By Kenny Chileshe Chisulo

HISTORY OF CHAMBISHI
Etymology
The name Chambishi comes from two Lamba words “Cha” and “Mbishi”. Cha means “belonging to or an area of” while
“Mbishi” means zebra. The area was home to larger herds of zebras a century ago. Therefore, Chambishi means a place
of zebras.

1889 TO 1932
George Grey founder of Chambishi
Captain George Grey is credited to be the founder of Chambishi in 1899. He was a prospector for Bechuanaland
Exploration Company of Sir Edmund Davis. The company was an original rival to Cecil Rhode’s British South Africa
Company but the two worked together in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) forming Northern Territories BSA in 1895.

The same year 1899 Grey visited a village in North-Western Zambia under Chief Kansanshi who showed him a nearby
copper mine, to which Grey gave the chief’s name.
Grey with four prospectors and 25 armed Africans, claimed the Chambishi, Nkana (Kitwe) and Kansanshi copper
workings on the southern side of the border.
He also played a major role in discovering major copper ore bodies in Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of
Congo. He died in 1911 at the age of 45 in a Nairobi hospital, Kenya after two of his bullets failed to stop a charging
lion on the Kapiti plains.
The year 1902 was of importance in the history of mining in Zambia, for it was then that three of Sir Edmund Davis’s
prospectors, including William Collier, set out from Bulawayo on the 600-mile trek north. By the end of the year Collier
had pegged claims on the present Luanshya Mine and Bwana Mkubwa deposits.
The following year he pegged further claims around the ancient workings at Chambishi, where the peggings of an earlier
prospector, George Grey in 1899, had been slightly off target.

Why the Copperbelt could not develop at the turn of the 20th Century
The major reason Chambishi Mine and indeed other mines on the Copperbelt could not be developed at the turn of the
century was that 3% to 5% oxidized copper occurrence in Northern Rhodesia was considered low-grade as compared to
15% oxidised ore of Katanga Province in the Congo. In fact ores of the percentage rate found in Zambia were confined
to dumps as waste in Katanga.
To exacerbate the situation, in 1907 the price of copper fell sharply, thereby rendering the ore bodies in Northern
Rhodesia inoperable.
Real impetus came after the First World War
After the First World War the demand for copper by the automobile and the electrical industries sky rocketed.
With the perfection of floth flotation method of concentration by Minerals Separation Limited of London, sulphide ores
found in Zambia became considerably more attractive than oxide ores in Katanga Province. The new method
significantly improved the recovery rate of copper from 50% to 90%. This discovery changed the outlook for Zambia
forever.
Through various agents, Cecil Rhodes, after whom Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Northern Rhodesia (Zambia)
were named, obtained mineral concession rights from Chiefs and as a result, claimed ownership of mineral right in
Zambia.
His company, the British South Africa Company, retained these until the independence of the country in 1964.
Instead of granting individual prospecting licenses as it had done, the BSAC, decided to grant exclusive prospecting
rights over large areas to companies with the financial resources required to undertake major prospecting programmes.

This prompted well financed concerns with technical expertise to come on board. Alfred Chester Beatty, a London based
mining financier whose holding company, Selection Trust Limited (Roan Antelope Mine, Chambishi, Mufulira and Bwana
Mkubwa) provided some funds in 1920; and Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, founder of Anglo American Corporation (Nchanga,
Nkana, Bankroft- Konkola), joined forces in 1924.

First development of Chambishi

Towards the end of 1924, Raymond Brooks who was in charge of prospecting for Copper Ventures at Nkana (Kitwe) and
P. K. Horner one of Copper Ventures shareholders and another stakeholder made a trip to Chambishi. They had to cross
the Mwambashi River in flood and waded waist-deep as the river had no bridge.
The trio had gone to inspect the peggings of William Collier and J.J. Donohue around the ancient workings at Chambishi,
where the peggings of an earlier prospector, George Grey in 1899, had been slightly off target. They were satisfied with
the results obtained from their prospecting at Chambishi and re-registered claims in the name of Donaldson and
Silvewright.
Although copper was discovered at Chambishi in 1899 and rediscovered in 1902, the mining camp was not born until
1927 when the board of Selection Trust Limited in London approved a development programme and drilling started.
From 1927 to 1929, the prospect was investigated by swallow shafts, crosscuts and churn drill ores in the oxidized
zone. Pitting to map the surface geology and deeper exploration by shot and diamond drill holes were then undertaken.
By 1931 three vertical shafts were sunk, and one of them had reached 585 feet.
At the height of its development, Chambishi’s white total population was estimated to be around 50. The number of
indigenous Lamba people was estimated to be above a couple of hundred. Chief Nkana was the senior traditional
leader in the area.

