MMD youth says KCM situation requires deep reflection
By Staff Reporter
MMD national youth chairperson Dauzeni Tembo says the situation at KCM was delicate and requires deep reflection as the livelihood of not only the town but many lives in the province was at stake.
Tembo cautioned the delegation tasked to handle the matter not to conduct themselves dishonourably, but instead exhibit high levels of integrity and ensure that the best interest of the country takes centre stage.
“As MMD youths, we believe the takeover of KCM was long overdue owing to the public outcry over the years due to the numerous bad business practices by Vedanta Resources,” he said.
“We strongly believe this is a very critical issue that requires Zambians to come together to redeem the situation to save lives that are at stake. We need to be as sober as possible because this affects thousands of lives. It’s a community’s livelihood at stake. As youths in the party we want to encourage President Lungu to remain resolute in protecting Zambia’s best interests in this quagmire”.
He said that the KCM takeover was the biggest test of President Lungu’s leadership and urged him and the PF to tread carefully and ensure that they are sensitive to the plight of the affected people in the mining town and the surrounding communities.
“The ‘KCM takeover’ is by far the biggest test of President Lungu’s leadership let alone the Patriotic Front as a political party. Therefore, we want to caution our colleagues, PF who are in government to tread carefully and be sensitive enough to the plight of the miners whose livelihoods are now in danger,” Tembo said.
Meanwhile, former Chingola mayor McDonald Mulongoti said the government decision to disengage Vedanta Resources from KCM through liquidation process was profoundly impeccable.
In a press statement made available to NewsdayZambia.com this morning, Mulongoti said the decision was in the best interest of residents of Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe and beyond because by extension, Zambians in general benefit from KCM investment.
“It is unfortunate that from the time Vedanta took over KCM, very few direct and indirect jobs have been created and all we have been witnessing is exacerbation of unemployment challenges and obscured corporate social responsibility chiefly because the investor’s preoccupation was profit maximization without due regard to the outside environment,” said Mulongoti.
“As such we want to take great exception to all those critics of the takeover because the essence of any investment is not only to make profit without considering the plight of people in whose area you invest. It is therefore absurd and naive especially for some opposition political party players to find fault in the liquidation route or process which the government has instituted”.
