Recent disclosures from the renowned Kikonge gold […]

Recent disclosures from the renowned Kikonge gold mine in Mufumbwe, previously notorious for illegal mining activities, indicate that six cooperatives categorized as “special interest groups,” allegedly linked to political parties, have been granted mining tenements by the Ministry of Mines ahead of the resumption of formal operations.

 The Kikonge gold mine is now under the stewardship of the state-backed mining investment company, ZCCM-IH, which is spearheading infrastructure development and has been designated as the sole purchaser of gold produced by authorized local cooperatives.

Mining activities at Kikonge were previously suspended due to widespread illegal operations, violent confrontations, and security concerns. The current allocation of tenements to a diverse group of stakeholders, including these special interest groups, cooperatives from 3 Chiefdoms & other districts from within and outside the North Western Province, according to a source.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, a source who is familiar with the issue provided an update regarding the allocation of mining tenements at the Kikonge gold mine, following discussions around environmental protection and the fair distribution of resources.

A source whose name has been withheld due to the sensitivity of the matter stated that out of the 89 tenements that have been allocated, 6 have been reserved for what he termed as the “Special Interest Groups.”

 While further details about these groups are not provided, the source alleged that these groups include individuals affiliated with political parties.

 A source added that the Mufumbwe Royal Establishment (also known as Kizela Royal Establishment) received 26 tenements, with Kasempa also allocated 26 tenements, which brings the combined total for these two to 52, and Mushima received 3 tenements.

 This brings the total number of tenements allocated to these three chiefdoms to 55. The source further noted that the Ministry of Mines originally issued 1,200 artisanal mining rights to cooperatives countrywide, with the intention that all of these cooperatives would benefit from tenements at peak gold sites.

 “However, due to environmental impact assessments and concerns about animal conflicts, such as the movement of elephants through animal corridors, the number of tenements that could be safely allocated in Kikonge gold mine was reduced to 89. These corridors are crucial and cannot be disrupted by mining activities, as they form essential pathways for wildlife. Therefore, only 89 cooperatives were given tenements in Kikonge gold mine. Of these, the three chiefdoms mentioned above have benefited from 55 tenements.”

“The remaining tenements have been distributed among other districts. Northwestern Province has 11 districts, and after subtracting the two districts (Mufumbwe and Kasempa) that have already benefited, nine districts remain.

Each of these nine districts will submit two cooperatives, totaling 18 tenements. Deducting these 18 from the 89 leaves us with approximately 16 tenements. Of the remaining 16, ten tenements will go to districts outside the Northwestern Province.

The final six tenements have been allocated to special interest groups. For clarification, these special interest groups are not further specified but may include individuals affiliated with political parties.” A source told the Zambian Business Times.

Article  by ZBT Analyst