Medeem Executive Director Peter Tembo has expressed […]

Medeem Executive Director Peter Tembo has expressed concern over the minerals act, urging that it must be tailored towards allowing the owner of the land where minerals are discovered to be licensed to mine. In Zambia ownership of land does not imply ownership of the minerals beneath it; all the minerals are vested in the Republic president.

According to the Mines and Minerals Act, the landowner is entitled to compensation.

However, speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times (ZBT), Tembo argued that the arrangement must be revised, as more and more locals are disadvantaged, and the foreigners are given the licenses to mine the minerals.

The surface rights, all rights to search, mine, and dispose of minerals are vested in the president, but there is a license required for individuals to do mining.

“Most of our laws are colonial, but it is commendable that we are seeing amendments to the existing laws, but there is a need to extend the exercise to the Minerals Act; it does not speak to the reality. There is no way you find minerals on a land, you dispose of the owner, and give the minerals to a foreigner. The Zambians also have the capacity to mine,” he added.

As the shift towards artisanal and small-scale mining intensifies, the call for adjustments of the Minerals Act is a step towards progress, but whether this is likely to be taken up is a question for the foreseeable future.

Article by Samuel Mutale