‘Help us move to safer areas’
By JACKSON MAPAPAYI RESIDENTS of Kakaindu and Manyama areas in Kalumbila have called on relevant authorities to help them get compensation from Lumwana Mine to relocate to safe areas.
Kakaindu community vice chairperson, Richard Chiwaya said the people’s houses in the area have developed cracks and on the verge of collapsing while other houses have collapsed due to mining activities by Lumwana Mine.
Mr Chiwaya complained that only one villager has been compensated and has since shifted, leaving others in fear of having their houses damaged any time.
He said there was need for relevant authorities to come to their aid by asking the mining company to compensate the affected families.
“We are living in fear because as you can see our houses have developed cracks while others have collapsed. So we are appealing to relevant authorities to come to our aid,” he said.
And Manyama central group leader Freyja Mwasapa echoed Mr Chiwaya’s sentiments that even the people of his area were facing the same problem of houses cracking due to blasting activities by the mining company.
"So what is required here is relocation,” he said. The two communities have since appealed for quick action to be taken by compensating the people to facilitate their relocation to safer places before lives were lost.
This came to light during the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflections (JCTR) site visit of communities affected by mining activities in Kalumbila and Solwezi respectively.
Meanwhile, Kalumbila District Commissioner Robinson Kalota said the district administration was aware of the grievances by the people, adding that the issue has been pending for some time now. Mr Kalota said the compensation of Kahumuna village was carried out by the Kalumbila Town Council as part of the Manyama town planning and not Lumwana Mine as purported by the community.
He said that the Kalumbila district administration was working hand in hand with Lumwana Mine and the people in the affected communities to find workable solutions.