Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources Maxwell Mwale of Zambia

Mines and Mineral Development Deputy Minister, Maxwell Mwale said KCM owed local contractors K129,961,494, 240 while foreign suppliers were owed K51,898, 038,400.

Mr Mwale was responding to a question from Chipili member of Parliament (MP) Davies Mwila (PF) who wanted to know how much was owed to local and foreign suppliers by the mining firm as of December 2007.

Mr Mwale said the ministry had no information regarding the employment of 300 Indians and urged the MP to check with the ministry of Home Affairs.

Speaking shortly after holding a closed-door meeting with senior mine management officials led by Mr Mounsey, Mr Mwale said the Government was pleased to learn that Chibuluma would maintain all the workers despite the current economic problems.

Govt to restrict small-scale mining rightsBy Kabanda ChuluWednesday March 19, 2008 MINES deputy minister Maxwell Mwale has said the government will this year restrict all small-scale mining rights to Zambian citizens and citizen-owned companies.

During the Civil Society Trade Network Zambia, trade and development consultation meeting, Mwale said the mines and minerals development bill of 2008 was intended to address post-privatisation challenges and national aspirations that included the need for Zambians to participate more in the ownership of the mines.

Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, Maxwell Mwale said in Luanshya yesterday that police should immediately establish their presence at the two premises for safety of mining equipment.

Mr Mwale said government was focused on finding an effective solution to ensure that operations resumed and jobs were preserved.

By Shapi Shacinda LUSAKA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Foreign owners of Zambian copper mines have asked the government to cut fuel prices and mining taxes introduced this year to help them survive a commodities downturn, Mines Minister Maxwell Mwale said on Sunday.

html?partner=yahoobuzz Mwale said the mine owners were pressing the government to reduce electricity tariffs, fuel prices and to cut some taxes, including a 25 percent windfall tax introduced in April.

Mwale said Zambian mines were trying to cut costs to remain viable, but he believed production would rebound in 2009 because of investment in the copper industry by foreign mine owners.

Maxwell Mwale said the bidding process was progressing well, and the country would select companies and allocate them with exploration blocks.

Mines and Minerals Development Minister Maxwell Mwale said the copper mines were citing unsatisfactory reasons for the job cuts and that it would be a violation of Zambian laws to sack employees without consulting the government.

Mwale said he would institute investigations on why the other mining firms wanted to lay off workers, saying copper prices were still good enough to sustain mine operations.

Mwale said the ministry had last year convened a consultative meeting which was attended by various stakeholders that included chiefs and Members of Parliament during which it received some submissions.

Mwale has observed that increased funding to the department of mines safety would enhance the departments inspectorate role on the mines.

Mwale has disclosed that the mines ministry has sent its staff to column mine in Sinazongwe to check on the mine safety measures at the mine.

Mr Mwale said ZCCM-IH had sunk boreholes, improved domestic water supply in communities affected by lead, provided cover wastes so as to prevent evaporation and embarked on the distribution of food supplements to reduce lead levels in children.

Mr Mwale was responding to a question raised by Kantanshi MP Yamfwa Mukanga (PF) who wanted to know the measures taken to minimise pollution and whether there were plans to compensate residents whose health had been affected by pollution.

This government is working hard to ensure the mine is brought back to full operation, so we shall not allow the mine to flood," Mwale was quoted as saying.

DEPUTY mines minister Maxwell Mwale has said the government will soon establish trust funds that will make mining companies contribute funds towards the sustainability of local communities.

Mwale said the trust funds would be controlled and managed by the communities themselves.

However Maxwell Mwale said the government was assessing options to ensure the troubled Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM) does not shut its underground Baluba copper mine and will facilitate fresh investment to shore up the company.

Foreign owners of Zambian copper mines have asked the government to cut fuel prices and mining taxes introduced this year to help them survive a commodities downturn, Mines Minister Maxwell Mwale said on Sunday.

Mwale said the mine owners were pressing the government to reduce electricity tariffs, fuel prices and to cut some taxes, including a 25 percent windfall tax introduced in April.

Mwale said the government wanted to keep mines operational but said more consultation was needed.

of investment in the copper industry by foreign mine owners.

downturn, Mines Minister Maxwell Mwale said on Sunday.

including a 25 percent windfall tax introduced in April.

but said more consultation was needed.

Mines and Minerals Minister Maxwell Mwale said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the licences would cover mining, processing, storage and transportation.

On exploration of oil and gas, Mr Mwale said his ministry was still working on the bid document to enable people apply for exploration in the first quarter of 2009.

Mr Mwale said that the people were free to apply for exploration licences in areas from North-Western, Eastern, Luapula and Southern provinces where oil and gas deposits had been discovered.