BISHOP CANES PARTIES USING VEDANTA TO FIGHT STATE

SOME unpatriotic opposition political parties are using Vedanta to fight government and such behaviour is unacceptable, Bishops Council of Zambia secretary general Abel Kaela has said.

Bishop Kaela said “these bad elements will not be tolerated, Vedanta will not be allowed to come back in Zambia to run Konkola Copper Mine (KCM).”

The clergyman said that the mining giant became a shell in the hands of the investor which was costing the country because no significant revenue was being generated.

Bishop Kaela said in an interview yesterday that the fight which was being fuelled by the opposition who did not mean well for the country would never be won.

Like what President Edgar Lungu said, Bishop Kaela noted that the issue of Vedanta is a closed chapter, another investor will be engaged to take over operations.

“It is very annoying to see that some bad elements are trying by all means to fight the government because of the decision it made to part away with Vedanta who subjected people to severe suffering.

“Every good thing Government is doing to ensure that KCM is brought back to its feet is not going well with these bad elements. The decision to restructure the mine is the right thing and will make it afloat.

“But they are now trying to use an investor the country has done away with to fight a noble cause. This will not be accepted and they should know that Vedanta will never be given another opportunity to run KCM,” Bishop Kaela said.

He said whatever the opposition parties were doing was an exercise in futility.