We’ve begged enough says Fr. Chikoya
Speaking
during the two days Southern Province District Alternative Mining Indaba (DAMI)
organized by the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Centre for Trade Policy
and Development (CTPD), Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), OXFAM, Centre for
Environmental Justice, Joint Country Programme, and other partners, Fr. Chikoya
said Zambians should not be begging in order for them to receive development
from the Mining industry.
"We
need to move from being beggars to being a people that are empowered; we need
to begin to demand what belongs to us [natural resources] because there is
nothing that will be given to us on a silver platter, I can assure you"
Fr. Chikoya emphasized.
Fr. Chikoya
has encouraged community members in Sinazongwe District to ensure that they begin
to understand and take interest in what the mining firms are doing in terms of
their Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] so as to enhance local beneficiation from
the mineral resources.
"God
gave us Zambia [natural resources] so that we do and work to his glory but also
for the good of all and so we should not be beggars," He said.
Fr. Chikoya
who is also District Alternative Mining Indaba [DAMI] has noted the need for
stakeholders in the area to move away from the common business as usual to
business unusual, in doing things.
He has added
that time has come for authorities in mining companies in Sinazongwe to make
sure that local people in Maamba are empowered with the means of environmental
production instead of settling for crumbs from investors.
The Clergy
has since reminded stakeholders that the reason for the DAMI is to get
their voices which could later be presented at the National Mining Indaba and
the African Mining Indaba of Governments and Mining firms in Africa, which take
place once every year in Lusaka and Cape Town respectively.
He has
assured them that the resolutions from the indaba would be presented to
Government officials and the mining firms themselves for further actions.
Meanwhile,
some community Members in Sinazongwe District have lamented that they are not
benefiting from the Maamba Collieries Limited and Column Coal Mines, instead
they are victims of various human rights violations that are emanating from the
mining activities in their respective communities.
According to
the 2017 Maamba Community- Company Assessment Report, dubbed’ “a community
Company Assessment of Coal Mining in Maamba in Sinazongwe District, there was
nepotism among senior Zambian officials working at Maamba Collieries Limited.
The report
further revealed that mining companies were not employing local people to work
in the mine while the acts of Corruption and bribery in the employment process
of locals were high at Maamba Collieries Limited Mine and that the salaries
given to the locals are meager.
And the
Community members have accused the Maamba Collieries Mine of being arrogant to
engage with the locals in order to discus some challenges faced by the people ,
further alleging that there is someone who is blocking them from seeking
audience with the management at the mine.
They have
also expressed worry that weak government policies and lack of information make
local communities to be vulnerable to problems at hand.
Meanwhile,
Southern Province Permanent Secretary Mwangala Liyomba has expressed concern
about the damages caused by the Mining companies especially issues of
Environmental Impact Assessment [EIA] displacement and compensation of the
people of Sinazeze in Sinazongwe District of Southern Province.
“The
relationship between Mining companies and communities if not guided by some
trust and respect could result in conflicts between the two parties,’’ He said.
In a speech
read on his behalf by Southern Province Assistant Secretary Abraham Kondomone
says the increased investment in coal mining presents an opportunity for
national transformation and economic growth for the country.
Mr. Liyomba
recalls that Zambia has produced Coal dating back to 1967, during which the
larger quantity Coal was produced.
“The coal
mining industry in Zambia continues to raise expectations within communities
and the population at large after the reinvestment in Maamba Collieries Limited
and the development of the Thermal plant Nava Bharat ventures that have brought
about increased mining activities in the area,” He said.
He has
further stated that despite the increase in mining activities,
unemployment levels still posing a challenge of unemployment, including
pollutions, displacements and low revenue collection by the local authority.
The Southern
Province Permanent Secretary said it is therefore important that investments do
not leave anyone behind in line with the Seventh National Development Plan
[7NDP].
This
year’s District Alternative Mining Indaba [DAMI] is been held under the theme
"It’s our Natural, Resources, Our Heritage, Our Lives,”.
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