By Isaac Zulu
Central Province PF chairman Billy Sichamba has called for the regulation of manganese mining activities, saying only the elite and those connected to those in government are benefiting from the mineral resources in the country despite the fact that the same situation was prevailing when his party was in power.
Sichamba, in an interview, said that it is shameful to note that almost 59 years after independence Zambians are not maximising from the benefits of the country’s mineral wealth.
He said that the mineral resources that the country is endowed with should benefit all Zambians regardless of their political affiliation and social status in society.
“I think that the Mines and Minerals Development Act should be revisited because at the rate we are moving, we need reforms in the mining sector. As things stand, only the elite and those connected to those in government are benefiting from the excavation of mineral resources in our country,” Sichamba explained. “We have a lot and a variety of minerals in Central Province, ranging from copper, zinc, manganese and many more. But these minerals are not contributing much to the growth of the country’s economy not even to the GDP of Central Province. It is actually shameful that 59 years after independence Zambians are not benefiting from the excavation of mineral resources in the country. And going forward, there is need to regulate manganese mining activities in Central Province in order to curb illegal mining activities.”
He also said that most Zambians lack the capacity to actively engaged in artisanal mining, saying this tends to favour foreign investors.
“Zambians that want to venture into artisanal mining do not have the equipment and financial capital in order for them to seriously engage in small scale mining. And because of that, the Chinese and other foreign investors are taking advantage and having their manganese mining licences processed in a short period of time; while Zambians continue to engage in illegal mining of manganese. We need reforms in the mining sector,” said Sichamba.
