The National Union of Miners and Allied Workers – NUMAW president Saul Simujika has disclosed that the union was expecting a positive pronouncement regarding the direction in terms of Mopani and KCM from the head of state during the latest press briefing.
“Off course there was a fresh assurance to the public by the head of states that the issues surrounding the two major copper mines are actively being looked at and they will be handled soon, but we still expect the that will be done as soon as possible – ASAP.
Simujika stated that the expectation for full resolution of issues surrounding the two large scale mines on the copperbelt is high and we hope that soon, the head of state said is actually soon because we want to see the unlocking of these two giant mines.
“The confidence is there, we know that there are some bottlenecks that needed to be handled especially with KCM but we still request that let that be done as soon as possible so that the two giant mines can also apply some positive energy in terms of contributing to the recovery and growth of the economy of the country.”
The Union President noted that the President talked much on the growth of the economy when the non-performance of the two giant mines is largely negatively affecting the overall growth.
Government announcement on resolving of KCM and Mopani will be a welcome news to the residents of the Copperbelt and the country at large who have been eagerly and patiently waiting for solutions to the challenges surrounding the two giant mines.
Some mining experts say short to medium term interventions need to be implemented even as a long term solution is being worked out.
