When my sister dropped me off at the airport, the time was exactly 6:25 AM. It had been nine years since I last stepped on a plane, and the same amount of time had passed since I was last inside Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. I was late for a flight scheduled to take off for Solwezi at 6:40 AM, but that didn’t immediately register in my mind as I rushed to the check-in terminal.

“Are you flying to Solwezi?” a soft-spoken gentleman inquired as soon as I reached the terminal.

“Yes, I am,” I responded.

“Manje kubwela this time, boss?” the man complained, referring to my lateness. “Mr. Banda, is it?” he asked further, before requesting my ID. Before I could even remove my NRC from my pocket, the man handed me a boarding pass and urged me to rush through the security checkpoint to have my backpack scanned. “Please hurry, sir; your flight is about to take off.”

I peeked at the boarding pass to ensure it had my name on it before proceeding. Luckily, there was no queue at the security checkpoint, and moments later, I was heading for the plane, with a security personnel escorting me and radioing the flight crew that the last passenger was en route.

The air hostess greeted me with a big smile as I ascended the stairs onto the plane. “Welcome on board, sir,” she said before asking for my boarding pass.

“Thank you, Christine,” I responded, having seen her name on a small badge on her clothing.

When I reached my seat, a lean, middle-aged man was sitting next to the window. Betrayed by his attire, I could tell right away that he was a journalist. “I’m Elias. How are you doing?”

“Charles Zulu,” he responded, returning my greeting. “Are you going on vacation or business?” I asked Charles.

“I’m going for work. I’m with the media,” he confirmed, validating my earlier guess.

“Well, I’m also a journalist with News Diggers,” I told him. We exchanged a few pleasantries before I reached for a book in my bag, Fire and Blood, and leaned back into my seat. Charles appeared tired as he placed earpieces in.

As the plane took off, I gazed through the window hoping to see clouds below, but instead, I was greeted by a foggy view. Indifferent to the view, I shifted my focus back to my book and immersed myself in the world of Ice and Fire.

Disembarking from the plane an hour later, with Charles behind me, I noticed several other journalists who all seemed to know each other, leaving me as the odd one out. We were about ten in total. A pleasant-looking gentleman, who introduced himself as Prince, was waiting for us at the airport in Solwezi. The town was nothing like I had imagined; it appeared as disorganised as most areas in the country. However, I was envious to see that the roads looked better than those in my hometown of Petauke.

We soon arrived at the Royal Solwezi Hotel, where we met our hosts—a team led by Mwiza Malila, the wife of the Chief Justice. Mwiza was a jovial and welcoming personality who seamlessly interacted with everyone around her. She was as down-to-earth as anyone could possibly be.

We had been invited to tour the two mines owned by First Quantum Minerals in the province, and our schedule was tight. With the executives already waiting for us at Kansanshi Mine, it was decided that we would leave our luggage in one room and check in later after the tour. So we joined another group from the Zambia Development Agency and drove in two buses to the mine.

The mine’s administration block is situated a good ten-minute drive from the main entrance, with the driveway passing through a wood before the unremarkable structure appears. The area was well-kept, and the air outside was surprisingly fresh, unlike what one might expect at a mine.

Upon arrival, we were given safety boots and other PPE gear, then invited into a conference room for a 30-minute introductory session. After everyone introduced themselves, Axel Kottgen, the Kansanshi Mining PLC Assistant General Manager, presented an overview of FQM’s projects at Kansanshi. I and the other journalists watched Axel’s presentation in which he outlined FQM’s vision for the mine, he revealed the massive investment that the company has made as it expands operations. Also present were the mine’s Finance Manager, Matthew Hinde, and FQM Country Manager Dr. Godwin Beene. The three answered a few questions from the visiting journalists after Axel’s presentation, and then it was time for the tour to begin.

First up was a visit to the mine’s main pit. There, we encountered a massive hole about 3.4 kilometres long, 2.4 kilometres wide and 235 meters deep. The pit, widest at its mouth and narrowing as it descends into the earth, has a staircase-like design around its circumference. Operational Readiness Superintendent Kelvin Chitambo explained that the staircase shapes were intentionally designed to stop falling rocks or other materials in their tracks, countering the kinetic energy they might gain while rolling downwards. Kelvin also described how the minerals are extracted from the pit using explosives to blast the rock beneath. The exploded rocks are then crashed and taken to a processing plant where the copper is extracted.

When it was time for lunch, we drove back to the administration block where a buffet had been prepared. The food was delicious, and I enjoyed the tender beef that had been served. However, a few journalists were not happy that nshima had not been included. With only potatoes serving as the starch, some colleagues complained among themselves that the meal was not “Zambian enough.” Well, no complaints from me.

