ZCCM Gold Company has injected approximately K45 million for the initial phase of the Kasenseli Gold Mine Project in Mwinilunga.

With the granting of the exploration licence by the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development end of March 2020, ZCCM Gold moved on site and started mobilisation in the first week of April 2020 to undertake detailed exploration that will determine the extent of gold mineralisation in the licence area.

According to a statement released to the media by Loisa Mbatha-Kakoma, the Public Relations Manager for ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc, the extensive exploration works which includes geophysics, geochemistry and diamond drilling activities are aimed at delineating the hard-rock (underground) gold deposit in the licence area.

The mining and processing of the alluvial (surface) gold is pending approval of the Environmental Project Brief (EPB) by the Zambia Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA), and the granting of the mining licence by the Ministry of Mines.

The capital injection will also go towards the fencing of the licence area to avoid and prevent any intrusion from outsiders.

Over 40 locals will be employed in the fencing exercise scheduled to start this week. The fence is an additional security measure to the state security that is already on the ground and keeping vigil, patrolling the area to wade off any illegal activities.

Speaking during a courtesy call on Chief Chibwika early April, ZCCM-IH Chief Executive Officer Mr. Mabvuto Chipata indicated that it has taken a bit of time to start the operations at the mine due to a number of statutory and regulatory approvals that are required.

Mr. Chipata said that ZCCM-IH is a listed entity and cannot start any operations without obtaining the necessary and required approvals. He said ZCCM-IH is required to comply with best corporate Governance practices as required by the Lusaka Securities Exchange listing rules, the Mines and Minerals Development Act, the Zambia Public Procurement Authority Act, and the Zambia Environmental Management Authority Act.

Commenting on the coming on board by ZCCM-IH, Chief Chibwika expressed happiness that this will help address the challenges they have been facing in the area with regards to security and the need for development in the area and the district.

He appealed to ZCCM Gold that preference should be given to the local community in terms of jobs and local participation in the supply of various goods and services.

Chief Chibwika said that there is a lot of expectation from the local community with the coming of ZCCM Gold.

ZCCM-IH through ZCCM Gold has been mandated to drive the national gold agenda, working in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development and other stake holders.

ZCCM Gold is undertaking and overseeing all gold related investments throughout the gold value chain in the country including exploration, mining, processing, refining, marketing, trading and beneficiation in Zambia.

ZCCM Gold is owned 51% by ZCCM-IH and 49% by the Ministry of Finance.

With the ruling Party Provincial Chairman in North Western and the Provincial Police Chief being transferred to Lusaka headquarters over alleged gold dealings in Mwinilunga, North Western Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu has directed Police to arrested all those engaged in the buying and selling of Gold in Kasenseli.

Mubukwanu who has visited the gold site said all activities have to be halted to ensure sanity in the management of the mineral resources. He said President Edgar Lungu has already issued a directive to arrest any persons found trading in gold.

Mubukwanu expressed disappointment and said the sale of gold by illegal dealers has to be stopped immediately.

Last week,President Edgar Lungu removed Hudson Namachila as North Western Province Police Commissioner for failure to provide security in illegal gold mining.

Many corporates have answered the call for assistance from Zambia’s Ministry of Health during these difficult times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. On 2^nd April 2020, ZCCM IH led by their CEO Mabvuto Chipata step up to the cause in a significant way by donating a Mercedes Benz ambulance to help in fight against the deadly virus.

At the moment, in all continents of the world, the health care infrastructures of various nations have been tested and stretched by the Pandemic. Although it’s been described as a black swan moment, the needs of the healthcare supply chains, which for many have reached breaking points, are in desperate need of apparatus (masks, hand sanitizer, ventilator, and mobility) to aid in this crisis.

Corporates have choices when it comes to making donations for causes such as this one. Some have opted to give sizable cheques to meet funding needs for this specific period of the crisis. However, others such as ZCCM IH have a CSR strategy that seeks to build on the infrastructure of the entities directly responsible for dealing with the crisis with a long term view in mind.

A review of ZCCM IH’s 2019 annual report reveals that through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, the investment group continued meeting social obligations by supporting access to clean water to enhance sanitation and support health and education programmes among others. One such contribution was to support Ndola Teaching Hospital by sinking two commercial water boreholes and setting up a complete water reticulation system to support water to critical areas of the hospital including the operating theatres and wards which were known to have experienced severe water shortage (crisis) in the past.

Therefore, the recent donation of an ambulance further exposes the DNA of ZCCM IH’s ongoing CSR strategy which focuses more on building supporting infrastructure that ensures long term sustainability.

But pundits far and wide will still ask the question “Why is it so important for corporates such as ZCCM IH and others in Zambia’s private sector to step up during this moment”. In strategic management literature, the debate over the social responsibilities of companies has been both contentious and confusing. On the one hand, which is a property conception views the company as a set of assets owned by the shareholders, whereas on the other hand, which is the social entity conception, views the company as the community of individuals that is sustained and supported by its relationships with its social, political, economic and natural environment. However, both opposing opinions must recognize that for an entity to survive and earn a profit it must maintain social legitimacy. Therefore, it is prudent for corporate entities such as ZCCM IH to purse CSR strategies that will inadvertently support their long term strategic goals.

With ZCCM IH now firmly redefining the gold mining ecosystem in Zambia by embracing artisan miners, ensuring their health at this moment in its development is crucial as having a healthy human capital base will secure long term success for both the corporation and the wider community.

GOVERNMENT has revoked licences for PCB and Kampoko Mineral Resources, which were carrying out gold mining exploration in Kasenseli in Mwinilunga district. Gold deposits have been discovered in Kasenseli and the two companies have allegedly been engaging in illegal mining of the mineral. Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) chief executive officer Mabvuto Chipata said the exploration licences for PCB and Kampoko Mineral Resources have been transferred to ZCCM-IH and will be operated by ZCCM-Gold Company, which has been mandated by Government to harness the gold sector in the country. Mr Chipata said when he paid a courtesy call on Mwinilunga District Commissioner Arnott Mapulanga on Wednesday that ZCCM-Gold Company will partner with the previous licence holders in exploiting the mineral in Kasenseli.

Mr Chipata said ZCCMGold Company will quickly secure the mine premises by putting up a fence to prevent illegal mining activities. “We need to enhance security in the area to ensure that we continue to preserve the resource before we can start to mine it properly,” he said. Mr Chipata also said the company will work closely with the local people to improve their livelihoods.

“We have a number of corporate social responsibility programmes we are going to implement, including those that will be recommended by our environmental teams, as well as those which require improving social amenities,” he said. Mr Chipata said ZCCMGold Company has been tasked to do explorations countrywide in areas where gold deposits have been discovered, conduct mining activities, as well as processing and marketing of the resource. “Our mandate is to organise this sector [gold sector] to ensure that we provide a transparent market, and also to be able to empower people with better tools to enable them to properly extract gold,” he said. Mr Chipata said ZCCMIH will ensure that as the company conducts mining activities in various parts of the country, it does not cause harm to the environment.

“With regards to Kasenseli, we have taken an inclusive approach where we are partnering with the previous licence holders instead of excluding them,” he said. Mr Chipata also said ZCCMGold Company is going to work with the Chibwika Chiefdom Development Trust, which will be allowed to participate in gold mining in Kasenseli. “That is the way we have structured our approach to ensure that the community is involved,” he said.