By Womba Kasela
Residents of Chiyabi village in Sinazongwe district, southern Zambia, live in fear as their homes suffer severe structural damage from mining activities at the Chinese-owned Collum Coal Mine.
Collum Coal Mine, also known as Nkandabwe coal mine, operates in the southern town of Sinazongwe and reportedly produces about 100,000 tonnes of coal annually. Owned by Collum Coal Mining Industries, the mine is a private company managed by Chinese investors from Jiangxi province, China.
Cracked homes
Homes that have sheltered families for generations now bear visible scars from the mining operations.
Each explosion from the mine sends tremors through the ground, causing the already weakened houses to shake violently. This seismic activity further aggravates the cracks, compounding the damage and heightening the locals’ anxiety about the safety and stability of their homes.
Residents are puzzled by the mine owners’ lack of response
According to local residents, houses in Chiyabi village began developing cracks between 2015 and 2016. Despite their efforts to engage with the mining company, no effective measures have been taken to ensure their safety. Many residents, who have lived in Chiyabi since birth, feel neglected and vulnerable.
Chiyabi village has over 100 homes, and a significant portion of the male population works at the mine. The mine had pledged to offer jobs to locals when Chinese operations began at the mine in 2002.
Felix Siavuwa, 33, lives with his wife and two children in a house that has developed severe cracks, extending from the exterior to the interior walls. His family’s home, like many others in the village, bears the brunt of the structural damage caused by the mining activities.
In 2016, Siavuwa constructed a small one-room house adjacent to his existing home after discovering sudden cracks in the original structure. When he raised concerns with the mining company, the locals were reassured that the cracks posed no danger.
Following this assurance, Siavuwa embarked on building a larger house in 2021, shortly after marrying his wife in 2019. However, by 2022, unsettling developments began to occur.
“Before this mine came, we lived happily, even though I was young. After I built this bigger house where my family and I now live, it too developed cracks. There are cracks from the exterior walls all the way to my bedroom. Despite working for the mine and being a bricklayer, could it be that I am not building properly? Even my elder brother’s and uncle’s houses have cracks,” he lamented.
Siavuwa told MakanDay Centre for Investigative Journalism that he, his family, and other villagers are living in danger, yet their pleas for help go unheard. Despite the visible cracks in their homes, the mining company continually assures them that they are in a “green zone” and not at risk.
“When they recently closed the mine, they began relocating people and offering compensation. However, this isn’t displacement—it’s theft. They are providing minimal compensation, which is insufficient considering the high cost of land and building materials,” he explained.
Shutting the shafts
Two shafts, shafts two and six, were recently shut down by the government due to the significant cracks that have developed in the houses near the mine. The government directed the mine to relocate residents from the affected houses, citing “substantial risks to local safety”.
In response to this directive, residents were placed into groups labelled A, B, and C. Group A consisted of individuals identified by the mine as being in immediate danger. These residents were compensated and promptly relocated.
Meagre Compensation
Local residents have criticised the compensation provided for relocation as inadequate, noting that the minimum compensation reported is K1,500.
Teddy Ntobela, who delayed his relocation, has now been given a specific timeframe to vacate his land to allow mining operations to resume. Ntobela, who built two houses on his property, received a compensation of K52,800 meant to buy new land, construct a new home, relocate his family, and begin a new life.
During an interview with MakanDay, Ntobela expressed concerns about the compensation process, explaining that mine representatives conducted surveys and determined the compensation based on the value of each house. Despite this, locals like Ntobela feel the compensation is insufficient to rebuild their lives, given the investments they made in their properties.
“We don’t want to move, but we are accepting the money because others are doing so,” Ntobela explained. “With the K52,800 I received, I have already spent K15,000 on new land. It is impossible to build a house similar to what we had with the remaining amount. We have no understanding of how they calculated the compensation,” he added.
A haunted ground
A walk through Chiyabi reveals a haunting landscape. Numerous houses stand abandoned, devoid of any occupants, some completely collapsed. The ruins are surrounded by a wire fence with a sign reading “danger, no entry.”