Lewin Tucker first made acquaintance with Chambishi in 1927 when he took up a position of secretary to Russell
Johnson Parker who was the Director of Chambishi Mines Limited.

At the time of his arrival drilling was being carried out and preparations for shaft sinking had reached an advanced
stage. Houses for mine workers, offices and small workshops of Kimberly brick were built. Chambishi also boasted of a
couple of well stocked shops although most of the shopping was conducted at Nkana (Kitwe).
For recreational activities the residents in Chambishi played tennis, had an occasional dance and went for hunting trips
at weekends. Even though Chambishi could not support a football team, it did however, had its own nine-hole golf
course, which attracted golfers from all over the Copperbelt.
One of the few people with a clear recollection of the birth of Chambishi was Motoka Mukonkaus, an African leading
hand surveyor’s assistant who also worked at Mufulira Mine. Motoka recalled that in 1927 he worked at Chambishi and
went in the bush with the white men who were looking for copper.

Phil Melville working as a Chief Surveyor at Chambishi made a unique revelation about the original road from Mufulira
to Ndola. He said the road went first of all to Chambishi, then by passed Nkana (Kitwe) by a few miles and continued to
Luanshya and then went on to Ndola.
The linking of the three mines through this road most probably explains why Roan Selection Trust (RST) insisted that
these mines (Mufulira, Bwana Mkubwa, Chambishi, Roan mines) became part of the block.
Melville further disclosed that a feasibility study was undertaken in late 1920’s to ascertain whether a hydro power
station could be built on the Kafue River to supply both the Chambishi and Mufulira mines with electricity. This was due
to the fact that fuel for the existing thermal power stations was an expensive undertaking. However, the hydro-electricity
scheme proved to be impractical.

Challenges faced by the residents

Tsetse fly and mosquitos were the main drawback to life in the mining camp of Chambishi. In fact, malaria and black
water fever, took a heavy toil of lives, and for the size of the community and the short period Chambishi was occupied,
the cemetery, by present-day standards, contained an unusually large number of graves.
It was only later that the pioneer medical work of Sir Malcolm Watson and Sir Ronald Ross was to change the health
picture of Chambishi and the entire Copperbelt.

The Great Depression

In the 1930’s the situation changed completely when mines on the Copperbelt faced a series of production cuts on
account of the global economic depression. Operations at Chambishi ground to a halt in 1932 and so were at Mufulira
Mine. Only two mines Roan (Luanshya) and Nkana (Kitwe), continued to operate at 30% capacity under a quota
agreement reached by world’s main producers.
Never a large mining township by Copperbelt standards, Chambishi nevertheless was a happy and largely self-contained
little township during its brief existence aptly described by those who lived in it as ‘’one happy family’’
Chambishi Redevelops
Chambishi was re-established in 1963 as a company township for the mine workers of Chambishi Mine which was
under Chibuluma Mine of Kalulushi. This was after an announcement by Sir Ronald Prain, Chairman of Roan Selection
Trust RST, in May 1962 that the company was going to open up the Chambishi open pit-pit mine at a cost of 7.5 million
British Pounds.

Chambishi Township was designed by Collings and Schuerer, town planning consultants who also designed Mpatamatu
Township in Luanshya. It was built for the Chambishi Management Board, financed by the Zambian government with
money lent by Roan Selection Trust.
By January 1965, out of a designated area of 2000 acres, 200 acres had been developed. A total of 217 houses had
been built, of these 66 were semi-detached one-bedroomed, 125 detached with two bedrooms and 26 detached with
three bedrooms.

This was in an area referred to as “Old Chambishi”. It comprised part of Ghandhi Circle and Buntungwa Drive East
roads, from Kennedy Avenue to Mabala Road, Zambezi Avenue, Kafue Road, Mwambashi and Fisenge Roads.
.
To supply water to plant for copper treatment and indeed for domestic consumption by residents of the township, the
Kafue River was harnessed to provide up to 2.5 million gallons of water a day.
A 12-classroom primary school (Chambishi Primary School) and a Clinic (Chambishi Mine Clinic) were also constructed.
The referral hospital for the township and plant clinics was Kalulushi Mine Hospital. Later, a police camp, civic
administration block, mine market and playing fields were developed.

Chambishi Mine revamped

Chambishi witnessed accelerated growth during its redevelopment in the 1960s following an announcement by Sir
Ronald Prain, Chairman of Roan Selection Trust. Chambishi was going to be the group’s fourth mine and it was going to
have an open pit mine and an underground mine.

