Chingola is a city in Zambia's

Copperbelt Province Copperbelt Province is a province in Zambia which covers the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the immed ...

, the country's copper-mining region, with a population of 216,626 (2010 census). It is the home of Nchanga Copper Mine, a deep-shaft high-grade content copper mining operation, which subsequently (in the 1960s) led to the development of two

open pit Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow. This form of minin ...

operations, Chingola Open Pit and then Nchanga Open Pit (the latter being the second largest open cast mine in the world).

History

Chingola was founded in 1943, somewhat later than most other

Copperbelt The Copperbelt () is a natural region in Central Africa which sits on the border region between northern Zambia and the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is known for copper mining. Traditionally, the term ''Copperbelt'' includes the ...

towns. Chingola was built to service the newly opened Nchanga copper mine. Alongside

Luanshya Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 117,579 (2008 census). Luanshya was founded in the early part of the 20th century after two prospector/explorer, William Collier shot and killed a Roan A ...

(the "Garden Town of the Copperbelt"), Chingola is perhaps one of the best laid-out and most picturesque towns in Zambia.

Mines

Situated at the north-west end of the

, the Nchanga Mines Open Pit workings lie in an arc 11 km long around the west and north of the town, covering nearly 30 km². The deepest part of the pit is 400 m lower than the surrounding plateau. The Mimbula Copper Project is a copper rich oxide and sulphide deposit, located on the outskirts of the town of Chingola on a mining licence held by Moxico Resources’ Zambian unit. Moxico Resources is a development and exploration mining company incorporated in the UK. In 2021, Moxico Resources began construction of a 10,000 tonne Leach Pad, Solvent Extraction and Electrowinning Plant. The Plant is expected to be operational by Q2 2022 and is planned to be expanded in phases.

Communications

A freight-only branch of

Zambian Railways Zambia Railways (ZR) is the national railway company of Zambia, one of the two major railway organisations in Zambia. The other system is the binational TAZARA Railway (TAZARA) that interconnects with the ZR at Kapiri Mposhi and provides a link t ...

services the town from Kitwe. The branch includes the movement of copper ore to the smelters at Nkana in Kitwe. In 2013, a direct link to the Benguela Railway in Angola was proposed. Chingola is on the main Copperbelt Highway (the T3 Road) running north to

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi (former names: ( French), (Dutch)) is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital and principal city of the Haut-Katang ...

in DR Congo via

Chililabombwe Chililabombwe (formerly named Bancroft) is a small town in Copperbelt Province, Zambia. It is located near the Democratic Republic of the Congo border. The name Chililabombwe means 'place of the croaking frog' in the local language of Lamba. The ...

and

Konkola Konkola is an area of Zambia, near Chingola, on the border with Congo. It has large copper reserves. There is a copper smelter at Nchanga. Konkola Copper Mines Konkola Copper Mines established a major mine in the area; it is now controlled by V ...

and running south-east to

Kapiri Mposhi Kapiri Mposhi is a Zambian town, seat of the Kapiri Mposhi District, Central Province. Located north of Lusaka, it stands on the Great North Road and is significant for the railway connection between Zambia Railways line from Kitwe to Lusaka an ...

via Kitwe and

Ndola Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia and third in terms of size and population, with a population of 475,194 (''2010 census provisional''), after the capital, Lusaka, and Kitwe, and the second largest in terms of infrastructure development aft ...

. It is also at the start of the T5 Road, running west-north-west to

Solwezi Solwezi is a town in Zambia. It is the provincial capital of the mineral-rich North-Western Province. Solwezi is also the administrative capital of Solwezi District, one of the eleven districts in the North-Western Province. Location Solwezi ...

and

Mwinilunga Mwinilunga is a town in the North-Western Province of Zambia. It is the headquarters of Mwinilunga District, one of the province's eleven districts. Location The town lies on the west bank of the ''West Lunga River'', along the Chingola–Solw ...

. Chingola is served by

Kasompe Airport Kasompe Airport is an airport serving Chingola, a city in the Copperbelt Province in Zambia. The airport is in the suburb of Kasompe, southeast of Chingola. The Kasompe non-directional beacon (ident: KE) is approximately west of the Rwy 11 th ...

, IATA code CGJ. Chingola is rated 5th on the most developed cities in Zambia. The most developed areas are Nchanga South & River Side. Chingola is known to be one of the best internet service provided cities in Zambia. It is also served by 2 shopping malls: The Park Mall and the Motherland Shopping Mall.

Public facilities

The town has two hospitals: Nchanga North General Hospital (Government-owned, bed capacity 283) and Nchanga South Hospital (privately owned by the KCM (Konkola Copper Mines Plc), bed capacity about 100). The town also has sports amenities that were previously managed and maintained by the subsidiary of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited, Nchanga Division; These include Crickets Club, Swimming pool (non functional), Rugby Club, Golf Club, tennis and Cinema (now converted into a church). These clubs are all located along Fern Avenue, aside from the golf course. There are several lodges in Chingola and one notable hotel, Protea by Marriott Chingola located along Kabundi road. Nchanga Rangers Football club is the towns largest soccer club and officiates games at the towns largest soccer stadium located near Nchanga North suburbs. During the 60's, 70's and 80's, Chingola was hailed as the cleanest and well maintained town in Zambia. This was due, in part, to the mining company's policy to manage and maintain social services in the town, particularly in residential areas where employees of the mining company resided. The mining conglomerate ZCCM Limited and its subsidiaries, such as Nchanga Division, also had a strong CSR agenda that extended to residential areas and communities not directly linked to the mines.

Features of Chingola

National Monument

* Hippo Pool on the

Kafue River The Kafue River is the longest river lying wholly within Zambia at about long. Its water is used for irrigation and for hydroelectric power. It is the largest tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it is the most centra ...

, 10 km north, established as a National Monument in 1954.SECTION 16-THE HIPPO POOL, CHINGOLA, BY-LAWS
(Cap. 266 of the 1971 Edition of the Laws), accessed 15 August 2022

Other features

Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage is a sanctuary for chimpanzees, located in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. Chimfunshi started as a family-run wildlife orphanage, and today Chimfunshi is managed by a board of trustees to ensure the long-term sustainabili ...

, a sanctuary for

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

ed chimpanzees, lies 60 km north-west of Chingola. * "Five Mile Rock", about 8 kilometres from Chingola on the right hand side of the road to Kitwe, is a popular landmark. * The kapisha hot spring located in the outskirts of Kapisha compound.

Notable people born in Chingola

* Felix Bwalya (1970–1997), Zambian boxer *

Patson Daka Patson Daka (born 9 October 1998) is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Leicester City and the Zambia national team. Coming through the youth system, Daka played for local club Kafue Celtic, who sent him on loa ...

Soccer Player *

Samuel Matete Samuel Matete (born 27 July 1968 in Chingola) is a retired male track and field athlete from Zambia, who competed mainly in 400 metres hurdles. Career Noted for his exceptionally fast finish, he was one of the world's leading hurdlers in the earl ...

(born 1968), Zambian athlete

References

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1943 Populated places in Copperbelt Province 1943 establishments in the British Empire