An acidic waste spill by a Chinese company in Zambia has created a massive environmental crisis that threatens a river on which millions of Zambians rely. The incident occurred last month at a facility owned by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, a firm majority-owned by the Chinese state-run China Nonferrous Metals Industry Group. In addition to straining Zambia-China relations, the incident underscores Zambia’s economic vulnerability, since its copper extraction industry is dependent on Chinese and Western corporations with poor environmental track records. Richard Kille and Jacob Zimba at the Associated Press reported on the significance of the spill and related incidents involving Chinese companies:
The spill happened on Feb. 18 when a tailings dam that holds acidic waste from a copper mine in the north of the country collapsed, according to investigators from the Engineering Institution of Zambia.
The collapse allowed some 50 million liters of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved solids and heavy metals to flow into a stream that links to the Kafue River, Zambia’s most important waterway, the engineering institution said.
[…] About 60% of Zambia’s 20 million people live in the Kafue River basin and depend on it in some way as a source of fishing, irrigation for agriculture and water for industry. The river supplies drinking water to about five million people, including in the capital, Lusaka.
[…] A smaller acid waste leak from another Chinese-owned mine in Zambia’s copper belt was discovered days after the Sino-Metals accident, and authorities have accused the smaller mine of attempting to hide it.
Local police said a mine worker died at that second mine after falling into acid and alleged that the mine continued to operate after being instructed to stop its operations by authorities. Two Chinese mine managers have been arrested, police said. [Source]
The AP reported that dead fish washed up on the banks of the Kafue River 100 kilometers downstream from the mine. Zambian environmental activist Chilekwa Mumba said, “It is an environmental disaster really of catastrophic consequences.” Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema called for help from experts and called the leak “a crisis that threatens people and wildlife along the Kafue.” Zambia’s Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation also feared its “devastating consequences,” including the contamination of groundwater that would poison crops. Zambian authorities shut down operations at the two Chinese mines where leaks had occurred. Olga Manda in Lusaka at The Continent described how this incident fits into the broader political dynamic between the Zambian and Chinese governments:
This is an unusually strong stance from Zambia’s government, which enjoys close economic relations with China. The Asian superpower holds at least $4.1-billion of Zambia’s $13-billion external debt and reportedly funds at least 26 copper projects in the country, bringing in up to $260-million in taxes a year. This buys certain privileges – including, all too often, meekness from public officials.
In recent years, President Hakainde Hichilema has walked a delicate path with China as he has attempted to renegotiate debts to more sustainable terms. Chinese reluctance was a major factor in why Zambia could not reach a restructuring agreement with its G20 creditors until June 2023, after defaulting in 2020. While payments to all other creditors remained frozen during the impasse, China received a $80-million payment. Zambian authorities say it was accidentally sent.
The February disaster has put Beijing on the defensive in Lusaka. China’s deputy ambassador said independent consultants would be brought in to assess the impact of the pollution. An official Chinese delegation also flew into the capital over the weekend to manage the fallout. After travelling to the disaster site, the delegation – whose composition has not been disclosed – held a closed door meeting with Zambian officials, including Nzovu, the irate water minister, on Thursday afternoon. Details of the meeting have not been made public. [Source]
Jevans Nyabiage from the South China Morning Post shared experts’ views on how this environmental disaster might affect the future of Zambia-China relations:
Emmanuel Matambo, a [Zambian] research director at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Africa-China Studies, said the environmental catastrophe was certain to harm ties.
“The acidic waste spill into the Kafue River will set back Zambia-China relations in a very damaging way,” Matambo said.
[…] “While [concern about environmental hazards associated with Chinese investment in African mining] had died down around the 2010s, the Kafue spillage will revive it, and will shine a very unflattering light on Chinese investment in Zambia,” he said.
[…] But [Iva Pesa, an assistant professor in contemporary history at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands,] was hopeful about future relations between Zambia and China after the recent acid spill. She said while the incident would strain ties, “I do not think it will mean a break”.
“Chinese investments are crucial to the Zambian economy and I suspect they will continue,” Pesa said. [Source]
Tension between Zambians and Chinese mining companies is not new. In 2010, Chinese managers of a mining company shot 11 Zambian workers who protested poor working conditions. Two years later, after alleging that their employer failed to pay them, workers at that same mine killed one Chinese manager and injured two others. At the time, Zambian politician Michael Sata ran a presidential campaign to support workers’ rights against abuses by Chinese companies, but after winning the election in 2011, he softened his tough stance. Even today, with China continuing to make significant investments in Zambia’s mining industry, Zambia has limited leverage to push back against the negative externalities of China’s engagement. James Palmer at Foreign Policy described Zambia’s dependence on China in the global copper industry:
Copper is a global boom industry, with prices at record highs—and U.S. demand is growing. China is the world’s biggest copper importer, and Zambia is among the top 10 producers. (Copper makes up more than 70 percent of the country’s exports.) Still, Zambia sits low on the value chain, producing relatively low-grade copper and lacking advanced facilities; China plays a dominant role in mining and refinement.
[…] Zambia’s copper production has suffered from price plunges in the past—but the country is now looking to expand significantly, mostly with Chinese investment. Western firms are still competitive in Zambia, with the United States investing $4 billion in the Lobito Corridor project last year to challenge China’s influence. China responded to the project by promising $5 billion in copper investment in Zambia by 2031.
[…] What may vanish is some of the Chinese demand for copper. Amid Chinese President Xi Jinping’s manufacturing push, Chinese copper smelters are working overtime. Meanwhile, the country’s real estate industry, which drives copper demand, hasn’t bottomed out of its crisis. [Source]
Following the pollution incident, Chinese state media published positive coverage of China’s activities in Zambia. In late February, a China Daily article touted a Zambian business and cultural exchange event in Beijing under the headline, “Zambia seeks new chapter of cooperation with China.” A Xinhua article published last week, “Chinese enterprises donate relief supplies to Zambian flood victims,” emphasized Chinese goodwill towards Zambia: the Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia Wang Sheng “said the donation exemplified the commitment of the Chinese community and businesses in Zambia to fulfilling their social responsibilities, which have always been among their core values,” and the president of the Zambia Chinese Association Zhang Jian said the donation “demonstrated the genuine care and compassion of the overseas Chinese community.” The donations were valued at just under $50,000. The following day, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation announced it would invest $1.4 billion to upgrade the Tanzania-Zambia railway, a major transportation route for copper exports from central Africa. Over the weekend, Xinhua announced that China and Zambia had signed an agreement outlining new Chinese economic and technical aid projects.
None of those articles mentioned the acid waste spill in Zambia’s Kafue River. But as China Media Project noted this week, “Chinese media outlets have taken the unusual step of more openly covering a toxic thallium contamination in Hunan’s Leishuei River, exposing a crisis kept under wraps for a full week.” Previously, Chinese government censors have directed media outlets to avoid covering sensitive issues of water pollution.