After lunch, we got a new tour guide—a man of average build, about 1.8 meters tall. Andrew Nugent, Kansanshi Mining PLC S3 Operations Readiness Manager, took us to view the mine’s biggest project under construction. The S3 project is essentially going to be a milling plant where the crushed mineral ore will be refined into gravel or powder. From there, the milled product will be placed in a flotation system to separate the copper, which will then be moved to the smelter for upgrading. The plant itself is still in a skeletal form, made up of steel frames. It has two cylindrical chambers placed horizontally that will receive the crushed mineral ore. The purpose of these two chambers is to further crush the rocks into a gravel-like substance, which can then be placed in another chamber with treated water, allowing the copper to float and be extracted. After showing us the construction site of S3 and explaining the purposes of the many compartments being built, Andrew’s job was done, and it was time for us to tour the smelter.

The smelter is where copper extracted from the ore is heated at high temperatures to remove impurities.

Arriving at the plant, we were greeted by a blast of hot air. Here, the copper is heated to temperatures above 1100 degrees Celsius in a process that produces copper anodes and cathodes. The anodes are 95 percent copper, while the cathodes are 99.9 percent copper.

The environment in which smelting takes place is so hot that workers are required to wear heat-resistant clothing, which allows them to stay in the environment for longer periods than would otherwise be possible.

With the tour of the processing plants completed, it was time for us to see the other side of Kansanshi Mine—the game reserve. One of FQM’s goals is to support conservation efforts, and at Kansanshi, the company has reserved about 4300 hectares of land for game preservation. We had the pleasure of viewing zebras, warthogs, and impalas while touring the reserve. This area also houses over 200 species of birds, and although we did not see any pangolins, the mine’s wildlife and agriculture coordinator, Dr. Jackson Katampi, disclosed that they are found in the area. There are also many species of snakes in the woods at the mine, and no one is allowed to kill them. An employee who kills a snake risks being dismissed.

The mine has also set up a program to help vulnerable young girls and women by teaching them to work with copper to create jewelry at the Nsanshi Art Foundation. When we visited the art center, we found some young women working on several pieces: necklaces, rings, earrings, wrist bands and more. The foundation identifies vulnerable women, houses them, and teaches them the trade of making jewelry using waste copper from the mine.

By the time we finished visiting the Nsanshi Art Foundation, it was already 18:00 hours. After a busy day of moving from one point to another, our hosts finally allowed us to return to the hotel and freshen up before dinner. The meal would be at 19:00 hours, so we did not have time to rest beforehand. Fortunately, electricity was restored at the hotel just as we arrived from our tour.

Not wanting to waste any time, I quickly rushed to the reception to check in. After collecting my room key, I picked up my backpack and climbed the stairs to the first floor where I was accommodated. I entered my room, removed my safety boots, and took a quick shower.

At dinner, I sat next to Prince, the driver who had picked us up from the airport and driven the team throughout the tour. Next to him were two ladies, one of whom was a journalist named Mercy. Prince is an entertaining fellow who never runs out of things to say. Originally from Kabwe, he spoke of how men who came to work at the mine in Solwezi often forgot about their families back home after finding concubines in town. “If you make a female friend here, never eat food from her house,” he warned. “You’ll forget about your family. I’ve seen it many times.”

The evening was full of stories and relaxation, but most of us were tired and didn’t have the energy to socialise much. Hence, we left for our rooms immediately after dinner, as we needed to catch an early morning flight to Kalumbila the following day.

I sat down on the bed hoping to write a short story about the day’s events, but my eyes were heavy and my mind foggy. Looking at the time, it was already half past 10. I decided to read my book instead. Putting my phone on the charger, I turned the page to read about a dance of dragons, and then darkness came.

I opened my eyes, only to find everything around me shrouded in darkness. Even the small lamp I had left on had gone out – Zesco had done its thing again. Reaching for my phones, I noticed one had charged to 60 percent, while the other was at 40 percent. It seemed the electricity must have been cut off shortly after I fell asleep. Checking the time, I saw it was the hour of the owl. I spent the next two hours reading by torchlight and finally got out of bed at 5 AM to take a shower.

We had agreed to meet up at 6 AM, but Prince was nowhere to be seen. I decided to head to the dining room, where I found other journalists having breakfast. I joined them. It took an hour for the driver to arrive, and then everyone rushed to the bus.

This time, I sat next to a young scribe from the Mast newspaper, Thomas Ngala. We had driven about halfway to the airport when Andrew Mwansa from Diamond TV noticed that Charles was missing from the bus. “Has anyone seen Charles?” he called out. It was then that we all realised he had stayed behind at the hotel. “Someone call his phone,” suggested one of the ladies on the bus. “His phone is broken; he dropped it when we went for dinner last night,” Andrew replied. “But I was with him this morning. I left him awake and working on his laptop in his room.”

“Let’s call the hotel and ask them to check his room. He must have gone back to sleep,” someone on the bus suggested.

