KONKOLA Copper Mines (KCM) has refuted claims that it is sending workers on forced leave. An organisation called ‘Vedanta Must Return Community Campaign Movement’ based on the Copperbelt in Chingola and Chililabombwe had claimed that KCM, which is now in the hands of Vedanta, had been sending workers on forced leave. The organisation’s Coordinator Chishala Mumba said the movement had learnt with sadness that the giant mining firm had been sending workers on forced leave. “We have learnt, with great sadness and concern, of forced leaves that have been imposed on hundreds of KCM workers, among them, members of our movement. At this point, our communities of Chingola and Chililabombwe have officially come to a standstill. Our local economies have...