Various contracting firms were engaged by Chambishi Mine to move more than 700, 000 tonnes of rock per month to
pave way for an open-pit mine and an underground mine. Parkinson Howard (Zambia) Limited, GR Company Limited
and McCulpan were some of the largest contracting firms working at Chambishi Mine.
This was because the open pit was going to have an ultimate depth of 600 feet and 15 million short tons of ore were to
be removed. Deeper sections of the ore body were also to be removed by underground methods. The mine was
expected to produce 25,000 tonnes of Copper per annum by 1967.

Work started in 1963 at Chambishi, where early development was abandoned in 1931 due to the great depression in
favour of Mufulira mine. However, it was not until the concentrator was commissioned in 1965 that full production of
copper was registered.
Nationalisation
Copper played a pivotal role in the economy of the country accounting for a significant portion of exports in earnings
during and after colonialisation. When Zambia gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1964, it was
strongly felt by the citizenry that the country was getting a raw deal from its resources and that there was need for the
country to exercise her sovereignty over key resources, particularly from copper mining.

The Zambian government then decided to nationalize the mines after its negotiations between the British and the
British South Africa Company BSAC failed to reach an agreement over the ownership of mineral rights. In August,
1969 the Kaunda administration nationalized all mines by asking the owners to offer 51% of their shares to
government.

Roan Selection Trust became Roan Consolidated Copper Mines (RCM) and it included the following mines- Luanshya,
Mufulira, Chibuluma, Chambishi, Kalengwa and Ndola Refinery. The Zambian division of Anglo American Corporation
became Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines (NCCM) and was managing the Nkana, Nchanga and Konkola mines.

Under RCM, Chambishi mine experienced the development of a Leach plant, concentrator and an underground mine.
A considerable number houses were built to accommodate workers for the mine. The area referred to as C6 from
Maina Soko to Mpulungu Roads was set up, other places that saw the construction of houses include much of the
Makobo section.

Zambianisation
In 1981 RCM and NCCM were merged to form Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited ZCCM following an
announcement by President Kaunda that foreign minority shareholders in the nationalized mines had excessive veto
powers and that there was lack of determination to re-invest a substantial amount of their profits in the development
of the Zambia.

During ZCCM’s time, Chambishi witnessed relative growth. Twalubuka Primary School was built by the mines to help
decongest Chambishi Primary School. Since the township had no secondary school, a block at Twalubuka was used to
start junior secondary in Chambishi, the name of this school was called Chambishi Secondary School. Chambishi
Mine provided buses to pupils who qualified to Grade ten to be going to Kalulushi Secondary School so that they
could pursue their senior secondary education.
A sizeable residential area was also constructed in the eastern part of the township. Initially the newly built up area
was called Kabanga but the name changed to Kankoyo owing to the fact that a larger portion of mine workers who
first occupied most of its houses had come from Kankoyo Township in Mufulira.
A construction firm called Delkins built mine houses in the following roads; Nkwale, Nsolo, Kapumpe, Masamba and
part of Lewanika Crescent. A designated residential site and service area between the police camp and Lulamba
stream was setup. Few houses were constructed as a result of stringent bureaucratic tendencies by the Kalulushi
Municipal Council.
Started as a shanty township and originally inhibited by a considerable number of people from Mufulira’s Sala Amano
resettlement area, Zambia Compound registered unprecedented growth largely due to easier access to plots
administered by successive ruling parties’ ward chairmen and chairwomen.

Normalcy has returned to this area now called Twaiteka with the local municipal authority allocating land following
legal procedures. To this end, the power utility company ZESCO and the water utility firm Nkana Water and Sewerage
Company have established their presence in Twaiteka and are serving the area.

A football stadium for Chambishi Football Club was constructed right in the middle of the township, a tennis court was
erected opposite the local court, and a rugby stadium was made in the eastern part. Other sporting activities promoted
by Chambishi Mine included basketball, hockey, boxing, volleyball, netball, chess, draughts, and athletics.
In the late 1980’s Chambishi experienced profound economic stagnation with its underground mine having been
closed on account being a high cost mine with lower copper content. A majority of its workforce was laid off and only a
skeleton staff was maintained for care and maintenance purposes.
Chambishi in the 21st Century

Re-privatization of the mines

The Chiluba administration policy of liberalising the Zambian economy culminated in the unbundling of ZCCM. It was
a massive undertaking that resulted in the splitting of ZCCM into seven different units and sold off between 1997 and
2000.

