By JOHN SAKALA
Kalumbila based business owner Richard Kazala has cried foul over the loss of 30 per cent copper hauling contract his logistic company had with Kalumbila Mine.
Mining Haulage for Mr Kazala has been hauling 30 per cent of copper for Kalumbila Mine since 2015.
Under the old arrangement, Zambian firms were given 30% to haul while foreign firms got the larger chunk of 70%.
But since November last year, Kalumbila Mine opted to sideline local firms and gave out everything to foreign owned firm under the pretext that they were in possession of duo citizenship.
Mr Kazala has told The Independent Observer that the loss of hauling contract at Kalumbila Mine will mean that Mining Haulage will have to send 400 employees on the street of Kalumbila.
He said so far 200 have already been offloaded from the company.
“We wrote to the Republican President Edgar Lungu to complain but so far we have not been helped. We again engaged the Minister of Mines who hasn’t given us favourable feedback.
“We have tried to engage Kalumbila Mine, but the mining has kept on saying the awarding was done under open tender. I feel Kalumbila has disregarded the country Laws which insist on some jobs be given to Zambians. The directors of the companies which have won the contract have no single parent who is a Zambian. If we continue to allow foreigners to do the jobs that we can do, they will start even transporting charcoal,” he said.
He said giving the 100% job of hauling of copper to foreigners is failing to empower local entrepreneurs.
Mr Kazala who is former Nchanga Member of Parliament and served as Deputy Minister for Sports under MMD regime, has pleaded with President Lungu to intervene in the matter to save jobs like he did at Mopani Mines.
“Where is our pride of being Zambian if we want foreigners to be doing every job?”
The Independent Observer has learnt that BHL and JCB are the two none Zambian firm which were awarded the hauling job at Kalumbila Mine but the mining firm contends that they are Zambians by duo citizenship.
