13/11/2025
PAUL KABUSWE DISMISSES CALLS FOR HIS RESIGNATION AFTER CHINGOLA INCIDENT
MINES and Minerals Development Minister Paul Kabuswe has dismissed calls for his resignation following last weekend's incident in which President Hakainde Hichilema was rushed to safety after stones were thrown at him in Chingola.
Mr. Kabuswe says it is unreasonable to link isolated acts of hooliganism to the performance of his ministry and has rejected assertions that he has failed to manage the mining sector, pointing to growing production and concerted efforts to formalise artisanal mining.
He tells Phoenix News that output trends suggest Zambia can reach about 1 million tonnes of copper this year and highlighted recent capacity-building drives that have graduated hundreds of mining cooperatives as key achievements.
The minister further cited the dewatering works at shaft 28 in Luanshya, resuscitation of Mopani and Konkola Copper Mine operations, and new activity at Lumwana and the S3 project as key achievements by his ministry.
Mr Kabuswe has reiterated the government's commitment to safe, regulated operations, formal trade, and enhanced security around mining areas, urging critics to judge performance on results rather than isolated events.
Following last Saturday's incident, some stakeholders, including UPND sympathisers, have called for the resignation of Mr. Kabuswe for allegedly failing to handle the mining sector after angry small-scale miners disrupted the president's speech at Chiwempala market by throwing stones at him.
