RUFUNSA GOLD MINERS CRY FOR MORE TOOLS
GOLD
mining cooperatives in Rufunsa have bemoaned the lack of adequate equipment which they say is negatively affecting their operations.
In an interview, Pokela Gold Mining Cooperative vice chairman, Josias Malunga, said the four cooperatives were operating from different sites, but using one set of equipment, which was proving ineffective.
He lamented that the cooperatives could not work effectively because they only had one set of equipment which could only be used at one site at a given time.
Mr Malunga also complained that the gold mining sites were invaded by illegal miners who had depleted the
resource.
He said that this had also affected their operations and appealed to the government to provide more equipment to enable the cooperatives explore other potential sites.
According to him, the idea of the miners sharing the equipment was not the best and also complained that maintenance of the equipment would be compromised as it was being handled by different groups.
Mr. Malunga was also hopeful that ZCCM-IH would soon sink the boreholes as promised.
He said the sinking of boreholes would help the miners to carry out the sieving of the alluvial with ease. He said that at the moment the miners were targeting areas where water was available in streams.
And Chimwetu Gold Mining Cooperative chairman, Emmanuel Tembo, observed that the inadequate equipment was impacting negatively on their operations.
He said that the disadvange of using one set of equipment was that the cooperatives would have to take turns thereby slowing their work.
Mr Tembo appealed to local artisans to take advantage of the increasing need for mining equipment which could be manufactured locally. But ZCCM-IH public relations manager, Loisa Kakoma, clarified that the donated equipment was only a start.
She assured the miners of continued support and emphasized that ZCCM-IH would donate more equipment.