Collum Coal Mine is a coal mine in
Sinazeze
Sinazeze (also known as Sinazezi) is a community located in Sinazongwe District in the Southern Province of Zambia. Sinazeze is about north of Sinazongwe and 35 kilometres north-east of Maamba
Maamba is a town located in Sinazongwe District i ...
, Zambia. The mine is owned by five brothers from China, and was nationalised between 2012 and 2015 before being returned to the brothers.
It has been the location of violent labour disputes in 2010 and 2012.
Description
The Collum Coal Mine is a coal mine in
Sinazeze
Sinazeze (also known as Sinazezi) is a community located in Sinazongwe District in the Southern Province of Zambia. Sinazeze is about north of Sinazongwe and 35 kilometres north-east of Maamba
Maamba is a town located in Sinazongwe District i ...
located approximately 325 km south of
Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...
.
History
The coal deposit that form the mine was purchased from the
Government of Zambia
The politics of Zambia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president of Zambia is head of state, head of government and leader of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by ...
by Xu Jianxue and his four brothers from
Jiangxi province of China in 2000. At the time, the mine was the country's first mine to excavate and process coal.
The brothers managed the mine though their company Collum Mine Ltd.
In 2010, two Chinese mine managers were jailed after non-fatally shooting at least 13 miners who were striking.
The October 15
protests centred around miner's request for higher pay..
In August 2012 , 200 protestors (including miners, and their friends and families) protested for higher wages and improvements to mine safety.
Protestors attacked a Chinese manager, complaining that he had replaced striking workers.
They also killed Wu Shengzai and injured two other Chinese workers by deliberately pushing a trolley towards them.
In February 2012, the Government of Zambia nationalised the mine, citing safety concerns and unpaid taxes.
The mine opened three years later, after being returned to the Xu brothers and managed by Xu Jain Xue.
In 2019, the mine's owners compensated local families impacted by the mine's tunnels.
See also
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Mining in Zambia
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China–Zambia relations
People's Republic of China – Zambia relations refers to the bilateralism, current and historical relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Zambia.
Historical and political relationship
The relationship between Zambia and Ch ...
References
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Coal mines in Africa
2000 establishments in Africa
2010 labor disputes and strikes
2012 labor disputes and strikes