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Mopani Copper Mines

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Mufulira is a town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia . Mufulira means "Place of Abundance and Peace". The town developed around the Mufulira Copper Mine in the 1930s. The town also serves as the administrative capital of Mufulira District .

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80-517: Mopani Copper Mines PLC (also known as Mopani ) is a Zambian company that produces and sells copper and cobalt to the international market, being one of the biggest mines and exporters in the world. After being owned by ZCCM Investment Holdings since its founding, the company had a 51% stake sold to International Resources Holding (IRH) in March 2024. Mopani Copper Mines Plc was originally part of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited (ZCCM), and

160-528: A Luba hunter named Chibinda Ilunga , son of Ilunga Mbidi Kiluwe , introduced the Luba model of statecraft to the Lunda sometime around 1600 when he married a local Lunda princess named Lueji and was granted control of her kingdom. Most rulers who claimed descent from Luba ancestors were integrated into the Luba empire. The Lunda kings, however, remained separate and actively expanded their political and economic dominance over

240-605: A Mopani supported farm near Mufulira mine. This is not verified, however, and is only supported by the company itself. Due to serious concerns about Glencore's governance which have been brought to light recently and which go far beyond the Mopani investment, the President of the EIB has instructed the services to decline any further financing request from this company or one of its subsidiaries. Republic of Zambia Zambia , officially

320-577: A chief or headman and worked as a community and helped each other in times of field preparation for their crops. Villages moved around frequently as the soil became exhausted as a result of the slash-and-burn technique of planting crops. The people also kept large herds of cattle, which formed an important part of their societies. The first Bantu communities in Zambia were highly self-sufficient. Early European missionaries who settled in Southern Zambia noted

400-478: A conventional manner, and has a capacity of 8,500 tonnes of ore per day. Primary stage crushing of ore is done underground while the secondary and tertiary stage crushing take place at the Concentrator. Ball mills grind the crushed ore for subsequent flotation to produce a copper concentrate grade of 40-43%. Concentrator recovery is approximately 94.5%. The smelter smelts the copper concentrate mixed with silica in

480-524: A distance from the vices and modus vivendi of ordinary people. Nkongolo Mwamba symbolizes the embodiment of tyranny, whereas Mbidi Kiluwe remains the admired caring and compassionate kin. In the same region of Southern Congo, the Lunda people were made into a satellite of the Luba empire and adopted forms of Luba culture and governance, thus becoming the Lunda Empire to the south. According to Lunda genesis myths,

560-638: A millennia-long expansion into much of the continent. This event has been called the Bantu expansion ; it was one of the largest human migrations in history. The Bantu are believed to have been the first to have brought iron working technology into large parts of Africa. The Bantu Expansion happened primarily through two routes: a western one via the Congo Basin and an eastern one via the African Great Lakes. The first Bantu people to arrive in Zambia came through

640-565: A new $ 295 million shaft at Mufulira. This was going to extend the life of the mine by some twenty-five years. The synclinorium shaft was going to give access to 115 million tonnes of copper ore. Once commissioned in the first quarter of 2015, it was estimated that 600 jobs were going to be created. The Nkana Concentrator is located in Kitwe and treats copper-cobalt sulphide ore using a bulk flotation and segregation flotation flowsheet to produce separate copper and cobalt concentrates. The Nkana Concentrator

720-415: A number of oxide copper projects at several of its properties, including an in-situ leaching project at Mufulira and leaching at Nkana, and has achieved significant production increases at its underground mining operations in Kitwe and Mufulira. Copper production from internal sources was supplemented by the purchase of some 18,000 tonnes (20,000 short tons) of copper in high-grade oxide concentrate bought from

800-566: A result of both Atlantic slave trade in the west and Indian Ocean slave trade in the east and wars with breakaway factions of the kingdoms. The Chokwe , a group that is closely related to the Luvale and formed a Lunda satellite state, initially suffered from the European demand for slaves, but once they broke away from the Lunda state, they themselves became notorious slave traders, exporting slaves to both coasts. The Chokwe eventually were defeated by

880-563: A result, they grew a diverse economy trading fish, copper and iron items and salt for goods from other parts of Africa, like the Swahili coast and, later on, the Portuguese. From these communities arose the Luba Kingdom in the 14th century. The Luba Kingdom was a large kingdom with a centralised government and smaller independent chiefdoms . It had large trading networks that linked the forests in

