FEIRA constituency Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Tembo says Mwembeshi Resources Limited the company which has been given a license to do copper mining in the Lower Zambezi national park is expected to commence production before end of this year.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT – Tembo said preparations towards the commencement of the actual mining have advanced with the first production expected this year.
The ruling UPND government’s decision to go ahead and implement the historical approval, which the immediate former ruling party PF government had approved the opening of an open pit mine in the lower Zambezi national park, has raised concerns with environmental experts calling on the government to halt the planned mining.
Environmental experts are questioning how the country will this time around manage to get maximum benefits from the proposed mine when it’s a known fact that successive governments including the current government have failed to get maximum benefits from the existing large scale mines on the Copperbelt and North-Western provinces.
Faira Member of Parliament Emmanuel Tembo however is of the view that it would be folly for the country to be in poverty when it has various mineral resources which can bring in more wealth to the country. He said it is unacceptable that the place is rich in various minerals and yet its people are still living in poverty.
Tembo stated that commencement of the actual mining in the lower Zambezi which is expected to boost the country’s revenue collection as there will be more businesses opening in the area as opposed to what has been the case.
The lower Zambezi National park which was founded in 1983 and covers an area of over 4,000 square kilometres, lies on the north bank of the Zambezi River in south-eastern Zambia, is bringing out the old age debate between the huge profits to be gained from mining against the environmental considerations, which the tourism sector somehow managed to better take care off.
