Mine Watch Zambia is the companion website for the January 2007 report, For Whom the Windfalls? Winners and Losers in the Privatisation of Zambia's Copper Mines, by Alastair Fraser and John Lungu. The report was published by the Civil Society Trade Network of Zambia (CSNTZ), and the Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace (CCJDP). Because the report is presently published only in Zambia, this site provides access to the report for an international audience as well as those in Zambia unable to obtain a hard copy.

You can download the report itself here.

One of the report's most significant contributions is that it provides public access for the first time to some of the previously secret contracts signed between the Government of Zambia and various companies that bought the mines when they were privatised. These can be downloaded here.

In October 2007, campaigns to secure greater gains for the Zambian economy, workers and communities moved up a notch both in Zambia and internationally. For Whom the Windfalls? has just been re-published and is being discussed in public meetings organised by CCJDP on the Copperbelt.

In the UK three campaign groups - ACTSA, Christian Aid and SCIAF - published a new report, Undermining Development? It focuses on Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), Zambia's biggest copper company, which is majority-owned by a UK-based company, Vedanta Resources. The report reveals disturbing evidence of contracts signed under pressure from international donors, environmental agreements that allow multinationals to bypass local laws, and workers who receive little reward for gruelling hours of physical labour. See the full report here.

More information on the campaign, including how you can get involved as well as news stories about the mining industry in the local and international media is available on our blog here. Please forward any information in confidence to writers[at]minewatchzambia.com.

We are also very keen that this website provides an opportunity for public discussion, so we invite readers to post their own comments to the blog and join in the debate.

The site is maintained on a not-for-profit basis by Lee Jones on behalf of the report's authors. Please email web[at]minewatchzambia.com with any questions or comments.