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960-863: Is connected to the Mokambo Border and eventually the Luapula Province of Zambia by the Congo Pedicle road . The section from Mufulira to Mokambo is designated as the M5 road while the route through the Congo Pedicle to the Chembe Border is named the Congo Pedicle road. The geographical coordinates of Mufulira are:12°32'08.0"S, 28°14'31.0"E ( Latitude :-12.535556; Longitude :28.241944). Mufulira sits at an average elevation of 4,180 feet (1,274 m) above mean sea level . The town of Mufulira developed around

1040-532: Is done by putting anodes and cathodes alternately in a cell, in which copper sulphate electrolyte solution is circulated and current is passed. Copper ions thus generated from anodes move towards cathode and get deposited on starter plates [cathodes]. The cathode plates are taken out from the cells at a certain interval. The cathodes thus produced are bundled and are mostly exported. During electrolysis precious metals like gold , silver , platinum , selenium , palladium etc. settle down along with other impurities at

1120-461: Is one of the most important mineral processing units of Mopani, as it contributes to produce high purity cobalt metal. The cobalt plant treats the cobalt concentrates to produce high purity cobalt metal. The plant is currently on care and maintenance. In 2013, Mopani invested US$ 27 million to upgrade its Nkana Cobalt Plant which will result in an increase in production capacity from 2,800 tonnes to 7,000 tonnes of cobalt metal per annum. According to

1200-469: Is the fraudulent dissimulation of thousands of million dollars by MCM, and the President of the EIB has instructed the services to decline any further financing request from this company or one of its subsidiaries. Presently, the Mufulira Mine employs about 5,000 people directly. Assets include: a concentrator, a refinery and a smelter; and produces 35,000 tonnes of contained copper in ore each year through

1280-653: Is today Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania and assimilated into neighbouring tribes. In the western part of Zambia, another Southern African group of Sotho-Tswana heritage called the Kololo manage to conquer the local inhabitants who were migrants from the fallen Luba and Lunda states called the Luyana or Aluyi. The Luyana established the Barotse Kingdom on the floodplains of the Zambezi upon their arrival from Katanga. Under

1360-511: The Arab world . The African traders were later joined by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The decline of Great Zimbabwe, due to increasing trade competition from other Kalanga/Shona kingdoms like Khami and Mutapa , spelt the end of Ingombe Ilede. The second mass settlement of Bantu people into Zambia was of people groups that are believed to have taken the western route of the Bantu migration through

1440-560: The Chikunda . After the decline of the Portuguese the Chikunda made their way to Zambia. It is hypothesised by Julian Cobbing that the presence of early Europeans slave trading and attempts to control resources in various parts of Bantu-speaking Africa caused the gradual militarization of the people in the region. This can be observed with the Maravi's WaZimba warrior caste, who, once defeating

1520-546: The Congo Basin and the mineral-rich plateaus of what is today Copperbelt Province and stretched from the Atlantic coast to the Indian Ocean coast. The arts were also held in high esteem in the kingdom, and artisans were held in high regard. Literature was well developed in the Luba Kingdom. One renowned Luba genesis story that articulated the distinction between two types of Luba emperors goes as follows: Nkongolo Mwamba ,

1600-618: The Congo Basin to Lake Mweru then finally settled around Lake Malawi . These migrants are believed to have been one of the inhabitants around the Upemba area in the Democratic Republic of Congo . By the 1400s these groups of migrants collectively called the Maravi, and most prominently among them was the Chewa people (AChewa), who started assimilating other Bantu groups like the Tumbuka . In 1480

1680-626: The Copperbelt in central Zambia. The head office is located in Kitwe near Nkana assets. Nkana has been in operation since 1931 and Mufulira, which has been in operation since 1933 lies 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Kitwe. The company operates the Mufulira mine, smelter, concentrator and copper refinery and the Nkana mine, concentrator and cobalt plant. The name "Mopani" was chosen by vote amongst employees after

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1760-592: The Democratic Republic of the Congo , and 185,325 tonnes of copper concentrate toll treated from Copper-miner Equinox in 2007. The company installed ISA smelt furnace, Matte Settling Electric Furnace, oxygen plant, at the Mufulira smelter during 2004 and 2005, at a total cost of US$ 213 million. The Mopani Copper Mine has generated over $ 560 million in tax payments to the Zambian government since privatization in 2000 through royalties, import/customs duties and income taxes. However,

