Mwamba queries return of illegal miners in Kikonge after govt claimed control, calls on ZCCM-IH to take charge

Patriotic Front (PF) Chairperson for Information and Publicity, Emmanuel Mwamba, has called on the government to consider granting ZCCM-Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH) full control of the Kikonge Gold Mining area in Kasempa District, North Western Province.

This follows recent operations by the Central Joint Operations Committee (CJOC), which cleared illegal miners from the site and shut down the Swahiri and Ukraine markets—informal trading hubs allegedly run by illegal immigrants within the mining zone.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, Mwamba said ZCCM-IH should immediately secure the area and commence professional exploration and mining activities.

He argued that the scale of the gold rush in Kikonge, coupled with discoveries within a 120-kilometre radius, suggested that the site could be one of Zambia’s most significant gold deposits.

“It is now clear that the Kikonge gold deposits may be the largest gold finds in Zambia. And someone wants our minds distracted to other issues,” Mwamba stated.

Mwamba recounted previous turbulence at the mine, noting that in July 2025, clashes broke out during the gold rush and illegal mining activities.

While initial reports indicated 18 deaths, the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Jack Mwiimbu, reported that two people had died and five police officers were injured.

Following the incident, security forces cordoned off the vast mining zone, seizing over 20 vehicles, 100 scanning machines, and five firearms.

He highlighted that in June 2025, six miners died in a tunnel collapse, and after the mine’s closure in early August 2025, three more people—including a father and son—died in another collapse.

Mwamba questioned how such a heavily secured area could once again be overrun.

“It is surprising that an area that was cordoned off and secured was quietly invaded again—this time in a more sophisticated way: lightweight machinery, tents, shovels, picks, gold scanners, and mobile gold processing units, accompanied by foreign buyers including Sudanese, Tanzanians, and Somalians,” he said.

He expressed concern about the alleged re-invasion by what he estimated as thousands of miners.

“How did 25,000 people invade a secured and cordoned-off area within such a short time with all this machinery? Something is not making sense. Why doesn’t government do the right thing, or do some government officials want to give themselves the licences?” Mwamba questioned.

He maintained that placing the mine under ZCCM-IH would ensure legal, transparent, and professionally managed mining operations, while preventing further instability in the region.

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