By JOHN SAKALA
A US$500, 000 copper smelting investment is coming to Chingola’s Kasompe Township if the Zambia Environmental Agency will finally approve the project.
Cupola Furnace Copper Smelter will be set up alone Kasompe road by Aman Processing Zambia Limited with the capacity of producing 1.5 tons of copper blisters per day.
This came to light on Friday during the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment conducted by Envirofuture.
The smelter which will employ about 10 people on permanent basis sits on 150×150 metres piece of land.
Envirofuture Consultant Matamyo Simwanda said the smelter will be environmental friendly and all the waste will be properly dumped in some already existing dump sites in Kasompe.
Kasompe residents Angel Musonda and Patrick Mwansa implored the new smelter owners to employ good corporate policy.
Their many focus on the environmental management, recruitment of the locals and social responsibility.
And Chingola Mayor Titus Tembo who was at hand advised Aman to deal with legal copper owners and not illegal miners.
Mr Tembo said Chingola has seen the increase of young boys’ dropping out of school to venture into illegal mining just because there is a ready market at a backyard smelter.
He said that if the council will hear issues of abrogating the Laws, the local authority will not hesitate to shut it down.
The Mayor also took time to reminder the locals that had demands for a hospital, football pitch and other things that Aman was a small firm with less than US$1 million investment.
He said the community should not over demand but should instead work closely with the smelter owners in order to create a win-win situation.
