JERABOS WARNED
… Use the black mountain properly … misbehave and the law will visit you
SMALL-SCALE miners, also known as Jerabos have been warned to behave and observe the law as they start operations on the “Black Mountain.”
Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo sounded the warning in a meeting with the Jerabos as part preparations for the eventual handover of the “Black Mountain.”
The minister urged the police to be firm and tough on Jerabos who will be misbehaving and harassing Kitwe residents when they resume operations on the slug dump popularly known as the “Black Mountain.”
Mr Kampyongo said Government had decided to give back the “Black Mountain” to the Jerabos, but would not entertain unruly behaviour where they think they have a lot of money and so they can break the law with impunity.
Mr Kampyongo, who is leading ministers and MPs on the Copperbelt, was speaking yesterday at the Kitwe Little Theatre when he addressed the two groups of Jerabos on the importance of working together so that they could benefit from the “Black Mountain.”
He said President Edgar Lungu had sent him and his other colleagues which included Mines Minister Richard Musukwa, National Planning Minister Alexander Chiteme, Wusakile MP Pavyuma Kalobo, Ndola Central MP Emmanuel Mulenga to ensure that issues regarding the “Black Mountain” were concluded.
And speaking earlier, Mines Minister Richard Musukwa said it was government’s desire that the operations at the “Black Mountain” were legalised so that they could no longer be called Jerabos, but small-scale miners.
Mr Musukwa said small-scale miners should not only think about selling the material from the “Black Mountain” to the Chinese to melt them, but should also think of owning smelter where they could be melting the material for exporting.