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Mpika Member of Parliament, Francis Kapyanga, has accused government of giving 120,000 hectares of land to a Canadian investor to carry out mining activities in Kanyelele area without consulting traditional leaders.
Kapyanga said the 120,000 hectares of land comprised of grave yard sites, where local people bury their loved ones, grazing land and homes to indigenous people.
During a media briefing in Lusaka on Wednesday, Kapyanga indicated that the people were not against the investment but the size of the of area which had been given to a single investor.
He stated that the investor had since refused to dialogue with the traditional leaders and was about to proceed with mining activities.
“From what I have been told, the traditional leader wants to take legal action in this matter so that it can be resolved amicably and a win-win situation can be found,” Kapyanga revealed.
He said people in the area had proposed that the size of the area be reduced in order to conserve nature and not completely destroy the environment in the area.
The Mpika lawmaker argued that government was brining investors without the approval of traditional leaders, local people in the area.
“This is the land our forefathers left for us, it is covering, graveyards, farms, villages and other things and all of us in Mpika are saddened with this development,” Kapyanga said.
He described the decision as scandalous, demanding that the licence should be canceled or the size of the land be reduced.
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