PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE

RATHER than engage in a cat and mouse game with unemployed youths who throng its vast emerald mining area in Lufwanyama, Grizzly Mining Limited has opted to work with them.

The mining firm has allowed youths to knock out valuable components from the dumpsite on the fringes of the vast mine site, rich in precious stones.

This is the company’s contribution to improving the lives of the largely unemployed youths by allowing them access to the dumpsite.

Cynics might ask why the company cannot just offer them fulltime employment than allow them eke out a living from a dumpsite.

We feel however that this is a better alternative in the absence of there not being job opportunities for the hundreds of youths in Lufwanyama and outlying areas.

It is a positive contribution by the mining company who it says throng the dumpsite as early as 06:00 hours to chance some emeralds.

This at least keeps them busy as the alternative would be to spend their days drinking and becoming a nuisance to the community.

We are particularly happy that instead of being a free for all affair, there is at least order in the manner things are being done.

Grizzly Mining Vice-Chairman, Abdoul Ba, said the youth were operating in smaller groups, each with a leader to oversee the operations as they rummage through the blasted rocks, which are dumped after a requisite mining process.

He said in an interview that it would be inhuman to chase away the youth, who throng the dumpsite as early as 06:00 hours to chance some emeralds.

Mr Ba said youths were earning a living and supporting their families through the sale of stones, a contribution the company would maintain.

“These people come from Lumpuma chiefdom and others come from Chief Nkana’s area. This is how they look after themselves and their families.

We allow them around here to pick some stones and they are not a security threat, although some of them may attempt to jump over the wire near our pits.”

Although the youth have been introduced to crude mining. efforts should be made to encourage them form cooperatives and be able to operate their own mines.

Just as the government has restored order in gold mining areas by encouraging the locals to form cooperatives and empowering them by providing basic equipment, the same could be done in the emerald areas.

It is unacceptable that villagers in the emeralds-rich Copperbelt region live in abject poverty, with no running water or electricity and watch the wealth from their land carted away to enrich foreigners.

Grizzly Mining and other companies operating in the area must go out of their way and introduce the vast army of youths to organised mining.

They have the skill and technical know-how as well as financial muscle while the local population has the labour force.

Still, we cannot deny to give Grizzly credit for its corporate responsibility programme for which it plans to spend about K3 million on social projects.

Mr Ba said Grizzly would continue to contribute to poverty reduction around Lufwanyama as a way of supplementing Government efforts.

He said the company has been supporting Grizzly Community School which has pupils from grades one to seven and Kamakanga Clinic, providing health services to the local community.

The mining firm appears to have endeared itself to the local community and this is how it should be.