CHILEKWA Mumba, a community organiser from Zambia, has been awarded the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa for his work in securing compensation for 2,500 villagers affected by pollution from Konkola Copper Mines (KCM).
In 2006, KCM, a Zambian subsidiary of the UK’s Vedanta Resources, dumped toxic waste from its copper mine into the Kafue River, which provided almost half of the country’s drinking water. The discharge turned the once-clear river water blue and affected villagers experienced nose bleeds, rashes, abdominal pain, and even blood in their urine.
Mumba, the son of a former miner, led a six-year legal battle in the UK, which allowed a British company to be sued for the actions of its subsidiary in another country. The compensation was awarded in 2022, but the companies admitted no liability. The prize is awarded each year by The Goldman Environmental Foundation, with ceremonies in San Francisco and Washington, DC.
‘It’s a wonderful feeling to receive this award,’ said Mumba. ‘It’s the culmination of work which was done, not just by me but even the community themselves … who stood up against injustice and stood with us for six years.’
Mumba approached English law firm Leigh Day in 2015 to launch a legal challenge against Vedanta in the UK after attempts by residents to get compensation for damages caused to their environment had been unsuccessful in Zambia. No UK parent company had been held liable for environmental damages caused by their overseas operations at the time.
Vedanta Resources, founded by Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal, has had a controlling stake over KCM since 2004, with the Zambian government retaining minority control. Zambia is Africa’s second-biggest copper producer and its economy relies heavily on copper mining, which generates more than half of its revenue from exports, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). KCM is one of Zambia’s largest mining operations and also one of the country’s biggest private employers, according to its website.
Mumba had to overcome many challenges, including being arrested by local police in 2017 for not having the required permission from authorities to address thousands of villagers from polluted communities. He also had to convince the claimants to provide blood samples for analysis of the health impacts of the pollution, overcoming people’s concerns that their blood samples would be misused. He recounted nearly being attacked by reptiles while wading through a flooded river during the rainy season to gather water quality samples for the case.