By CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Immigration Department has said all the 31 Chinese arrested in Chingola at the weekend for illegal mining-related crimes are on their way out of the country.
Immigration boss Moolo Milimo said in an interview yesterday that the screening of the Chinese was concluded on Saturday and the authorities had taken a stance to deport them.
The deportations are expected to be carried out this week.
“We have taken a position that the 31 Chinese who were arrested in Chingola on Saturday have to be deported to their home country for failure to conform to the laws of the country (Zambia),” Mr Milimo said.
A combined team of Police, Intelligence and Immigration officers conducted an operation in Chingola on Saturday, resulting in the arrest of the 31.
Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo, Mr Milomo, Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja, senior provincial Zambia Army and State Intelligence officers were holding meetings with Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) management while the operation was underway.

KAMPYONGO

KCM operations had in recent weeks been disrupted by actions of illegal miners, commonly known as jerabos.
Mr Kampyongo warned foreigners who engaged in illegalities that they would be ‘flushed out’ of Zambia, besides extending a stern warning to jerabos that the law would catch up with them as he would ensure that criminality was brought to an end and that order was restored in Chingola.
Two jerabos, part of a large group of mostly unemployed  youths who forage for waste copper material as well as other scrap metals in and around the mine, had been killed recently during confrontations with the police deployed to help protect KCM assets and the lives of staff that had been threatened on numerous occasions by the members of the gang.
KCM chief executive officer Steven Din said recently that more than US$1 million worth of mining equipment had been vandalised due to the illegal mining activities.
Mr Din said the actions of the youth had gotten out of control and called for intervention.