Zambia’s Gold Rush Chaos – Hunters of Gold/Part II

By Chishaba Masengu and Charles Mafa 

Despite difficulties such as the rugged road leading to Kabombo gold mine, hundreds of gold dealers continue to access the area in Rufunsa district. 

Until 2013, Kabombo, an area next to Luano Valley, was infamous, known for the notorious Mailoni brothers, serial killers who terrorised locals and hindered development efforts in the entire area.

Following the death of the trio at the hands of the Zambia Army, the government pledged to bring development and civilisation to the region. However, this promise has yet to materialise. 

Situated south of the Mkushi district and to the east of Kabwe town, the Kabombo and Luano areas are rich in gold, copper, zinc, silver and other minerals.

Scuppering the exploration potential for these resources are illegal artisanal miners, who are busy exploiting the abundant gold deposits, particularly in the areas of Chiefs Mbosha and Kanyensha of the Lala-speaking people.

Additionally, these miners operate in Chief Shikabeta’s area in Rufunsa, where a MakanDay journalist recently conducted an investigation, as mentioned in Part I.

“Some individuals have left the comfort of their homes and families to reside here for months, searching tirelessly for gold deposits,” explained my guide, using the pseudonym John Chola.

Chola said these miners set up tents around the mining craters and crevices, forming part of a larger community of miners in makeshift market camps where processing and trading take place.

After what felt like an eternity of navigating bumpy terrain, punctuated by challenges like pit stops to fix a broken car bumper and seemingly endless negotiations for directions, Chola and I finally arrived at what appeared to be a broad expanse of blue tents.

This place is one of three market camps in the area. It’s known as ‘baby market’, while the neighbouring two camps are referred to as the new and old markets.

Returning to the makeshift miners’ compound, Chola brought along his colleague, Eric Ng’onga, a local illegal artisanal miner in his 40s. Ng’onga was eager to meet me. I was posing as an investor interested in investing in the artisanal mining business.

Apparently, Ng’onga was previously a gold miner in Mumbwa district but chose to relocate to Rufunsa.

He said he relocated to Luano because the gold in the area was much heavier and more valuable than what was found in other parts of Zambia.

“You have to invest K6 000 (about $233) to acquire dynamite from a Lusaka-based Chinese businessman specialising in quarry excavation mining. He’s known as ‘70-70’. While no one holds an authorised licence in Zambia to supply dynamite, 70-70 is the exception,” Ng’onga explained.

He possesses a quarry excavation licence for his factory, located around the Zingalume area in Lusaka. However, authorities are unaware of his simultaneous gold-mining operations in Zambia.

According to Ng’onga, the dynamite is essential for blasting unexplored sections of the gold mine, exposing mineral trails for exploration. 

The tents, functioning as gold milling depots, house women pounding gold ore in traditional metal mortars, constituting part of the supply chain. 

“Miners entrust the ore to these women after extracting it from the pit, preferring this method over milling machines provided by a company called Gold Hunters as the machines fail to grind the ore to a fine silt. Consequently, some gold ore remains unrefined,” said Chola.

MakanDay has established that the makeshift camp operates unauthorised milling bays and a buyers’ market due to miners feeling exploited by Gold Hunters, which allegedly levies a 40% tax on each gold transaction with artisanal miners. Supposedly, part of this tax goes towards paying royalties to the chief.

Gold Hunters, the licensed company within Kabombo’s mines, wields significant control over the gold trade.

Miners allege that the company imposes a mandatory fixed price of K1 000 ($38) per gram, subject to a 40% tax, resulting in miners receiving K600 ($23) per transaction. Conversely, ‘illegal’ gold traders in the camp offer a better deal of K1 100 ($42) per gram without taxation.

Moreover, miners claim that the local chief, Chief Shikabeta, receives monthly payments of K1 000 ($38) from illegal market camp processing depots, in addition to a portion of the 40% milling tax from Gold Hunters on each gold-processing transaction.

No response from Chief Shikabeta and the company

MakanDay reached out to both the company and Chief Shikabeta, but neither responded.

At the depot, where the gold is extracted from ore, sieved gold ore is mixed with mercury, which condenses available gold particles. As the mercury-coated particles settle, the fire roasting process transforms them into yellowish gold.

“After 10 minutes, this tiny gold speck,” said Ng’onga, placing it in my palm, “is worth K500 ($19).” Ng’onga boasts of miners making substantial profits, recalling the day he spent K5 000 ($194) on alcohol and gifts for friends. 

“Even young boys here earn around K2 000 ($77) on a good day. They’re disinterested in schooling, believing they’ve already achieved success,” he said.

Camps lack educational opportunities as there are no learning centres nearby – the closest school is about 28km away. Some miners deem the distance to be unreasonable when they can earn within the mines.

An encounter with a teenage miner

Lameck Benzu, a boy in his mid-teens, was spotted milling around the camp. When questioned why he was not interested in getting an education, he simply chuckled and dismissed the question. Benzu appeared unwell, saying he was taking a rest and had refrained from mining on that day.

The camp may not have been sanctioned by government as a legal settlement, but there are government services provided through mobile health services. There is also a heavy police presence to provide security. 

If these services are available, why then has government not formalised the camp and provided artisanal miners with mining tools? This is what we asked the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, , but it is yet to respond.

The parting words of Chola, the guide, resonate: “You don’t need anything like a licence; all you have to do is go to the mining site with an experienced local traditional surveyor, who will help you spot the gold deposit trail. The surveyor will assist you in selecting a potential mining line which you can then begin to explore and excavate.” 

These insights not only reveal the accessibility and importance of gold mining for the local community but also highlight the challenges faced by communities in Zambia – especially during this time of ongoing drought and poor agricultural harvests, which are exacerbating the hunger crisis afflicting the nation.