THE rescue of five small-scale miners who survived 17 days underground at a gold mine in Mumbwa should have been a moment of deep national reflection. Instead, it has exposed government’s increasingly reactive and simplistic approach to the growing crisis of illegal mining in Zambia. The Ministry of Mines Permanent Secretary Dr Hapenga Kabeta has announced that government will no longer spend public resources rescuing people involved in illegal mining activities. According to him, anyone trapped while conducting illegal mining will essentially be “on their own.” We understand the frustration. Government cannot continue spending huge amounts of public money responding to accidents in unsafe and illegal mining operations. But the problem is that government is focusing its anger on the...