06/12/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/1FPePnJpyT/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Major Copper Mines in Zambia like Lumwana and Kalumbila are 100% owned by Canadian Companies. The on it, two companies, Kanshanshi and Kalumbila have also given tenders to their foreign friends like BHL to transport their copper out of Zambia. Zambians have no involvement in the process; The Copper Mines are Canadian owned, the trucks which transport the copper are owned by Boers; Buks Van Rensburg and his family in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape. BHL transports copper for Kalumbila Mine and Kanshanshi in Solwezi.
The only involvement Zambians get to have in this chain is to be Truck Drivers of the trucks. Mathematically, 70% of Zambian Copper at Kalumbila and Kanshanshi mines is not transported by Zambian Truck owners. Its transported by these guys at BHL since 2012. BHL is owned by boers from Cape Town. BHL has deports in Ndola which focuses on Copperbelt mines. They have another deport in Solwezi which focuses on transporting Copper of the two major mines of Kanshanshi and Kalumbila. Unlike Lumwana and Kalumbila, Zambia owns 20% shares in Kanshanshi through ZCCM - IH . The BHL trucks move copper worth $400 000 per day into Namibia destroying Zambian roads like the Sesheke road, Kasempa- Kaoma Road through to Mongu in their path everyday. After destroying that Sesheke road, they switched and now use the Mongu - Kaoma road from Solwezi and the Copperbelt.
Keep in mind; the Solwezi - Kasempa - Kaoma road only has about 1 to 2 toll gates. They don't pass through Lusaka which has many toll gates on its way. On the Kasempa road, Each truck pays K500 on a toll gate. On two toll gates, they pay 1000 Kwacha which is about $40. Meaning from each truck load carrying Copper worth $400 000, they only pay $40 to the state in form of toll gate fees. If we ask mining companies and their trucking companies for each truck that leaves Zambia to pay a fee of $5000 per truck, they will not lose much. Infact, $5000 out of $400 000 of each load means we are only requesting 1.2%. If we collect $5000 from 20 Trucks, its $100 000 per day to the Zambian state. In one month, our country would collect 3 Million USD alone. We can then use that money to rebuild broken down Zambian roads and fix a new wave of Zambian highways. Thats how nations became successful, by utilizing the resources at their disposal. We can't lose both revenue and our roads at the same time.
The Sesheke Road is dead, its been dead for almost a decade now. I know those places, i was born there back in 1993 in Sesheke. On the Sesheke Road, its Zambians who struggle on it everyday, trying to navigate between Kazungula and Sesheke . The Copper Trasporting companies moved on and went to the Mongu Road. Our country will suffer in that it will then need more money to rebuild our roads. If as a country, we fix the Livingstone - Sesheke road, they will again instruct their drivers to shift to the Sesheke road and destroy it again. We must be charging the mining companies $5000 per truck that transports Copper on our Zambian roads.
Asking for $5000 , which is 1.2% , of $400 000 will not disadvantage them. The 5000 USD is not coming from the trucking company but from the Mining Companies whose copper they transport. Its common reality that BHL transports copper from Kanshanshi, Kalumbila and Lumwana. We have 25% shares in Kanshanshi through IDC and zero percent shares in Kalumbila and Lumwana Mines since 2010. Now if we have little shares in those major mines, atleast we can request that their movement of copper do not damage roads. In 2006, I was in Grade 8 at Northrise Primary in Ndola when we used to go Trade Fair to watch and learn Copper processing mechanism, but the value chains of that was never told at the fair and in our schools.
This has been the issue for over 15 years. Once roads are damaged as is the Sesheke road, with the Kaoma - Kabombo Road in North Western equally damaged. When it comes to fixing them, its Zambia as a nation which will incur costs of things we never destroyed. We will as a nation have to seek loans and rebuild our roads which were damaged by people who came to mine our minerals !!!
