Chinese firm takes over Luanshya mine
By Pelekelo Liswaniso
THE Copperbelt is slowly getting back to its feet with the announcement that China Non- Ferrous Metal Company (NFCA) has been selected to take over Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM) and subsequently re-open it.
President Banda said negotiations are expected to end on May 22 in preparation for takeover of the mine at the end of this month.
This is a positive development for the country especially for the thousands of miners on the Copperbelt who lost jobs in the past few months at the height of the global economic crunch.
We are all anxious to know how the Chinese firm will handle LCM operations including the company’s social responsibility to run the Luanshya Mine Hospital, the Trust School, the Craft School and the sports recreational facilities in Luanshya.
One thing for sure is that NFCA faces a mammoth task to reorganize production of the mine and this may entail engaging new miners and other specialists including the use of new technology in mining.
A huge investment outlay will obviously be made to revive production as well as serious planning done to effectively run the Mine Hospital, schools and the sports facilities.
It is with this view in mind that we call for patience by all the stakeholders to give management at NFCA time to settle down once the negotiations are concluded and allow the company operate without any interference.
Stakeholders should therefore not expect miracles or overnight accomplishments in Luanshya - but with patience, the difficulties that beset the mine may just become history.
We call on the Mineworkers of Zambia (MUZ) and the National Union of Mineworkers Workers (NUMAW) and politicians to join government and assist the technical committee handling the negotiations with NFCA to arrive at a mutual package that will protect both the employees and the entrepreneur.
This is not a time for fault-finding but a time for solidarity to find long- lasting solutions to the mining industry.
Mining is not an easy task and it takes entrepreneurs with a heart for the nation to risk their finances and invest in copper production during this time of the global economic meltdown.
The price of copper is improving but this is not an automatic signal that investors can pump their monies anyhow where the metal is available.
The Chinese, particularly NFCA should therefore be praised for being magnanimous enough to take up this challenge to direct their resources into a mine where others have failed.
We are confident that the Chinese being a hard-working people, a trait they are known for, both by critics and admires, will soon bring a positive environment to LCM.
We urge the new mine owners to reconsider re-employing the miners who were retrenched and offer business opportunities to local suppliers and contractors to ease the unemployment in Luanshya and the Copperbelt region as a whole.
We also appeal to other mining firms in the country to emulate NFCA and re-invest in Zambia because the country still has the potential to remain a copper giant for a long time to come.
We urge other investors to take advantage of the prevailing peace in the country and the attractive concessions in the mining sector to tap the vast mineral wealth not only on the Copperbelt but in other areas as well.
THE Copperbelt is slowly getting back to its feet with the announcement that China Non- Ferrous Metal Company (NFCA) has been selected to take over Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM) and subsequently re-open it.
President Banda said negotiations are expected to end on May 22 in preparation for takeover of the mine at the end of this month.
This is a positive development for the country especially for the thousands of miners on the Copperbelt who lost jobs in the past few months at the height of the global economic crunch.
We are all anxious to know how the Chinese firm will handle LCM operations including the company’s social responsibility to run the Luanshya Mine Hospital, the Trust School, the Craft School and the sports recreational facilities in Luanshya.
One thing for sure is that NFCA faces a mammoth task to reorganize production of the mine and this may entail engaging new miners and other specialists including the use of new technology in mining.
A huge investment outlay will obviously be made to revive production as well as serious planning done to effectively run the Mine Hospital, schools and the sports facilities.
It is with this view in mind that we call for patience by all the stakeholders to give management at NFCA time to settle down once the negotiations are concluded and allow the company operate without any interference.
Stakeholders should therefore not expect miracles or overnight accomplishments in Luanshya - but with patience, the difficulties that beset the mine may just become history.
We call on the Mineworkers of Zambia (MUZ) and the National Union of Mineworkers Workers (NUMAW) and politicians to join government and assist the technical committee handling the negotiations with NFCA to arrive at a mutual package that will protect both the employees and the entrepreneur.
This is not a time for fault-finding but a time for solidarity to find long- lasting solutions to the mining industry.
Mining is not an easy task and it takes entrepreneurs with a heart for the nation to risk their finances and invest in copper production during this time of the global economic meltdown.
The price of copper is improving but this is not an automatic signal that investors can pump their monies anyhow where the metal is available.
The Chinese, particularly NFCA should therefore be praised for being magnanimous enough to take up this challenge to direct their resources into a mine where others have failed.
We are confident that the Chinese being a hard-working people, a trait they are known for, both by critics and admires, will soon bring a positive environment to LCM.
We urge the new mine owners to reconsider re-employing the miners who were retrenched and offer business opportunities to local suppliers and contractors to ease the unemployment in Luanshya and the Copperbelt region as a whole.
We also appeal to other mining firms in the country to emulate NFCA and re-invest in Zambia because the country still has the potential to remain a copper giant for a long time to come.
We urge other investors to take advantage of the prevailing peace in the country and the attractive concessions in the mining sector to tap the vast mineral wealth not only on the Copperbelt but in other areas as well.
posted by aydpels @ 12:24 AM
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