BLACK MOUNTAIN VICTIM APPEALS FOR HELP

A BLACK Mountain accident victim has appealed to government to find him a job so that he could stop scavenging at the Black mountain where he almost lost his life after part of the slag-dump caved in and claimed 10 lives on Wednesday.

Kenneth Simambe, a son of the late Zambia soccer player, Kenani Simambe said government should consider establishing alternative empowerment scheme, to save him from scavenging at the Black Mountain where he almost lost his life.

Simambe aged 25 years old, made the appeal from his hospital bed at Kitwe Teaching Hospital where he and six others have been admitted with multiple injuries.

"Awe nshakabwekelemo Ku Black Mountain nafuti.

Chawama fye ubuteko bwamfwailakofye incito nangu iyabu driver ndebombako, Noti Ku Black Mountain. Ine ba Daddy baliniba footballer ba Kenani Simambe,fl Mr Simambe said from his hospital bed in local Chibemba language.

(I will not go back to the Black Mountain because I would have died. I am appealing to Government to assist me get a job elsewhere, even as a driver. My father, Kenani Simambe was a football player, playing for the Zambia National Team).

His father died in 1993 along with other national team players in the Gabon plane crash.

Mr Simambe said the accident happened when the operator of the excavator pushed the material from the top while he and his colleagues were trying to pick the material at the foot of the Black Mountain.

He said the excavator operator should have signalled that he was going to push the slag for them to leave the place.

Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga has identified the dead as Maybin Mwansa aged 26 years of house number 7 Wusakile, Raphael Muyutu also 26 of Kalulushi, Blessings Bwalya aged 28 of 33 Kandabwe Compound , Chibwe Mwansa aged 28 of house number 33 Kandabwe.

Others were Combell Kutobola, 37 of Kandabwe, Makina Banda 28 of Luangwa township, Rodgers Bwalya 25 of house number B496 Wusakile, Allan Chama of Luangwa Township and Enoch Chirwa also of Kandabwe.

Ms Katanga said one body was yet to be identified while those admitted to KTH with multiple injuries were Hamilton Nkhoma, Panji Msiska, Vincent Kasonde and Kenneth Simambe.

The other two had undergone operations in the theatre.