LUFWANYAMA TRADITIONAL LEADERS PROTEST AGAINST GEMFIELDS INVESTMENT

SIX headmen and other local traditional leaders from Chief Nkana’s chiefdom in Lufwanyama have described Gemfields investments, the giant mining company running Kagem Emerald mines as a bad investor who has concentrated on putting up security cameras than expanding on the Mine to create employment and business opportunities for the local people

The six headmen and other traditional leaders who were identified as Vincent Chiyesu, Jacob Kapindula, Mutekenya Leviticus, Darius Puma, Ellen Longwe and Annie Chipibela, said failure to create business and employment opportunities by giant mining companies like Kagem has contributed to the worsening poverty in the area despite hosting mines like Kagem.

Vincent Chiyesu who a led a team of other headmen in the chiefdom accused government of having have neglected them.

Head man Chiyesu said there was an urgent need for those at the helm of power to consider the plight of the people of Lufwanyama by doing the right thing of ensuring beneficiation from the Godly given gemstone minerals. “It is said that despite living in the area where the finest emeralds are mined, the inhabitants or the local dwellers have continued to wallow in poverty and hunger. We have been neglected like and no one seems to care.”

“To make matters worse, investors like Gemfields Investment running Kagem Emerald Mine have clearly shown no regard for us, to the extent that instead of creating employment and business opportunities for local people, they are investing in security cameras and setting dogs on villagers. This Gem fields has been a bad investor,”

Head man Chiyesu said

And Annie Chipibela appealed to President Hakainde Hichilema to double check Kagem under Gemfields for being there worst investors ever.

Earlier, Darius Puma said that the company invests more on security cameras than expanding the mine to create employment opportunities.

And Jacob Kapindula added that the community in the mining town of Lufwanyama are disappointed with the happenings and that Government should act as quickly as possible.

They asked president Hichilema to consider visiting the mine to appreciate what is on the ground. They added that Kagem is a stingy organisation under Gemfields covering a large prospecting area in our heritage area and fails to give consent to those willing to apply

The group insisted that Gemfields must leave for the interest of the people