1840-700: The Kafue Flats and the Lukanga Twa who lived around the Lukanga Swamp . Many examples of ancient rock art in Zambia, like the Mwela Rock Paintings , Mumbwa Caves , and Nachikufu Cave, are attributed to these early hunter-gatherers. The Khoisan and especially the Twa formed a patron-client relationship with farming Bantu peoples across central and southern Africa but were eventually either displaced by or absorbed into

1920-759: The Lamba , Bisa , Senga , Kaonde , Swaka, Nkoya and Soli , formed integral parts of the Luba Kingdom in Upemba part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and have a strong relation to the BaLuba people . The area which the Luba Kingdom occupied has been inhabited by early farmers and iron workers since the 300s C.E. Over time, these communities learned to use nets and harpoons, make dugout canoes, clear canals through swamps and make dams as high as 2.5 meters (8 ft 2 in). As

2000-646: The Lusaka , London , and Euronext stock exchanges. The majority of its investments are held in the copper mining sector of Zambia. It was important to find a name that retained the acronym "MCM" after privatization, because MCM is the London Metal Exchange listed name for copper produced at Mufulira Refinery. Mufulira copper is considered amongst the purest copper in the world. MCM produced 134,800 tonnes (148,600 short tons) of copper and 2,040 tonnes (2,250 short tons) of cobalt in 2003. At that time, MCM invested in

2080-582: The Maravi Empire was founded by the kalonga (paramount chief of the Maravi) from the Phiri clan, one of the main clans, with the others being Banda, Mwale and Nkhoma. The Maravi Empire stretched from the Indian Ocean through what today is Mozambique to Zambia and large parts of Malawi . The political organization of the Maravi resembled that of the Luba and is believed to have originated from there. The primary export of

2160-513: The Republic of Zambia , is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central , Southern and East Africa . It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bordered to the north by the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to

2240-696: The World Bank named Zambia among the top 10 reformers in the World Bank's Ease of doing business index . As of the latest estimate in 2018, 47.9 percent of the population is affected by multidimensional poverty . The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is headquartered in Lusaka. The territory of Zambia was known as Northern Rhodesia from 1911 to 1964. It was renamed Zambia in October 1964 on its independence from British rule. The name Zambia derives from

2320-543: The Yao . As Great Zimbabwe was in decline, one of its princes, Nyatsimba Mutota , broke away from the state forming a new empire called Mutapa . The title of Mwene Mutapa, meaning "Ravager of the Lands", was bestowed on him and subsequent rulers. The Mutapa Empire ruled territory between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers, in what is now Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, from the 14th to

2400-644: The Zambezi River (Zambezi may mean "the grand river"). Archaeological excavation work on the Zambezi Valley and Kalambo Falls shows a succession of human cultures. Ancient camp site tools near the Kalambo Falls have been radiocarbon dated to more than 36,000 years ago. The fossil skull remains of the Broken Hill Man (also known as Kabwe Man), dated between 300,000 and 125,000 years BC, further shows that

2480-556: The 17th century. By its, peak Mutapa had conquered the Dande area of the Tonga and Tavara. The Mutapa Empire predominately engaged in the Indian Ocean transcontinental trade with and via the WaSwahili . The primary exported gold and ivory for silk and ceramics from Asia. Like their contemporaries in Maravi, Mutapa had problems with the arriving Portuguese traders. The peak of this uneasy relationship

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2560-616: The 18th century, the British colonised the region into the British protectorates of Barotziland–North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia towards the end of the 19th century. These were merged in 1911 to form Northern Rhodesia . For most of the colonial period, Zambia was governed by an administration appointed from London with the advice of the British South Africa Company . On 24 October 1964, Zambia became independent of

2640-471: The 5500L and 3580L respectively. The Nkana mine has been in operation since 1932 and has produced 6,000,000 tonnes of copper ore so far. Its reserves underground include 108,145,000 tonnes of ore at 1.83% copper and 0.12 cobalt.* Copper and cobalt mineralisation occur within the ore shale. Copper mineralisation in the deposits changes from mostly chalcopyrite in the South Orebody, to chalcopyrite-bornite in

2720-475: The Bantu groups. The Bantu people or Abantu (meaning people) are an enormous and diverse ethnolinguistic group that comprise the majority of people in much of eastern, southern and central Africa. Due to Zambia's location at the crossroads of Central Africa, Southern Africa, and the African Great Lakes , the history of the people that constitute modern Zambians is a history of these three regions. Many of

