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Govt accused of failing to deliver 7 hectares of land promised to trained artisanal cooperatives
Artisanal miners who participated in a Government
Picture: Zambian Business Times
Artisanal miners who participated in a Government training programme last year in November have raised concerns over the cancellation and restructuring of mining tenements allocated to their cooperatives.
According to a source who asked for the name to be withheld noted that several cooperatives underwent Government training in November last year in preparation to participate in artisanal mining activities and were subsequently allocated tenements.
However, the source noted that the arrangements had recently changed, leaving many of the trained miners uncertain about their future.
“We were trained by government and we were told that we would be given tenements and we would be able to do artisanal mining,” the source said.
“But now, the agreements that were made with the cooperatives have been cancelled and the arrangements have changed. We want Government to tell us what is really happening with this programme.”
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The source said the Government initially issued about 1,200 tenements under the artisanal mining programme, but the number of tenements allocated to cooperatives has since been reduced to 89. The source noted Kasempa was allocated 20 tenements, while Mufumbwe also received 20.
“In Mufumbwe alone, we have about 58 cooperatives, and some of these cooperatives have up to 100 members, so, when you have only a limited number of tenements, how are all these people who were trained going to benefit?”
According to the source, each cooperative had initially been promised about 6.6 hectares of land for mining activities. The source, however, said the previous arrangement had since been cancelled, with three cooperatives now expected to share one tenement.
“We were expecting each cooperative to have its own area of about 6.6 hectares, but now three cooperatives are using one tenement,” the source said.
The source said the situation was particularly concerning because the rainy season was approaching, while some miners had already lost valuable time.
“We were told to wait for the water to dry up before we could start mining, but now the rainy season is coming again,” the source said. “What are we supposed to do? We have already lost time, and some of us are farmers. Last season, we could not farm because we were mining training.”
The source appealed to the Government to consider providing financial support to the cooperatives to enable them to finance their mining operations. The source also expressed concern over the security situation at the mining sites, saying security personnel were currently patrolling some of the areas.
“Right now, there are commandos patrolling the mine. This is also making people wonder what is happening because we were expecting to start mining after the training,” the source disclosed “Tell us if the programme is going ahead or not, and if it is going ahead, tell us how we are supposed to participate.”
The miners are now calling on the Government to clarify the status of the cancelled tenements, the new allocation system and the support available to cooperatives that participated in the training programme.
Article by Karen Ngulube.
Source: Zambian Business Times — Read more
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