PEOPLE are insulting the government over the unsafe ways of blasting at the Black Mountain, says Kitwe district commissioner Binwell Mpundu.

And Kitwe mayor Christopher Kang’ombe says safety measures at the mountain are a source of concern.

Kang’ombe, Mpundu, Chapamo Mining Limited and other stakeholders held a meeting at the civic centre to discuss ways in which mining can be conducted without damaging people’s property.

On February 26, 2018, the government resolved the impasse over the slag dump between Nkana Alloy and ZCCM-IH and decided to give the small scales miners (Jerabos), now called Chapamo Miners, 10 per cent of the facility.

However, on May 23, 2018, the miners conducted blasting that left about 130 houses in Wuzakile Township destroyed.

During the meeting, Mpundu said from that time, no one had gone to address the affected residents who had in turn resorted to insulting the government because they feel neglected.

“People have been complaining that time has gone since the time the blasts occurred because you have taken time in addressing them and they feel neglected as nothing has been done yet,” he said.

Mpundu said it was important that the issues surrounding the operations at the Black Mountain were addressed if sanity was to prevail at the slug dump.

He said concerns being raised by the residents and motorists in Kitwe required urgent attention.

Mpundu said Chapamo Mining Company should put more effort and action in solving the issues surrounding the damaged houses.

He advised Chapamo Mining Company to send a team on the ground to assess the damages caused by the blasting.

” Operations that have been taking place at the mountain are becoming a source of concern among the residents. Some houses have been damaged through your blasting and residents are not seeing any actions being taken by you to show that you will take full responsibility of what happened. So you need to look for ways and means in which you will go on the ground and assess the damages,” said Mpundu.

And Kang’ombe said Kitwe residents had complained to the local authority over the dirt that the miners had been leaving on the roads as they transport the mined materials.

Kang’ombe said it was important that workers at the slag dump observe laid down measures to avoid injuries and loss of life.

He said money should be made in a safe way without endangering any worker’s life nor the residents around the Black Mountain.

Kang’ombe said the workers should conduct their businesses in a manner that does not question the leadership or destroys the name of the government.

“We want to see people going back to their homes safe. We do not want to hear that there has been loss of life at the mountain because they will put the blame on us the leaders in whatever will happen. The members are concerned with the manner in which you are operating so we need to know the routes you will be using in transporting your materials because we have been told that you are leaving dirt on the roads,” said Kang’ombe.