2800-490: The Central area and to bornite-chalcopyrite at Mindola. Cobalt occurs as carrollite and cobaltiferous pyrite in approximately equal proportions. The mine produces copper and cobalt from three sources: Mindola Shaft, Central Shaft and South Orebody Shaft. Vertical crater retreat is the predominant mining method while sublevel open-stopping and sublevel caving methods are also used. In April 2011 Mopani announced its intentions to sink

2880-588: The Congo Basin. These Bantu people spent the majority of their existence in what is today the Democratic Republic of Congo and are ancestors of the majority of modern Zambians. While there is some evidence that the Bemba people or AbaBemba have a strong ancient connection to the Kongo Kingdom through BaKongo ruler Mwene Kongo VIII Mvemba , this is not well documented. The Bemba, along with other related groups like

2960-474: The East African Swahili coast . Ingombe Ilede was one of the most important trading posts for rulers of Great Zimbabwe, others being the Swahili port cities like Sofala . The goods traded at Ingombe Ilede included fabrics, beads, gold, and bangles. Some of these items came from what is today southern Democratic Republic of Congo and Kilwa Kisiwani while others came from as far away as India, China and

3040-678: The Isasmelt furnace. The product from the ISA furnace is matte and slag which goes to the Matte Settling Electric Furnace. Slag is tapped out and discarded. Matte is tapped out and taken to the PS converters for further processing to blister copper. The blister copper is then further processed in Anode furnaces and, thereafter, the copper is cast into anodes in a twin casting wheel. The anodes are then sent to

3120-635: The Kololo, the Kololo language was imposed upon the Luyana until the Luyana revolted and overthrew the Kololo by this time the Luyana language was largely forgotten and a new hybrid language emerged, SiLozi and the Luyana began to refer to themselves as Lozi . At the end of the 18th century, some of the Mbunda migrated to Barotseland , Mongu upon the migration of among others, the Ciyengele . The Aluyi and their leader,

3200-559: The Litunga Mulambwa, especially valued the Mbunda for their fighting ability. By the late 18th century, most of the various peoples of Zambia were established in their current areas. One of the earliest recorded Europeans to visit the area was the Portuguese explorer Francisco de Lacerda in the late 18th century. Lacerda led an expedition from Mozambique to the Kazembe region in Zambia (with

3280-422: The Maravi was ivory, which was transported to Swahili brokers. Iron was also manufactured and exported. In the 1590s the Portuguese endeavoured to take monopoly over Maravi export trade. This attempt was met with outrage by the Maravi of Lundu, who unleashed their WaZimba armed force. The WaZimba sacked the Portuguese trade towns of Tete, Sena and various other towns. The Maravi are also believed to have brought

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3360-494: The Mine. In July, ZCCM-Investment Holdings agreed to offer corporate guarantees of up to US$ 15.0 million to Atlas Mara Bank Zambia Limited to provide working capital to Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) to inject liquidity for its operations. Mopani Copper Mines was previously owned by Carlisa Investments Corporation (a joint venture company comprising Glencore International AG (73.1%) and First Quantum Minerals Ltd (16.9%)) and ZCCM -IH (10%). Minority shareholders are spread throughout

3440-446: The Mufulira Copper Mine in the 1930s. A branch of Zambia Railways , carrying freight only, serves the mine. Mufulira is the south-western end of the Congo Pedicle road connecting the Copperbelt Province to the Luapula Province , making that province Mufulira's commercial hinterland . In 1990, the population of Mufulira was 123,936 people. In 2000, there were 122,336 people. The 2010 population census and household survey enumerated

3520-452: The Nkana Oxide Cap. Vertical crater retreat (VCR), both caving and post-fill, have been the predominant mining method utilised within the Nkana mine, but is now being converted to a combination of sub-level caving (SLC) and open stoping techniques. Vertical shafts from the surface provide access to each of the four underground mines. In addition, in the deeper sections of the Mindola mine and Central Shaft, sub vertical shafts extend services to

3600-499: The Portuguese succumbed to disease along the Zambezi river. In the 1600s internal disputes and civil war began the decline of Mutapa. The weakened kingdom was finally conquered by the Portuguese and was eventually taken over by rival Shona states. The Portuguese also had vast estates, known as Prazos, and they used slaves and ex-slaves as security guards and hunters. They trained the men in military tactics and gave them guns. These men became expert elephant hunters and were known as

