Police has arrested two miners at Maamba’s Collum Coal Mine in Southern province in connection with the killing of a Chinese supervisor at the mine during Saturday’s minimum wage riot.
And Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda who rushed to the Mine on Sunday has described the rioting and killing of a Chinese as inhuman and criminal.
Police are holding two workers as suspects but are yet to give them a charge, according to the provincial police office in Livingstone.
Shamenda recently announced the signing into law of a Statutory Instrument that compels employers to pay more than one million Kwacha for general workers and over K500, 000 for domestic workers.
The workers rioted on Saturday following the delay by management to implement the recently announced minimum wage by the Minister of Labour. The riot also left two Chinese injured and were battling for their lives in a local hospital though they were evacuated to Lusaka on Sunday.
The Chinese Ambassador to Zambia and the Labour Minister rushed to the mine on Sunday. Mr. Shamenda condemned the act saying people should not take the law into their hands. He described the riot and killing of a Chinese as inhuman and criminal.
Shamenda called on the Chinese running the mine to remain calm as government will do everything to correct the situation.
The Minister told the Chinese Ambassador that the government will compensate for the death. He also assured that police will investigate and arrest all suspects.
On Sunday the situation had calmed down at the mine though work had not yet resumed.