This was after the government realized that revitalization of the Zambian copper mining industry could only be achieved
through restructuring involving private investments and participation, because ZCCM was costing the nation a million
United States dollars per day in losses.
The copper tankhouse, cobalt tankhouse, roaster plant, the purification and acid plants at Chambishi Mine were sold
together with the Nkana slag dumps as Chambishi Metals to Anglovaal (AVMIN) of South Africa in 1997.

The underground mine at Chambishi was privitised to Non-Ferrous Africa Mining Corporation NFCA, while Chibuluma
mine was in the hands of another South African company called Meterox.

The Government of Republic of Zambia returned 15% of shareholding in the above mentioned mines through ZCCM-
Investment Holding.

Ownership of Chambishi Metals has changed over the years. For instance in 2003, ENYA Holdings BV (ENYA) acquired
Chambishi Metals from Anglovaal, following which ENYA itself was acquired by the London listed Eurasian Natural
Resources Company (ENRC) in 2010 for US $300m. The Nkana slag dumps popularly known as “Black Mountain” have
been sold a Chinese firm and a group of youths called Jerabos “jail boys” who previously used to mine at the dumps
illegally.

During the Chiluba administration, sitting tenants occupying council and mine houses benefited by purchasing such
houses through the home empowerment programme. This move compelled the local council authorities to open up land
for residential development. New Makobo the area after Chambishi Secondary School has been turned into a high cost
residential area, while Kabaso, New Kankoyo and New Sitwe are medium cost residential places.

Farming blocks include Musakashi, Fitanda, Mwambashi, Nchanga Farms and there is a Meteorological Research Center
at Lukoshi.

Recent Development
Multi-Facility Economic Zones (MFEZ) were introduced by the Levy Mwanawasa administration in order to enhance
Zambia's competitiveness and industrialisation. The zones were initiated to foster an attractive business environment,
promote exports, and enhance domestic trade.
Foreign and local companies have set up ventures at the newly-constructed Chambishi Multi-Facility Economic Zone
(CMFEC) on the Copperbelt. The Zambia-China Economic and Trade Co-operation Zone (ZCCZ) has been mandated to
spearhead the establishment.
Chambishi Copper Smelter CCS, BORO Mining, SINO Metals Leach Zambia, JCHX Mining Construction Zambia Limited,
Fifteen Metallurgical Construction Company Zambia Limited, REBA Industrial Co-operation are some of the major firms
that have established operations at the facility.

Chambishi predominantly remains a mining town, with two of open pits mines at China’s Non-Ferrous Africa Mining
Corporation (NFCA) and the newly opened SINO Metals’ Mwambashi Mine in the southern part of the town. Apart from
the underground mine at NFCA, another one has been opened at a place that used to be Nchanga Farms called
South East Ore Body (SEOB) with an investment of $850 million.
Zambia’s Food Reserve Agency branch at Chambishi is one of the largest in country with a capacity to hold a
substantial number of metric tonnes of agricultural produce in its silos for the country’s consumption and export.

Chambishi Railway Station forms a unique junction where four rail lines from Chambishi mine, Chingola, Mufulira and
Kitwe converge, making the township a strategic point particularly to freight trains.

Conclusion
Chambishi returns the same status it had in its first establishment in the late 1920s that even though it is not a large
mining township by Copperbelt standards, Chambishi nevertheless is a happy and largely self-contained little
township aptly described by those who live in it as “one happy family”.
REFERENCES

Brooks, Raymond (1950). "How the Northern Rhodesia Coppers were found". Northern Rhodesia Journal: p.42.

"Chambishi Revives Old Memories". Roan Selection Trust Horizon Magazine - July Issue p.32. 1962.

Cunningham, Simon John (1985). Nationalization and the Zambian Copper Mining Industry, Ph.D. Thesis. University of
Edinburgh. p.157.

Ken Henderson (1966). Mining Photographs. nrzam.org.uk

Ndulo, Muna (1976). Mining Rights in Zambia, D. Phil Thesis. University of Oxford. p.27

Mining World (1965). "Chambishi - Copperbelt's new mine recovers first copper from oxide ores”.

Roan Selection Trust Journal (1962). "Announcement by Chambishi Mines Ltd on 21st May 1962 and comments made
to the press on 21st May 1962, by Sir Ronald L. Prain, mimeographed RST documents"

Siegel, Brian (1988). Bomas Missions and Mines: The Marking of Centres on the Zambian Copperbelt. Anthropology
Publications. p.7

Stephen Robinson (2014). Chambishi Mine aerial photos. www.wildfotoafrica.com