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Mar 1 Fév 2011 07:37
Luanshya mine brightens up many faces
“IT was the saddest moment workers at Luanshya Copper Mine have ever undergone.” These are the words of 49-year-old Shine Mukosha, a leading fireman in the safety, health and environmental department of Luanshya Copper Mines (LCM), now run by China Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Company (CNMC).
Narrating his ordeal before, during and after the LCM was closed, Mr Mukosha, who resides in Section 6-A, Roan Township, Luanshya, said he was one of the 1,700 workers who were laid off after Enya Holdings Limited pulled out of the then LCM, throwing thousands of workers out of employment.
He adds: “Luanshya mine has gone through a lot of turbulence to an extent that we thought we had come to an end as a town,” Mr Mukosha, a father of five recalls.
“We were one of the unfortunate mines that went under and we were told to pack our bags and go to our homes as the mine had closed down”, he said.
Life became unbearable. meeting social amenities such as paying for electricity, water bills and paying for school fees for our children became difficult.
“It was extremely difficult to survive. We had to adjust our eating habits by reducing from three meals a day to one and half,” he said with some grief in his voice.
Mr Mukosha estimates that during the closure of the mine, an average of 14,000 to 15,000 people were affected by the closure as these miners had an average family of between eight and 10 members.
He, however, is full of praises for the Government for the intervention it took in finding another investor: China Non-ferrous Metals Mining Company (CNMC), to run the Luanshya Copper Mines.
“It was a great relief when news came that the mine would re-open and all the workers that were laid off would be recalled. This town has since come back to life and I believe things will continue improving for the better,” he said.
“But we appreciate the Government that it came to our aid quickly because it concerned us. The situation has now changed tremendously,” he said.
Mr Mukoshya beams with hope of a bright future because according to him, the CNMC-CLM was a serious investor and was in Luanshya to stay.
He substantiates his hopes by the amount of investment and the type of equipment the investors has pumped in various sections of the mine.
“The situation that is prevailing is steadily increasing our hope that Luanshya is coming back to life especially that there is a new investor that has brought about US$400 million investment,” he said.
He describes this kind of investment as a positive sign that would contribute meaningfully to the running and productivity of the mine.
“We have been told that the new investor will run the mine to between 70 to 80 years with the new deposits that have been found in the Mulyashi Mine and other sites.”
“Never in the history of Zambia has the Government done so well to come to the aid of the local people in Luanshya and this is proof enough that it cares about the needs and aspirations of citizens,” he said.
To his fellow workers at CNMC-CLM, Mr Mukosha urges them to work extra hard so that Luanshya can recover its ‘lost glory as a mining giant.’
Mr Mukosha’s wife, Agness, who is a teacher by profession, said despite being in employment, the closure of the mine affected her family so much that life became extremely difficult.
Richard Sande is another worker who was laid off during the closure of LCM.
“My saddest moment was when my daughter, who is at college, was almost withdrawn and barred from writing examinations because I could not afford to pay her tuition fees.
“But all this is now a thing of the past. I have got the job back and life has returned to normal,” he said.
Mr Peter Musongo, another worker affected by the LCM closure, said he faced his most embarrassing moment in life when he failed to contribute anything during the funeral of his in-law.
A miner, Simon Ng’ambi had a similar experience of failing to pay school fees for his children and failing to fend for his family.
He said eversince the mine re-opened, life has become normal.
Winstone Mwape, a machine operator in the crushing plant recalls: “We suffered beyond imagination. Some of our friends even lost their marriages after their wives left them because they failed to provide for the families.”
CNMC-LCM head of public relations, Sydney Chileya said the new owners of the mine were extending the life span of the mine by pumping in US$350 million worth of investment in developing Mulyashi Mine, which will operate with Baluba Mine.
The CNMC has spent $110 million in buying equipment which will go towards the construction of a leach plant at Mulyashi Mine.
Chileya said Mulyashi Mine will increase manifold, copper mining activities in Luanshya, especially after the exploration of Lufubu and Mashiba sites has been completed.
“CNMC has demonstrated its long term plans by buying and installing new state-of-the-art equipment in Luanshya Copper Mine.
The CNMC has since rehabilitated the concentrator underground and upgraded winders at the Baluba Shaft, a situation that has led to increased production capacity by about 35 per cent.
Luanshya Copper Mines, which had a workforce of more than 1,700, was closed in December 2008 by the previous owners, Enya Holdings, but was re-opened in June 2009 by the CNMC after being under care and maintenance for six months.
The mine employs more than 2,500 workers, under the good Government policies of President Ruphiah Banda.