Government Orders Mining Company to Stop Work in Lower Zambezi Park

On Wednesday, the mining company Mwembeshi Resources Ltd were ordered by the government to immediately stop all their activities on their copper project in the Lower Zambezi National Park.

The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) served the company a compliance order, demanding the cessation of all mining-related activities and the construction of roads, buildings, and other infrastructure for the project.

The order was issued as a result of the company violating numerous environmental conditions in their work on the Kangaluwi copper mine, according to Collins Nzovu, Minister of Green Economy and Environment. He did not state how long the ban on the project, worth $494 million, would last.

Mwembeshi Resources spokesperson, Oliver Shalala, told Reuters the company would meet with the environmental agency to discuss compliance requirements.

“We anticipate resumption of operations as soon as possible,” he said. “We are a company that respects the law and the government, and we should be able to meet the benchmarks which the government and ZEMA want”.

Conservationists are not so sure. The project has been heavily criticised by those who point to it being a threat to the park’s wildlife. Some say livelihoods are at stake, as toxic chemicals from a planned facility could contaminate water in the Zambezi basin, threatening the health of individuals in the local community. Mining is also regarded as a threat to the park’s elephants, which could also impact the area’s tourism.

Among the organisations lobbying against the mine is Conservation Advocates Zambia (CAZ), which is pushing for the government to cancel Mwembeshi’s mining licence altogether.

According to CAZ director Mehluli Malisa, “While we commend ZEMA and the government for this progressive step, we will continue engaging them until the mining licence is cancelled”.

Photo via Zambia Tourism