By Staff Writer
Chinese deceitful way of doing business in Zambia has angered Chingola Municipal Council, thereby ordering the potential Chinese investor in Chingola to halt preparatory works.
Chingola Municipal Council Health Director Donald Mwanza said that it was deceitful to say 24 hectares of land in residential area can handle a coal powered smelter.
Mr Mwanza said that though the land in question had changed its usage after the original owner had sold it, the Chinese investor ZamEast was lying that he can conduct business on a limited space of land.
He said that smelting require storage, hauling and dumping of waste, which he said cannot not all be accommodated on a 24 hectares of land.
“They say garbage in and garbage out. We need to know where you will be disposing off your waste without affecting the residents in the area. If your smelter is 10 tonnes per day of copper blisters then we are expecting much waste per year,” he said.
Chingola Mayor Titus Tembo said that Chingola security wings and Konkola Copper Mines had been fighting running battles with illegal miners popularly known as Jerabos simply because the jerabos had ready market at some Chinese smelters.
Mr Tembo said that his fear was wooing investment that breeds crimes.
“We need investors to create jobs for our people but at times the history we have had with other Chinese smelters has brought criminality in the name of illegal miners,” he said.
He was speaking this during the ZamEast Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scooping meeting at Chingola Municipal Council.
The Mayor advised ZamEast Consultant Blue Print to do more feasibility studies and involve more residents and Mega Eggs whose chicken poultry farm may be fatally affected with the emission of Sulphur dioxide.
The area ward Councillor, Nelius Mumba expressed misgivings that the land in question was too small for the smelter which has the capacity of producing 10 tonnes of copper blisters per day.
Mr Mumba also said the land in question is in the vicinity of the residential area with some agricultural activities likely to be affected.
A resident in the area which is behind Zalawi, Beatia Ngosa said the community thought a smelter was a small thing and not coming with the impact revealed by the Consultant.
Ms Ngosa asked the Consultant Blue Print led by Dr Shane Agabu to conduct the EIA scooping meeting in the area and not at the council chambers.
But ZamEast Managing Director John Xuan assured the mayor that he deals with genuine copper suppliers owning mines.
Mr Xuan said that he is not a Chinese Jerabo as indicated by one Minister but he deals with Golden Njanji who owns AC and Njanji Mining.
He assured the residents that most of the hazardous films would be captured.
ZamEast plans to set a coal powered smelter behind Zalawi worthy US $ 1 million expected to create 600 once fully operational.