3680-410: The Portuguese, remained quite militaristic afterwards. The Portuguese presence in the region was also a major reason for the founding of the Rozvi Empire , a breakaway state of Mutapa. The ruler of the Rozvi, Changamire Dombo, became one of the most powerful leaders in South-Central Africa's history. Under his leadership, the Rozvi defeated the Portuguese and expelled them from their trading posts along

3760-404: The United Kingdom and prime minister Kenneth Kaunda became the inaugural president . Kaunda's socialist United National Independence Party (UNIP) maintained power from 1964 until 1991 with him playing a key role in regional diplomacy, cooperating closely with the United States in search of solutions to conflicts in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Angola, and Namibia. From 1972 to 1991, Zambia

3840-435: The Zambezi river. But perhaps the most notable instance of this increased militarization was the rise of the Zulu under the leadership of Shaka . Pressures from the English colonialists in the Cape and increased militarization of the Zulu resulted in the Mfecane (the crushing). The Zulu expanded by assimilating the women and children of tribes they defeated, if the men of these Nguni tribes escaped slaughter, they used

3920-429: The air and water pollution due to the mining operations is shown. In this documentary local residents complain of frequent breathing problems, chest pain and eye irritation due to exposure to the emissions. A second serious form of pollution is due to leaks of sulfuric acid , used in the extraction of copper from the ore, into the drinking water. In the documentary a serious incident due to high levels of sulfuric acid in

4000-424: The area was inhabited by early humans. Broken Hill Man was discovered in Zambia in Kabwe District . Modern Zambia once was inhabited by the Khoisan and Batwa peoples until around AD 300, when migrating Bantu began to settle the areas. It is believed the Khoisan people originated in East Africa and spread southwards around 150,000 years ago. The Twa people were split into two groups: the Kafwe Twa lived around

4080-400: The bottom of the cells. This is removed and collected at the end of anode cycle. This product known as anode slime is washed, dried packed and exported for recovering precious metals. At the refinery there are also three SX plants and one electrowinning plant. PLS from the Agitation Leach, Mufulira West heap leach and In-Situ Leach operations are first treated at SX Plants and then taken to

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4160-401: The capacity to eliminate 170,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide a year, materially contributing to the protection of the environment. This improvement has been strongly contradicted by recent reports on the effects of pollution on local residents. In the refinery , copper anodes coming from the smelter are electro-refined to produce cathodes having 99.99% Cu and conforming to LME grade A. This

4240-482: The company itself, MCM is spends around US$ 16–20 million per year on social projects that include: operating two hospitals and seven township clinics, five first-aid centers and public health departments at Nkana and Mufulira mines. Mopani also runs two schools for 1,850 pupils, HIV and malaria prevention and control programmes, supports local orphanages, charities and sports clubs. Retired miners have also been supplied with opportunities for post-retirement employment at

4320-461: The drinking water in 2008 is reported, which caused numerous hospitalizations of local residents, among whom children. Local officials are seen testifying that measured concentrations of sulfur dioxide frequently reach levels many times higher than recommended values. It was reported that Zambian environment authorities temporarily closed part of the mining operation after health complaints from local residents in March 2012. However, under investigation

4400-544: The eastern route via the African Great Lakes. They arrived around the first millennium C.E, and among them were the Tonga people (also called Ba-Tonga, "Ba-" meaning "men") and the Ba-Ila and Namwanga and other related groups, who settled around Southern Zambia near Zimbabwe. Ba-Tonga oral records indicate that they came from the east near the "big sea". They were later joined by the Ba-Tumbuka who settled around Eastern Zambia and Malawi. These first Bantu people lived in large villages. They lacked an organised unit under

4480-444: The electrowinning plant for the production of copper cathodes. Overnight on 25 September 1970, the bottom of Tailings Pond #3 failed, causing approximately 1 million tons of tailings and mud to drain into the mine. This facility was positioned directly above the underground workings. 89 mine workers from the night shift were killed, and a sinkhole at the bottom of the drained pond remained, allowing surface water to continue to pour into

4560-408: The falls are known as "Mosi-o-Tunya" or "thundering smoke" in the Lozi or Kololo dialect. The town of Livingstone , near the Falls, is named after him. Highly publicised accounts of his journeys motivated a wave of European visitors, missionaries and traders after his death in 1873. Mufulira Mufulira is located approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the town of Mokambo , at

