Give Black Mountain back to Jerabos – PAC

Fri, 20 Jan 2017 11:20:21 +0000

By AARON CHIYANZO

GOVERNMENT is negotiating with the owners of the  Black Mountain in Kitwe  so that part of it could be given to the youths commonly known as Jerabos.

But People’s Alliance for Change (PAC) president Andyford Banda has demanded that the Black Mountain should be handed back to the Zambians who sais were the rightful owners of the famous copper slug.

Mr Banda said that it was not fair for the Black Mountain to be taken away from the  ‘‘Jerabos’’ on the Copperbelt because their livelihood depended on it for a long time.

He pointed out that they had been mining from the copper slug for a long time and earned their living from the exercise.

Mr Banda said that the offer to buy the copper slug should have first been given to the Zambians earning a living on the copper they mined there or at least a portion of it.

He pointed out that Zambians needed to benefit from the country’s resources before anyone else and that it was their democratic right.

Mr Banda urged Government to find a way of ensuring that Zambians also benefited from the Black Mountain especially the Jerabos who had for a long time earned a living from the slug.    “The Black Mountain in Kitwe should be given back to the people who have been mining and earning a living from there for a long time. It’s unfair that it should be taken away from them now, even the offer to buy it should have been given to them first before anyone else,” he said.  Mr Banda said that there was no need to arrest the Jerabos now when they had been mining the copper slug since time immemorial.

He noted that the Black Mountain had in the recent past raised a lot of controversy with regards to the ownership and the mining activities. Mr Banda, however, said that the Black Mountain should benefit all the youth of Kitwe  regardless of their party affiliation. Meanwhile, Government recently announced that it would hand over a portion of the Black Mountain to youths for empowerment. Vice President Inonge Wina said that the portion to be handed over to youths was the one owned by Government through ZCCM Investment Holdings.

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