Small-scale miners operating illegally at the COP 5 Dumpsite in Chingola District, Copperbelt Province, are urging authorities to grant them a one-month extension to continue their work before the site is permanently closed. The call for leniency comes after a directive was issued to halt all mining activities due to severe safety risks, which tragically resulted in the deaths of eight miners on October 29, 2024, following a landslide at the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The miners argue that an additional month would provide them with sufficient income to sustain themselves through the upcoming rainy season, a period that often limits income-generating opportunities in the region. Many of these small-scale miners depend on the site as their primary source of livelihood and express concern about the economic hardship they will face without this income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities ordered the suspension of activities at COP 5 after the accident, highlighting urgent safety concerns and the need to prevent further fatalities. However, the miners have requested that authorities reconsider a temporary extension, allowing them to work under stricter safety measures. The incident has sparked broader discussions on the safety and regulation of small-scale mining operations across Zambia, emphasizing the need to balance economic livelihoods with miner safety.
By Rogan Labika<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Small-scale miners operating illegally at the COP 5 Dumpsite in Chingola District, Copperbelt Province, are urging authorities to grant them a one-month extension to continue their work before the site is permanently closed. The call for leniency comes after a directive was issued to halt all mining activities due to severe safety risks, which tragically …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n