The closure of Kabwe mine and its impact on th socio-economic transformation of Kabwe urban, Zambia

Abstract

The Kabwe ZCCM mine helped greatly in the establishment and growth of Kabwe town. In due course it became the largest property owner and employer in Kabwe town and contributed significantly to the revenue of the council through owner's rates and personal levy for its workers. Furthermore, it also provided a large market for the goods and services offered by other companies in Kabwe such as Zambia Railways Limited and Kabwe Milling Company Limited. This study aimed at assessing the impact of the closure of the Kabwe Mine on the socio-economic transformation of Kabwe town. The objectives of this study were; (i) to determine whether or not there had been any loss of part of the population due to the former miners moving out of the town to other areas to look for alternative means of livelihood, (ii)to examine whether or not there had been growth of squatter settlements because of former miners who would put their newly acquired houses on rent as an alternative means of livelihood while they moved into the squatter settlements; and (iii) to evaluate whether or not there had been growth of the informal sector as an alternative means of livelihood.Data for this study were collected by way of unstructured and structured interviews.The data collected were analysed by Computer Packages of Microsoft Excel (CPME) and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). These packages were used for descriptive analysis of the data as well as for the application of the Chi-square test (x2) for significance tests.This study showed that there were no marked or significant influences on the sizes of the population, the squatter settlements and the informal sector in Kabwe town as a result of the closure of the mine. However, the greatest negative impacts of the closure of the mine were identified in the quality of life led by the former miners, the operations of the Municipal Council and other institutions such as Zambia Railways Limited and Kabwe Milling Company Limited.