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GREEN CHERT MINING LICENCE GRANTED, 3 500 JOBS COMING

25/02/2024 17:00:00 Mfanukhona Nkambule

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MBABANE – Michael Lee is happy for emaSwati.

In an interview with the Times SUNDAY, Lee thanked His Majesty the King for granting his company, Michael Lee Enterprises a licence to undertake a full-scale Green Chert mining at Malolotja, which has a guarantee of 3 500 jobs. “The licence has been granted, I’m happy the King has signed,” Lee said. He said it was through the King’s wisdom and vision for the country that his company got the licence. Lee mentioned that the signing of the licence by the King was a win-win situation, as emaSwati ‘are now guaranteed decent jobs’. Despite that the company was all along having a prospecting licence, the businessman said workers were entitled to medical aid and funeral cover. He said the lowest paid employee got E3 200. “This we did despite that we had a prospecting licence,” he said.

interested

He assured the King and Her Majesty Indlovukazi, together with emaSwati that the granting of the licence by the head of State to signal serious work has influenced C. Steinweg Bridge to take interest in relocating to the country to invest and create jobs as well. Lee disclosed that C. Steinweg Bridge was interested in sugar, iron ore and timber. He said there was also another company that was interested in the manufacturing of socks and pharmateutical products. He said Michael Lee Enterprises was not in the country to manipulate or monopolise natural resources, but to ensure emaSwati benefitted from the mineral. To show determination and commitment to local investment, he said his company spent E7 million on creating a road leading to the mine site. He said they also spent money on mining trucks, with each costing E6 million.

He said they had seven of those trucks. Lee mentioned that the investment was going to cost over E100 million. “I want to thank the King for his warm welcome and words of encouragement during his visit to the mine site on Wednesday,” he said. Lee is currently the Chairman of the Africa Chamber of Commerce for Taiwan and has also been nominated for the position of chairperson for the World Chamber of Commerce for Taiwan. So far, he stands for the election unopposed. The elections will be held in October 2024.

project

His company once got the licence but could not undertake the project because of environmental issues at Malolotja as the Eswatini National Trust Commission was opposed to mining in that area. He has been trying to do mining at Malolotja since 1997. Commissioner of Mines Robert Biyela had not responded to our questionnaire by 8pm last night. During his visit to the mine on Wednesday, the King also talked about the coming 3 500 jobs. It has been established that the company’s directors had dinner with the King, Her Majesty Indlovukazi and other people at Pigg’s Peak Hotel on the same night. The company currently employs over 100 workers.