KCM ownership matters less than benefit to citizens’

KCM ownership matters less than benefit to citizens’
By Kabanda Chulu in Kitwe
Wed 24 Nov. 2010, 04:02 CAT [222 Reads, 0 Comment(s)]
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CHINGOLA parliamentarian Joseph Katema says KCM’s ownership does not matter as long as benefits from its operations are transmitted to ordinary citizens.
Commenting on the intentions by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), through its holding company Konkola Resources, to list on the London and Lusaka Stock exchanges, Dr Katema said it was good that KCM had gone on the international platform.
“Our only hope is that even their corporate social responsibility should grow accordingly because over and above, this idea of CSR depends on the whims of KCM and this should not be the ideal situation since the ideal situation is for companies like KCM to pay sufficient taxes and this MMD government should not have taken away the windfall taxes because that was a surest way for people to benefit from the profits accrued to KCM,” Dr Katema said.
“So there is not much excitement to Chingola residents per se because it is not important who owns KCM; whether it is owned by Zambian nationals or not, the ultimate goal is that those companies should pay taxes and government eventually provide services to the citizenry…what is material is ultimately to have a windfall tax regime that will enable government to provide services to its citizenry; that’s the bottom line.”
He said the contribution by KCM towards annual production of one million tonnes of copper by Zambia should not compromise on the environmental safety and people’s lives.
“You are aware of the recent pollution of Kafue River and to date, we have not heard of what really transpired and measures put in place so the incident doesn’t recur. So it is not enough to dance around that we are going to reach one million tonnes of copper production but we should also be careful not to pollute or kill off the goose that lays the golden egg, who are the Zambian people,” said Dr Katema.
“Government has not come out openly on preventive measures on this continued pollution by KCM despite ECZ getting the samples; hence people of Chingola have a feeling that they don’t have a government anymore since KCM has continued to pollute the Kafue River.”
By Kabanda Chulu in Kitwe
Wed 24 Nov. 2010, 04:02 CAT [222 Reads, 0 Comment(s)]
Text size
CHINGOLA parliamentarian Joseph Katema says KCM’s ownership does not matter as long as benefits from its operations are transmitted to ordinary citizens.
Commenting on the intentions by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), through its holding company Konkola Resources, to list on the London and Lusaka Stock exchanges, Dr Katema said it was good that KCM had gone on the international platform.
“Our only hope is that even their corporate social responsibility should grow accordingly because over and above, this idea of CSR depends on the whims of KCM and this should not be the ideal situation since the ideal situation is for companies like KCM to pay sufficient taxes and this MMD government should not have taken away the windfall taxes because that was a surest way for people to benefit from the profits accrued to KCM,” Dr Katema said.
“So there is not much excitement to Chingola residents per se because it is not important who owns KCM; whether it is owned by Zambian nationals or not, the ultimate goal is that those companies should pay taxes and government eventually provide services to the citizenry…what is material is ultimately to have a windfall tax regime that will enable government to provide services to its citizenry; that’s the bottom line.”
He said the contribution by KCM towards annual production of one million tonnes of copper by Zambia should not compromise on the environmental safety and people’s lives.
“You are aware of the recent pollution of Kafue River and to date, we have not heard of what really transpired and measures put in place so the incident doesn’t recur. So it is not enough to dance around that we are going to reach one million tonnes of copper production but we should also be careful not to pollute or kill off the goose that lays the golden egg, who are the Zambian people,” said Dr Katema.
“Government has not come out openly on preventive measures on this continued pollution by KCM despite ECZ getting the samples; hence people of Chingola have a feeling that they don’t have a government anymore since KCM has continued to pollute the Kafue River.”