By Isaac Zulu
Mining should be a tool for development and not just about digging stones, says Peter Phiri.
In a statement, Phiri, who is MMD immediate past deputy spokesperson, has stated that it makes sad reading to see people celebrating and jumping up and down just because they have been given a slag dump containing some copper ore and cobalt.
Phiri, who is also a former mine employee, said that there is need to ensure to put proper plans and guidelines for mining at dump sites before cooperatives can embark on mining activities.
“I have been following the unfolding events in the recent past regarding mining in this country. And being a person that was born and bred in two mining towns namely; Chingola and Chililabombwe, it really pains me to see people talk about mining without a clear policy direction. Even during the privatisation of mining companies, we appear to have no proper direction on how to run our mines,” Phiri stated. “It makes sad reading to see people celebrating after being given a mining dump site. People even go to an extent of jumping up and down just because they have been given a greenfields of residues of minerals. How do you celebrate a dump site, really? We need a proper, proper plan, procedures and guidelines on how dump sites or greenfields should be run.”
Phiri stressed that mining should be a tool for development and not just about digging stones.
“Mining should be done in an organised manner, like was the case during the ZCCM days. Mining is not just about digging stones. Mining should be a development tool,” Phiri stressed. ” Mining should be a tool for development and that development should trickle dow n to communities where these mining activities are taking place. Mining should not just be about digging and digging. Mining should be a long term project. And it has to be a long term project, a long term plan.”
He also said that cooperatives that intend to benefit from the mining sector should be adequately funded in order to avoid uphazard mining activities.
“Cooperatives that want to venture into small scale mining should be given proper and adequate funding as a way of empowering them and, subsequently, avoid situations where they can start doing mining uphazardly. So that when they go and settle on the greenfields, they should have solar power, clean water and everything,” Phiri stated.
Meanwhile, Phiri has stated that investors that want to venture into mining should be compelled to engage in some corporate social responsibility activities that would benefit people in localities they will be operating from.
“I think it’s about time that this country called for a mining symposium in Zambia so that we do a serious retrospection on this sector. There’s need to invite retired mining experts, mining engineers and artisans currently working in Zambia and other stakeholders,” Phiri further stated. “We need to ensure that investors wishing to venture into mining should demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility. For example, they should build some housing units for their would-be employees, one or two clinics before they can embark on the actual mining activities,” Phiri further stated, adding that: “I lived in Chililabombwe where ZCCM built small houses in area called S, then they also built slightly bigger housing units in A, B and C sections; because they envisaged that mining will take y long time. Mining should be a long term project.”