Back in his hotel room, Charles had lost track of time while editing videos on his laptop. When he finally checked his watch, it was 7:30 AM, and he realised the bus to the airport must have left him behind. Rushing out of his room, he encountered a hotel staff member who had been sent to check on him. “Your friends have left!” she declared. Fortunately, a nearby taxi was available, and Charles hopped in before speeding off.

The bus arrived at the airport not long after, and with the flight scheduled to depart at 08:05 AM, we quickly joined the check-in queue. Most of the other passengers had already checked in, so we proceeded with the process promptly. Thankfully, Charles arrived just in time and joined the queue at the end.

The flight to Kalumbila took only fifteen minutes. As we flew over Lumwana Mine, I observed the vast pit where mining takes place. Situated in the middle of the forest, the sight saddened me, reflecting on the environmental damage caused by mining. It made me think of the conservation efforts that FQM is implementing. I believe the government should mandate that anyone engaged in mining invest a prescribed percentage of their earnings in preserving the environment and wildlife.

In 2010, the land where Trident is located was a dense forest filled with indigenous trees. A decade later, FQM had transformed the area into a site with an airport, two large dams, Kalumbila town, a residential estate, and a golf club, all powered by a 33-kilovolt line stretching 600 kilometres.

We landed in this mining town, situated 150 kilometres west of Solwezi, at exactly 08:20 AM and found a bus waiting for us. The roads to the mine and town were well-tarred and surrounded by vegetation. Trident comprises two projects: Sentinel and Enterprise. FQM’s policy is to employ local labour, focusing on natives from the villages in the area. Only three percent of Trident employees are foreign expatriates; the remaining 97 percent are Zambian.

Scott Whitehead and Frederic Wouters, both Assistant General Managers at Trident, welcomed us. After a brief introductory session and presentation at the administration block’s conference room, they took us on a tour bus. The first project we visited was Sentinel, where copper is mined. We made a preliminary stop at the mining workshop, used to assemble equipment for both projects and fix any broken down vehicles.

In front of the workshop stood a massive truck—towering at 7.4 metres high, 8.7 metres wide, and 14.5 meters long. The Liebherr dump truck can carry up to 360 tonnes, equivalent to lifting 125 Toyota Hiluxes. It runs on diesel and electricity and transports mineral ore to the processing plant. Each of its six tires costs $70,000. To operate this machine, the driver climbs a staircase in front of the truck to reach the control centre at the top.

After taking pictures of the Liebherr dump truck and learning about its features, we proceeded to the Sentinel mining pit, where copper ore is collected. The pit was another vast hole, several kilometres long and wide but only 80 meters deep. At Sentinel, the first ore crusher is located at the pit; from there, the rock is moved using conveyor belts to a mill for further crushing before being transported by heavy-duty trucks to the processing plant.

At the processing plant, we witnessed firsthand how copper is separated from the ore. The crushed ore is placed in separation chambers filled with water treated with reagents. These chemicals allow the copper to float to the top, where it is collected. This copper is 40 percent pure. Since Trident lacks a smelter, the separated copper is sent to Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi for further processing.

From the processing plant, we moved on to view the Enterprise project, where nickel ore is mined. FQM has contracted a Zambian-owned company to handle all mining activities at Enterprise, which has a much smaller pit compared to Sentinel. Despite its size, this project produces the largest quantities of nickel on the African continent.

Our last stop was Kalumbila town. Before that, Scott and Frederic treated us to lunch at the Kalumbila Golf Club. The club, located by a dam, offered a serene environment with lush greenery and fresh air. It’s a great place to relax and is quite affordable. Although membership is required, a monthly subscription costs K100 for non-golf-playing members and K300 for golf-playing members – three times less than my gym subscription.

Unlike Lusaka, where most new residential areas rely on boreholes and septic tanks, Kalumbila town has an organised system for fresh water and sewage. Water is pumped from the dam, purified, and distributed to homes, making it as clean as Vatra or Manzi Valley water. The town itself is clean and equipped with all the necessary facilities – churches, schools, a recreation park, and more. Local farmers have a market for their vegetables, which are also used by the mine to prepare meals for its workers.

As the sun began to set, it was time for us to return to Lusaka. After a wonderful time touring Trident, we were escorted back to the airport.

Our flight, scheduled for 5:15 PM, was delayed by 30 minutes and took off at 5:45 PM. It was the smallest plane I had ever been on, but the flight back was the most enjoyable. Sitting next to Charles at the rear of the plane, we reconnected with Christine. The flight attendant shared stories of her travels and provided Charles and me with six packs each of Castle and Castle Lite lager. My friend seemed quite taken with her; her inviting aura likely had something to do with it.

As we flew over the capital, the darkness below reminded me of Zesco’s ongoing struggles with load-shedding. My sister was waiting for me at the airport, accompanied by her husband. As we drove away, she asked me to recount the story of my trip to the mines, but I was too tired. “You’ll read about it in the newspaper. Get yourself a copy,” I told her.