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Zambian villagers pursue mining giant in the UK

Zambia’s Post newspaper reported recently that a UK court had allowed poor Zambian villagers a legal claim against the mining giant Vedanta Resources Plc and its Zambian subsidiary, Konkola Copper Mines.A Zambian man, Dominic Lungowe and 1,812 others are suing Vedanta and Konkola over “serious environmental pollution” in their area.The UK ruling comes close on the heels of the Zambian Catholic Bishops’ call for mining companies and those in the agricultural sector to be more responsive to the needs of the environment and accountable to local communities affected by their activities.“Recognising that mining contributes to job and wealth creation of the country, we, however, challenge the mining sector to begin to practice responsible mining that takes into account the needs of the environment,” the Bishops said in a communiqué issued at the end of a national environmental conference held in Lusaka last month. The meeting was attended by Pr...

Zambia’s Post newspaper reported recently that a UK court had allowed poor Zambian villagers a legal claim against the mining giant Vedanta Resources Plc and its Zambian subsidiary, Konkola Copper Mines.

A Zambian man, Dominic Lungowe and 1,812 others are suing Vedanta and Konkola over “serious environmental pollution” in their area.

The UK ruling comes close on the heels of the Zambian Catholic Bishops’ call for mining companies and those in the agricultural sector to be more responsive to the needs of the environment and accountable to local communities affected by their activities.

“Recognising that mining contributes to job and wealth creation of the country, we, however, challenge the mining sector to begin to practice responsible mining that takes into account the needs of the environment,” the Bishops said in a communiqué issued at the end of a national environmental conference held in Lusaka last month. The meeting was attended by President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson.

Cardinal Turkson, who was the principal guest speaker, gave an overview of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato sì.

Zambia is one of the leading producers of Copper and Emeralds. Locals, however, do not see much of the benefits from mining. Observers in Zambia have long spoken about the extremely low taxes paid by foreign-owned mines to the state and the unfavourable consequences of mining on local communities. It is not uncommon for poor villagers to be evicted from their ancestral land to make room for new investment projects. The environment is also taking a toll. In some mining areas, locals accuse mine owners of polluting rivers and sources of drinking water.

It is unprecedented therefore for London’s High Court of Technology and Construction to allow Dominic Lungowe and 1,812 other villagers to pursue a powerful multinational such as Vedanta Resources Plc and its subsidiary Konkola Copper Mines (KCM).

Dominic and others allege that they have suffered various health problems due to negligence by Vedanta Resources and its subsidiary KCM.

Vedanta and KCM argued that the UK court had no jurisdiction to try the claims against them, with their lawyers saying the claim needed to be tried in Zambia where the claimants live. Equally unhappy with the suit being prosecuted in London is the Zambian Government. Nevertheless, in his ruling, Justice Coulson granted jurisdiction over the claims involving allegations of serious environmental pollution and rejected the defendants’ arguments that the case could only be brought in Zambia.

(Fr.Paul Samasumo, Vatican Radio)

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va

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