A mining expert has described the recently held press briefing by President Hakainde Hichilema as falling short of meeting mining stakeholders’ expectations.
Stakeholders in the Mining sector who have been eagerly waiting for solutions to the challenges affecting Mopani Copper Mines – MCM, Konkola Copper Mines – KCM and the mining sector at large have expressed disappointment over President Hakainde Hichilema’s press briefing adding that it didn’t have any tangible on the mining sector, the main lever for resuscitation of the Zambian economy.
Stakeholders are of the view that the main topic of discussion was supposed to be focused on Mopani and KCM as the two giant mines are key to economic recovery.
He stated that the President extensively discussed the need to grow the economy when the non-performance of the two giant mines is negatively affecting the growth.
President Hakainde Hichilema reconfirmed during the press briefing at state house that government has not yet resolved the issues surrounding both Mopani and KCM but assured that government continues to work on actions to close the transaction.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Mining expert Edward Simukonda said mining stakeholders were hopeful that the President this time around was going to announce that KCM and Mopani issued have been resolved, “we believed that the two mines resolution was going to be the major topic as people have been waiting for so long’.
Simukonda said the mining sector on the Copperbelt is still not healthy because the two giant mines Mopani and KCM are not operating to their full potential and as a result, the even the whole country is losing out, a situation he said leaves one to wonder whether the country is going to hit the pronounced 3 million metric tons copper production target by 2031 when the mining sector is still in a bad shape.
“And am sure all Copperbelt based citizens that were listening to the press conference were hoping to have something positive about the 2 mines being resolved but now it looks like its just more promises, so from our part as mining stakeholders, the conference was not impressive.” He remarked.
About 5 major towns and over 1 million people in Zambia are negatively affected by the continued delay in resolving the two giant mines way forward.
