Baluba reopening is good news
LUANSHYA town is finally getting the news that every resident has been hoping for and wanting to hear for a long time now. The closed Baluba Mine is reopening. That is good news not only for Luanshya residents but the rest of the country. The contribution of the mining sector to national development cannot be over emphasised and Baluba Mine did its part in the past and will now continue to do more. That mining has sustained the Copperbelt is not in doubt as can clearly be seen by the robust economic activities in all towns where mines are still doing well. The closure of mines in Luanshya almost killed the district where economic activity was almost none existence. Like other Copperbelt towns, Luanshya’s survival is anchored on the mining activities in the area. Mining has been the lifeline of business activities in this small Copperbelt town. Even retail trade was thriving on the expendable income from miners and once these jobs were put on hold, the move had a ripple effect. Suddenly, the town did not have its regular buyers to fill the bars and shops. Incomes had dried up and people were left wondering how to make ends meet. This also exposed some people to political manipulation by unscrupulous politicians. A lot of politicking has been made over the closure of the mine and we are happy that the people of Luanshya are receiving positive news regarding their mine. Unscrupulous politicians have tried many times to use the misfortune of the people of Luanshya to gain political mileage. It is almost as if they wished the mine would remain permanently closed regardless of the suffering that miners and their families have been subjected to. Some of these politicians have been in the seats of government but failed to forestall the closure of the mine, but were in the forefront condemning the continued closure of the mine. Such actions only serve to show the desperation of politicians who pretend to care for people when it suits them. They have no scrupples using vulnerable people to gain political mileage. We know of one politician who went to great lengths to ingratiate himself with the people by pretending to care when his actions when he was a member of Cabinet were to the contrary. The doomsayer and prophet of doom has been shamed as the mine announced the reopening. Today, the district is singing a new song as the owners announced the imminent reopening of the mine. Though the mine may not be at full capacity, the important development is that the mine is reopening, meaning that job creation is once again not just a dream but a reality. We pray that as the mine opens its doors, former miners who have patiently waited for this moment would be given priority in re-employment. Yesterday, CNMC Luanshya Copper Mine Corporate Affairs Manager Sydney Chileya said production would resume before the end of September, this year. This means next month, residents should expect a bit more life at the mine. In 2015, Baluba was closed down and placed under care and maintenance while about 1, 640 workers were sent home after copper prices plummeted on the international market. According to Mr Chileya, though production would not be at full capacity, it would progressively increase with time and also pledged to take development to both the people and district. With the copper prices on the world market having improved tremendously in the period that the mine has been closed, rising to about US$7, 000 per tonne, it is our hope that the mine will fare much better than before. For the sake of all the 1, 600 miners and the rest of the town, we can only hope that the mine management is prudent and makes the right decision to sustain the business. We also hope that the miners would not be making undue demands on the employer to ensure that the business does not get bogged down in unnecessary issues at the expense of production and meeting demand on the world market.