshen is cardinal. Your failing to act is just as good as if these documents and the assets they point to did not exist.
You were too busy liquidating mines and having party after party instead developing these “documented” assets.
FTJ and Kasama Universities tell us how and who chewed the money. You and your fellow PF members have very advanced skills which no nation and citizens need. Your stealing, looting generation, propaganda, deception and distortion of facts are skills that no Zambian want in their leaders. You’re shameless liars. Ba ntolele fye imwe!!
This dismissed ambassador will die of depressed mentality
He is so petty and jealousy
Mwamba as a trained journalist is merely calling off the UPND bluff. Only uncritical minds of UPND praise-singers cannot understand this. Thank you, ambassador for stating things as they should be stated. Let those who enjoy being lied to be lied to.
Why didn’t they make announcements then, knowing their level of propaganda. They even ran the only few mines that were working into the ground. If you knew about them you never sought to find investors. You friends within 2 years it’s looking good, and your envy is out for everyone to see.
Dr. Mulenga Kaoma ndiwe doctor wamaniongo iwe. How come your PF criminal friend Emmanuel Mwamba failed to tell the Nation about this lucrative Copper deposits in Chililabombwe iwe? Your PhD is from a jungle University without quality monitoring mechanism. In short you are a foolish PF idiot full of malice against UPND government. I submit
Ba Mwamba, is there anything wrong. Kanshi waba shani. Ciwamina mbuzi kucila galu. Zambia is for all of us.
Sometimes i do wonder of Zambia only belong to the same group of people. Because other groups like that if PF seem like they are more Zambian thane others. This is absolutely crazy for these people. They should just understand that their time has passed and it will never come back. We expect new different people to take over from UPND, not imwe ba pompwe
Ba Mwamba, is there anything wrong. Kanshi waba shani. Ciwamina mbuzi kucila galu. Zambia is for all of us.
Sometimes i do wonder if Zambia only belong to the same group of people. Because other groups like ba PF seem like they are more Zambian thane others. This is absolutely crazy for these people. They should just understand that their time has passed and it will never come back. We expect new different people to take over from UPND, not imwe ba pompwe
Well, as someone familiar with the exploration and mining sector, I can assert that Mwamba is right. Mingomba was discovered in the 2000s by a team lead by a Zambian trained at unza and Rhodes universities. At the time Lubambe was under Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Minerals. All that Kobold has done is drill more boreholes to expand the mineral resource in terms of tonnage and grade. Something which zccm-ih failed to do. Instead the corruptly bought an unusable kiln for Ndola lime at 150m from Italy and investing in loss making investrust bank. Kobold has not made a new discovery. The same thing happened when equinox acquired Lumwana and claimed that they had made a discovery and yet Lumwana was discovered in 1961 and drill cores were in storage at Zccm Technical services in Kalulushi. This a White superiority complex akin to David Livingstone discovered Victoria falls. Mungo Park discovered Niger river. What about the indigenous Toka Leya people who have inhabited the area around Victoria falls for millenia, does it mean that they were unaware of the Victoria falls? Is it David Livingstone who showed the Toka Leya the Victoria falls or it was the other way round?