Zambia: Lack of action on the mines in the Copperbelt by the Mines minister Paul Kabuswe is losing the government a total of $2M (K32M) per day.
Mopani mine in Kitwe and KCM are both operating ways below their expected production capacity, estimated to be losing the government $30M per month, $1M per day and $50,000 per hour. This is enough money for the Health Minister to purchase drugs missing and urgently required in all government hospitals countrywide per day.
Funds are also enough for the Agriculture Minister to purchase the delayed D Compound fertilizer urgently required by our rural farmers countrywide.
The inability of the Mines Minister to exercise powers vested in him and act (not talk) on the two mines has made it impossible for the two mines to mobilize capital as no bank will extend funds to entities whose ownership status has not been resolved and remains in government caretaker hands.
Minister Paul Kabuswe’s lack of action on the two Mines in the last one year is partly rendering the entire country paralyzed as regards medicine and fertilizer availability to ordinary citizens.
Worse off for Minister Kabuswe is that one of KCM’s mines is in his Constituency, Chililabombwe of the Copperbelt province. Some of the over 7000 jobs lost at KCM thus far are in his one area. His voters must be thinking he does not care about their plight.
As if that is not enough, the long convoy of over 500 trucks marooned due to the clogged, unofficially closed Kasumbalesa border in his constituency is also losing income not only for Chililabombwe residents but the Nation and Africa at large.
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