The Opposition Socialist Party said Zambia must draw lessons from the loss of 89 miners in the Mufulira disaster of 1970.
In a statement, Saturday, the General Secretary of the Socialist Party and People’s Pact, Dr Cosmas Musumali, recalled that on 16 January 1970, shift bosses at Mufulira copper mine documented abnormal pressure conditions at the 518-metre level.
Dr Musumali explained that this occurred during Zambia’s peak rainy season, when the skies had been pouring for weeks.
He reflected that the logbook entries from that day were a critical warning that tragically went unheeded.
Dr Musumali recounted that eight months later, on 25 September 1970, nearly one million tonnes of water-saturated tailings surged through sinkholes, killing 89 miners.
He described how January 1970 brought 249 millimetres of rainfall in 30 days, with 90 per cent humidity saturating the No. 3 tailings dam.
Dr Musumali reminded the public that the first sinkhole had already appeared on 22 November 1968, but management dismissed the danger as self-sealing.
He underlined that pressure warnings logged on 16 January and again on 8 August 1970 were ignored, despite mounting risks.
Dr Musumali recounted that at 2:00 AM on 25 September, the dam collapsed, flooding the mine and halving production.
He noted that the Commission of Inquiry later faulted the lack of foresight in adopting new mining methods and waste disposal practices.
Dr Musumali emphasised that the disaster led to stricter safety standards, particularly in tailings dam oversight.
He stressed that the Mufulira tragedy still holds vital lessons for Zambia’s mining-reliant economy.