The extent of the damage is startling, with the land itself severely compromised by mining activities. The land is dotted with numerous deep holes and pits, remnants of the relentless extraction of minerals.
Fields and pastures have been transformed into hazardous terrain, making it unsafe for both people and livestock to navigate. The soil, stripped of its life, lies barren and unstable.
In groups B and C, where residents were told they were not in immediate danger, the damage is evident. The houses exhibit extensive cracking both inside and out, with floors and walls deeply fissured.
Despite assurances from mining officials that the area is safe, the gaping voids create an unsettling atmosphere.
The air, often thick with dust, serves as a constant reminder of the industrial intrusion that has marred the village’s natural beauty.
According to miners employed by the mining company, the tunnels extending beneath these houses reach far and wide, posing significant risks to the local residents.
MakanDay has established that this is not the first time houses have developed cracks and residents have been compensated.
Lazarous Sialukowa, the headman of Chiyabi village, told MakanDay that in 2015, when the houses started showing cracks, the mining company approached the affected residents, offering K100 or promises of employment in the mine as incentives to move.
The headman mentioned that the house of his predecessor was one of the first to develop cracks and eventually collapsed, with the family receiving only K200 in compensation.
“The mine would assure people they were in a green zone, but houses would collapse, leaving residents no choice but to accept the compensation for their safety,” he explained.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2imFA1PQM1I
Last year, 77 people were relocated, and so far, this year, 88 have been moved from the area. Collum Coal Mine has yet to provide a comment on the matter, as attempts to reach their Executive Director, Dindiwe Charles, have been unsuccessful. His phone remains unanswered.
Government’s response
The Director of the Mines Safety Department, Fred Banda, has stated that local residents were required to relocate following an environmental assessment. This assessment concluded that anyone impacted by the mining activities would need to be resettled.
Banda explained to MakanDay that while some families were successfully resettled by the mining company, others have since returned to the original area. The reasons for this return are unclear and are currently being addressed by the department.
He further disclosed that mine owners has been given a few weeks to ensure that all affected residents are resettled and vacate the designated caving area. His department will actively monitor the progress of this resettlement process.
When asked about the ministry’s role in surveying and assessing compensation amounts for the affected individuals, Banda clarified that this responsibility lies with the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) using the resettlement action plan.
When contacted, ZEMA said that inspectors have been assigned to investigate the matter.
Mercy Zulu, the Public Relations Manager for ZEMA, assured that a detailed response will be provided upon completion of the investigation.
It is unclear why ZEMA allowed the mine to conduct its own assessment and determine the compensation to be paid, but the response from the Department of Resettlement under the Office of the Vice President highlights the limitations of government agencies.
Kaunda Kasanda, a resettlement development officer, told MakanDay that when individuals are impacted by activities such as mining, government, through ZEMA must validate the affected structures and activities, including agriculture, in the area.
Kasanda further explained that ZEMA ensures alternative land is provided, victims are compensated, and social amenities are established to facilitate the resettlement process. He emphasised that these measures are mandatory during any resettlement.
A history of troubles at the mine
Managers fire on workers
Twelve workers were injured on October 15, 2010, when mainly Chinese managers fired randomly at workers protesting poor working conditions. On October 17, police announced that the managers who shot at the workers would face charges of attempted murder.
Former Inspector General of Police, Francis Kabonde, stated to journalists: “A warn and caution statement has already been recorded, and it should be understood that no one is above the law, despite claims to the contrary.”
The incident sparked a political outcry, with opposition leader at the time, Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front, who later became President in 2011, accusing Chinese nationals in Zambia of being untouchable due to their financial support of the ruling party ahead of the upcoming elections. Sata died while in office in 2014.
“What do you expect the government to do with the Chinese? They are friends who continually fund them,” he remarked.
Scuffle results in death of Chinese manager
In June 2012, Zambian miners killed a Chinese manager during a protest over delayed wage increases. Another Chinese national was injured during the altercation.
No Response from Collum Coal Mine
Collum Coal Mine has not responded to MakanDay’s requests for comment. Charles Dindiwe, the executive director, has not answered phone calls or returned messages.
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