By Linda Soko Tembo
After years of fighting for fair compensation, former workers of Southern Africa Ferro Alloys Limited (Safal), a manganese smelting company, are finally seeing justice—one brick at a time.
Safal, based in Kanona—about 50 kilometres east of Serenje in central Zambia, has agreed to build houses for workers who developed severe health conditions—allegedly from manganese exposure. The homes will come with piped water and electricity.
The former employees had split into two factions—one advocating for company-built houses, and the other pushing for cash compensation.
Initially, some of the ex-workers engaged lawyers to help pursue fair compensation from Safal. They were among 281 workers tested in 2021 after reporting symptoms such as loss of balance, slurred speech, memory loss, and excessive drooling.
While the Workers Compensation Fund Control Board began issuing monthly payments in April 2024—ranging from K120 (US$4.30) to K670 (US$24)—recipients and observers have criticised the amounts as inadequate. But now, this housing deal offers a more dignified solution. The board is also covering medical expenses and travel costs for hospital visits.
Yvone Kunda, wife of Keegan Mwelwa—one of the patients and a former Safal employee—expressed joy that a two-bedroomed house was being constructed for her family, complete with electricity and piped water.
“We’re happy the company agreed to build houses for us. This will really help us care for our husbands, who’ve endured so much. At least now, they’ll have access to clean water and proper toilets within the house,” she said.
She told MakanDay that her husband’s house—the first to be constructed by the company—is being built in Kanona, where the couple already owned a serviced plot. She also received K10,000 to purchase another piece of land in an area called Mukando. At the time of the interview, the house was at window level.
Among those MakanDay has been tracking since January 2023, is Keegan Mwelwa, 38, a father of four, who worked as a batcher at Safal for nearly eight years and was the first employee diagnosed with the disease in November 2021. When MakanDay first met him in February 2022, he could walk and talk, but now he struggles with daily tasks, experiencing difficulty walking and speaking.
In an interview with MakanDay, Emmanuel Banda, Member of Parliament for Muchinga Constituency—where the company is based—said that out of 27 affected patients, 24 have requested the company to build houses for them. Two have declined the offer and opted for legal action, while one is yet to decide.
Banda explained that 16 patients have so far accepted a K10,000 payout each to purchase land in areas with access to piped water and electricity. He said the amount was agreed upon to allow each patient to acquire a plot of their choice.
“The initial plan was to find one large piece of land to accommodate everyone, but the specific type we were looking for wasn’t available. So, it was agreed that patients would be allocated individual plots. Most have now acquired land with access to essential services,” he said.
Banda added that the estimated cost of building a house, including all installations, ranges between K110,000 and K115,000—this includes the K10,000 allocated for land. Patients living in different towns will have homes built in their chosen locations, with builders working within the specified budget.
He also shared that the Office of Community Development in Serenje District had approved the earlier request to include the patients in the Social Cash Transfer programme.
“This is a plus for me because we are working to build sustainable income sources for the patients,” he said.
Banda noted visible improvements in the patients’ conditions and praised Fairview Hospital for administering a special type of medication that appears to be helping.
READ our earlier coverage: https://makanday.org/torn-by-tragedy-ex-workers-battle-over-housing-vs-cash-compensation/
2. https://makanday.org/ex-indian-owned-manganese-mine-employees-receive-meagre-compensation/
4. https://makanday.org/manganese-mining-fueling-parkinson-disease/
5. https://makanday.org/zambia-inside-the-manganese-mine-industry/
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