4640-458: The fraudulent dissimulation of thousands of million dollars by MCM is under investigation. and the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) has instructed the services to decline any further financing request from this company or its subsidiaries. In January 2021. the Zambian Government, through the ZCCM-IH, took on US$ 1.5 billion in debt to and acquired the 90% shares of Mopani Copper Mines Plc from Carlisa Investments Corporation and became

4720-421: The goal of exploring and to crossing Southern Africa from coast to coast for the first time), and died during the expedition in 1798. The expedition was from then on led by his friend Francisco Pinto. This territory, located between Portuguese Mozambique and Portuguese Angola , was claimed and explored by Portugal in that period. Other European visitors followed in the 19th century. The most prominent of these

4800-464: The historical events in these three regions happened simultaneously. Thus, Zambia's history, like that of many African nations, cannot be presented perfectly chronologically. The early history of the peoples of modern Zambia is deduced from oral records, archaeology, and written records, mostly from non-Africans. The Bantu people originally lived in West and Central Africa around what is today Cameroon and Nigeria. Approximately 5000 years ago, they began

4880-404: The independence of these Bantu societies. One of these missionaries noted: "[If] weapons for war, hunting, and domestic purposes are needed, the [Tonga] man goes to the hills and digs until he finds the iron ore. He smelts it and with the iron thus obtained makes axes, hoes, and other useful implements. He burns wood and makes charcoal for his forge. His bellows are made from the skins of animals and

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4960-453: The international border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo . A tarmac highway to the south-west (the M4 road ) connects Mufulira to Kitwe , 43 kilometres (27 mi) away. The city of Ndola , the commercial and transport hub of the Copperbelt, lies approximately 105 kilometres (65 mi), by road, southeast of Mufulira. A shorter, less well-maintained road (the M4 road ) exists and measures 70 kilometres (43 mi). Mufulira

5040-401: The local Mopani tree . Serious concerns have been raised by local residents and activists about high levels of air and water pollution directly caused by the mining operations at the Mopani Copper Mine. In the award-winning documentary "Zambia: Good Copper, Bad Copper", by investigative journalists Audrey Gallet and Alice Odiot, the large impact of high emissions of sulfur dioxide and dust into

5120-467: The military tactics of the Zulu to attack other groups. This caused mass displacements, wars and raids throughout Southern, Central and Eastern Africa as Nguni or Ngoni tribes made their way throughout the region and is referred to as the Mfecane. The arriving Nguni under the leadership of Zwagendaba crossed the Zambezi river moving northwards. The Ngoni were the final blow to the already weakened Maravi Empire. Many Nguni eventually settled around what

5200-419: The other ethnic groups and the Portuguese. This instability caused the collapse of the Luba-Lunda states and a dispersal of people into various parts of Zambia from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The majority of Zambians trace their ancestry to the Luba-Lunda and surrounding Central African states. In the 1200s, before the founding of the Luba-Lunda states, a group of Bantu people started migrating from

5280-504: The pipes are clay tile, and the anvil and hammers are also pieces of the iron he has obtained. He moulds, welds, shapes, and performs all the work of the ordinary blacksmith." These early Bantu settlers also participated in the trade at the site Ingombe Ilede (which translates to sleeping cow in Chi-Tonga because the fallen baobab tree appears to resemble a cow) in Southern Zambia. At this trading site they met numerous Kalanga / Shona traders from Great Zimbabwe and Swahili traders from

5360-420: The population of the town at 151,309 inhabitants. The table below illustrates the same data in tabular format. The Mufulira Mine is now owned and operated by Mopani Copper Mines , which employs 10,000 permanent workers and produced about 300,000 tonnes (330,693 tons) of copper bars in 2007. The Mufulira Copper Smelter was rehabilitated by SMEC South Africa . Production and employment levels went down from

5440-472: The process of open stoping. The copper is then taken to the concentrator. There are three types of mining methods currently in use at Mufulira mine site. The first is the original drill and blast underground mining method (MCR – Mechanised Continuous Retreat or modified Sub Level Caving) used in Mufulira main, secondly Room and Pillar with waste rock backfill employed at Mufulira East Portal, and thirdly Insitu Leaching of old stopes. The Concentrator operates in

