Toxic Secrets of Sino Metals — A Chinese-Owned Mine in Zambia

Building on the findings published in Part One, this follow-up reveals new evidence of disputed assessments, questionable compensation practices, and growing fears among affected farmers that the true scale of contamination is being concealed.

By Charles Mafa & Kennedy Mbewe

The Cover-Up and the Cost

“We have been told we can’t farm”

In September, the government commissioned Applied Science and Technology Associates to assess the environmental and socio-economic impact of the Sino Metals tailings dam failure.

The firm replaced Drizit, a South African company previously hired by Sino Metals before its contract was terminated. During the signing ceremony, Zambia Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA), Acting Director General Karen Banda-Etondo stressed the urgency of the exercise, while consultant Chilekwa Kampeshi said it would be guided by science.

But the sudden change of assessors, coupled with the government’s decision to take over responsibility for the clean-up, has raised questions. Critics fear the process may be designed to legitimise early compensation payouts and minimise the true scale of contamination.

“We have been told we can’t farm”

Residents who spoke to MakanDay accused government officials of colluding with the Chinese-owned company and quietly warning local farmers not to cultivate their land in the upcoming season, citing dangerously high levels of toxins in the soil.

“We have been told we can’t farm,” one farmer said, standing beside a field he can no longer use.

At first, both the government and Sino Metals downplayed independent findings that suggested the spill was far more extensive. But the damage has become impossible to ignore.

As previously reported by MakanDay, the U.S. Embassy later warned that the spill was far more severe than initially disclosed — estimating up to 30 times more toxic sludge was released than first reported. Both the mine and the government have disputed these figures.

“They were hired by the Chinese”

On the first attempt to reach Kalusale, the MakanDay team was forced to abandon the journey halfway as heavy trucks roared past at dangerous speeds, stirring up thick dust that reduced visibility to nearly zero.

Back in a safe zone, several residents expressed anger and despair over how the disaster has been handled.

“We lost everything, our fields, our water, even our peace,” said one resident. “They say it’s safe now, but look around, there is dust everywhere.”

“When the government sent officers from the district agriculture office to assess our fields, we thought they were here to help,” complained Bernard Njovu, 45. “But little did we know they had been engaged by the Chinese. They didn’t come to represent the people’s interests, they were hired by Sino Metals to conduct the evaluation on behalf of the company.”

Pressed for proof, he told MakanDay that if the government were truly acting in the public’s interest, it would have shared the findings of the evaluation report with the affected residents.

“They only assessed the section that was scorched by the acid and paid me K18,000 (about US$ 820),” he said. “But they went further and stopped us from harvesting the crops that were not even affected, it feels like government under Ministry of Agriculture stole our money.”

Ironically, while access to the contaminated zone remains heavily restricted, payments have already been made — without the affected communities knowing the scale of the pollution or the health risks they now face.

Sino Metals declined to discuss specific compensation details, saying it “was provided with the compensation report and associated costs, which it promptly settled”.

“The Ministry of Agriculture, other relevant ministries and relevant government agencies will be best suited to respond to this as they are the ones who carried out the assessment to ascertain the lost and resultant compensation,’’ said company spokesperson Chileya.

The Ministry of Agriculture has not yet responded to MakanDay’srequest for comment.

In a statement issued on October 30, Sino Metals maintained that all beneficiary farmers were briefed on the compensation process by officials from the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock and Fisheries.

“The entire compensation process was conducted transparently and in full compliance with Zambian law and was covered by mainstream media. Currently, an independent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) commissioned by the Zambian government is underway to which Sino Metals is fully in corporation with whenever called upon,” the company said.

Lives contaminated, futures uncertain

A MakanDay survey involving over ten farmers revealed a consistent pattern: none of them had received any feedback on the outcome of the assessments, fueling suspicion that the process was designed to serve corporate interests rather than protect local livelihoods.

Gillian Namutowe, a farmer from Chendamabumba in Kitwe, lost all the fish in her two ponds — each about half the size of a football field and located downstream along the Kafue plains, 25 kilometres from Sino Metals. Her family’s well, their sole source of drinking water, was also tested, but she says the results have never been shared with her.

Another farmer, Monica Chikoloma of Mpata Hills in neighbouring Luanshya district, said she is uncertain about her health after eating dead fish from the Kafue River.

“I don’t know what’s happening to my body, I just feel very weak. Maybe it’s the fish, but many people here ate it,” she said.

According to BBC, an ongoing $80 billion lawsuit filed by more than 170 farmers against two Chinese-linked companies, including Sino Metals, accuses them of causing an “ecological catastrophe” following the collapse of a copper waste dam. However, the case risks collapsing due to prior settlement agreements some residents reportedly signed.

The farmers allege that the failure of the tailings dam — owned by Sino Metals in Chambishi, Kalulushi district — resulted from a combination of engineering flaws, poor construction, and operational mismanagement.

A South Africa–based environmental firm contracted by Sino-Metals to assess the extent of the spill found that the disaster released an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of toxic material.

In its draft report seen by MakanDay, the firm warned that a clean-up and restoration programme in areas contaminated with tailings, heavy metals, and acidic soils must be implemented urgently.

It further advised that, given the severity of the contamination, remediation should be carried out by certified specialists to prevent secondary pollution.

“If the toxic materials discharged into the environment are not immediately contained, there is a high risk they will spread even further through natural processes,” the draft report cautioned.

However, Sino-Metals told MakanDay that “Drizit environmental company breached the contractual terms and refused to rectify the violations, therefore, the company terminated the contract in accordance with the law”.

Regarding the volume of the leakage, the company referred MakanDay to an official statement issued by the Minister of Water Development and Sanitation on 18 September 2025.

“This is our home — and our curse”

For residents like Njovu, Nsofwa, and Chikoloma, the spill is not just a story — it’s a daily reality written on their skin, in their throats, and in their empty fields.

“We have nowhere else to go,” said one resident quietly, looking toward the mine. “This is our home.”

The company said that, following the government’s latest restoration directive, it has undertaken systematic remediation and preventive measures under the guidance of relevant regulatory authorities, with significant progress reportedly achieved.

In October, ZEMA directed the company to build drainage and silt traps, stabilise the tailing dam, apply lime to affected fields, and remove sludge from the Chambishi Stream.

The assessment by new company Applied Science and Technology Associates aims to recommend remediation measures, but ZEMA has yet to respond to MakanDay’s questions on its progress.

Analysts warn that allowing companies to settle compensation before a full assessment sets a worrying precedent, effectively commercialising environmental harm and weakening Zambia’s environmental oversight system.

As part of MakanDay’s commitment to advancing and sustaining investigative journalism in Zambia, this story was developed in collaboration with Kennedy, a journalist with Hope Channel TV.