25 April 2011
A LUANSHYA based contractor has invested K1 billion in the establishment of the mineral water processing plant in the growing Copperbelt town.
Wankumbwa Contractors is one of the beneficiaries of the China Non Ferrous Metal Corporation Luanshya Copper Mine (CLM) policy to give 75 per cent of the contracts involving locally sourced goods to local companies.
Company managing director Peter Nkumbwa said in an interview in Luanshya that K600 million was spent on the procurement of equipment which was already in the country while K400 million was used to construct the factory.
Mr Nkumbwa said phase one of the project involved procurement of the water processing equipment, while phases two and three involved construction and commissioning of the factory itself.
He said he had benefited from the LCM policy in that he had managed to diversify from maintenance of loaders underground at LCM’s Baluba Mine to mineral water processing project.
Mr Nkumbwa said the factory which is 70 per cent completed was scheduled to completed in October this year and that it was expected to employ 50 local people.
He said that he was one of the local contractors working on site at Baluba Mine in Luanshya.
Mr Nkumbwa said the company had 60 people doing maintenance work underground while 30 workers were working at the workshop in LuanshyaÃs Industrial area.
“So far 60 people are directly employed at the mine while 30 other workers are supporting the underground job from the workshop. Workers at the workshop are into fabrication and other repairs for underground equipment,” Mr Nkumbwa said.
He said he started the contract to rehabilitate loaders underground in October 2009.
From 2010 to date the company had been involved in the maintenance of loaders.
He said currently, the company had 14 loaders which are being repaired underground.
Mr Nkumbwa said the water processing plant had come as a result of the businesses he was getting from LCM.
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