FORMER Kasenengwa PF member of parliament Sensio Banda says government should treat the Mufumbwe illegal mining crisis as a policy failure rather than a criminal matter, arguing that poverty, not criminal intent, drove youths to the site. Banda says the deployment of army and police personnel to the area is effectively criminalising poverty, instead of addressing the root cause of the unrest. His comments follow the July 6, violent clash between illegal miners and security forces at Kinkonge Gold Mine in Mufumbwe District, which left several people dead and others injured. Speaking during an appearance on Millennium TV on Sunday, Banda stressed that the government’s approach should have focused on economic alternatives and preventative policy, rather than force. “What is...