Illegal gold miners armed, dangerous, says Simuuwe
By Adrian Mwanza
UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) media director Mark Simuuwe says the country’s security is compromised by illegal gold miners in Mufumbwe’s Kikonge mine area.
In an interview with The Mast, Simuuwe said Mufumbwe had become a home of illegal foreigners who were now supplying military weapons.
“The reason the army was being dispatched was that the issue was dangerous as suspected foreign nationals were supplying the illegal miners with military weapons,” he said.
Simuuwe said the issue was a serious national security concern, wondering why the opposition was now scandalising the Army Commander for doing his job.
“Even former republican President Edgar Lungu dispatched soldiers when he noticed that the issue was of a serious nature,” he said.
Simuwe was commenting on New Heritage Party (NHP) president Chishala Kateka, who said the issue of illegal mining should have been handled by the police and not the army.
He said the issue of North Western Province was delicate, especially in Mufumbwe, because of the undocumented foreigner in the area.
“We have taken note of the statement by Chishala Kateka, who is trying to school the military, but she needs to know that even former President Edgar Lungu deployed soldiers,” he said.
He said weapons were found with the illegal miners and that the problem was becoming serious.
Simuwe said the Army was the only one that could contain the situation, as some armed foreign nationals were even hiding in the area.
He called on politicians not to politicise the matter because the country’s sovereignty was at stake.
Simuuwe said illegal mining had the potential to cause serious problems in the country, as was the case in other countries, if not contained now.