5520-450: The red king, and Ilunga Mbidi Kiluwe , a prince of legendary black complexion. Nkongolo Mwamba is the drunken and cruel despot, Ilunga Mbidi Kiluwe the refined and gentle prince. Nkongolo the Red is a man without manners, a man who eats in public, gets drunk, and cannot control himself, whereas [Ilunga] Mbidi Kiluwe is a man of reservation, obsessed with good manners; he does not eat in public, controls his language and his behaviour, and keeps

5600-399: The refinery for electro-refining. The Mufulira smelter was first built in 1937. Prior to privatization in 2000, 100% of all SO2 went into the atmosphere, and the latest information confirms that the situation has improved since, including notably through the investment financed by EIB's loan to Mopani copper mine for modernization of the copper smelter. The project has successfully established

5680-462: The region. The Lunda, like its parent state Luba, also traded with both coasts, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. While ruler Mwaant Yaav Naweej had established trade routes to the Atlantic coast and initiated direct contact with European traders eager for slaves and forest products and controlling the regional Copper trade, and settlements around Lake Mweru regulated commerce with the East African coast. The Luba-Lunda states eventually declined as

5760-589: The sole owner of Mopani Copper Mines Plc. With a new government installed in August 2021, indications of a policy shift on ownership were floated with the leadership advising they intend to create an enabling environment that will attract both local and international investments. In March 2022, the Canadian High Commissioner to Zambia Pamela O’Donnell, indicated that Canada , through Barrick Gold and First Quantum Minerals expressed interest to invest in

5840-490: The southwest, and Angola to the west. The capital city of Zambia is Lusaka , located in the south-central part of Zambia. The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country. Originally inhabited by Khoisan peoples, the region was affected by the Bantu expansion of the thirteenth century. Following European colonizers in

5920-450: The traditions that would become Nyau secret society from Upemba . The Nyau form the cosmology or indigenous religion of the people of Maravi. The Nyau society consists of ritual dance performances and masks used for the dances; this belief system spread around the region. The Maravi declined as a result of succession disputes within the confederacy, attack by the Ngoni and slave raids from

6000-585: The workings. Two years prior to this, a series of sinkholes had started to develop within the #3 Tailings Pond as the result of underground hanging wall collapse, and two instances of mud ingress had been recorded. Nkana mine is one of the largest in Africa, a copper mine located 1 km south-west of Kitwe. At Nkana mine, copper and cobalt ore is produced from five sources: Four underground mines namely: Mindola North Shaft, Mindola Sub Vertical Shaft, Central Shaft, South Ore Body (SOB) Shaft and Open Pits dotted across

6080-609: The world, in various locations. In February 2024, Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) approved the acquisition of a 51 percent stake worth 25.5 bn kwacha (US$ 1.1 bn) in Mopani Copper Mines Plc by Delta Mining Limited, a subsidiary of International Resource Holdings (IRH) that is headquartered in Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates . The transaction was completed the following month. The company has mine sites at Mufulira and Nkana , which are located on

6160-575: Was David Livingstone , who had a vision of ending the slave trade through the "3 Cs": Christianity, Commerce, and Civilisation. He was the first European to see the magnificent waterfalls on the Zambezi River in 1855, naming them the Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. He described them thus: "Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight". Locally

6240-553: Was a one-party state with UNIP as the sole legal political party under the motto "One Zambia, One Nation" coined by Kaunda. Kaunda was succeeded by Frederick Chiluba of the social-democratic Movement for Multi-Party Democracy in 1991, beginning a period of socio-economic development and government decentralisation. Zambia has since become a multi-party state and has experienced several peaceful transitions of power. Zambia contains abundant natural resources, including minerals, wildlife, forestry, freshwater, and arable land. In 2010,

6320-481: Was reached when the Portuguese attempted to influence the kingdoms internal affairs by establishing markets in the kingdom and converting the population to Christianity. This action caused outrage by the Muslim WaSwahili living in the capital, this chaos gave the Portuguese the excuse they were searching for to warrant an attack on the kingdom and try to control its gold mines and ivory routes. This attack failed when

6400-525: Was state-owned until its privatisation in 2000. On 1 April 2000, Mopani purchased the ZCCM assets at Mufulira and Nkana, consisting of the underground mine, concentrator, smelter, refinery and cobalt plant, from the government. Following privatisation the Zambian Government retained a stake in the mining industry through ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc (ZCCM-IH) which is an investments holdings company, quoted on

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