“You'll Be Fired if You Refuse” - Human Rights Watch

After Mwanawasa died in August 2008, another presidential election was held that
October—this time between Sata and Vice President Rupiah Banda, who became acting
president upon Mwanawasa’s death. While he continued to decry poor working conditions
in the copper industry, Sata promised to protect China’s investments in Zambia. 66 Banda
won an extremely close election, with Sata claiming fraud. 67
On September 20, 2011, Zambians returned to the polls, with Banda and Sata the two main
candidates. While his anti-Chinese demagoguery was nowhere near the 2006 levels, Sata
remained outspoken against Chinese investment practices in the prelude to elections. 68
When election results had not been announced by September 22, riots broke out in the
main Copperbelt towns 69 —where dozens of miners interviewed by Human Rights Watch
had threatened “problems” should Banda remain in power. The following day, the
electoral commission proclaimed Sata the winner, with around 43 percent of the vote.
Banda, with 36 percent of the vote, conceded and called on Zambians “to unite and build
tomorrow’s Zambia together.” 70
In his inaugural speech, Sata said that foreign investment in the mining sector would still be
welcomed, but companies must respect the country’s labor laws. 71 The first weeks of his
administration have been marked by frenetic activity related to the copper mining industry in
particular, and the economy more generally. Sata immediately called on the labor ministry to
increase the monthly minimum wage from the current 419,000 Kwacha ($87). 72 He also quickly
replaced the head of the anticorruption commission and the police chief, dismissed the
governor and board of Zambia’s central bank, and announced that he would further disband
the boards of four state-owned companies. 73
On October 4, the government announced a ban on metal exports, including copper, due to
fears that companies were misreporting their exports. The government said that new
66 Shapi Shacinda, “Zambia opposition warms to Chinese investment,” Reuters, September 8, 2008.
67 Shapi Shacinda, “Zambia election fraud, says Sata,” IOL News (South Africa), November 14, 2008.
68 See, e.g., “Transcript of Sata’s controversial Interview,” Lusakatimes.com, March 22, 2011,
http://www.lusakatimes.com/2011/03/22/transcript-satas-controversial-interview/.
69 BBC News, “Zambia poll: Riots in Kitwe and Ndola over slow results,” September 22, 2011.
70 “Zambia Election Results: Opposition Wins, China Watches Warily,” International Business Times, September 23, 2011.
71 Nicholas Bariyo, Dow Jones, “Zambia President: Mining Firms Must Respect Labor Laws,” September 23, 2011. See also Andrew
England, “Sata gives Chinese investors guarded welcome,” Financial Times, September 26, 2011 (quoting Sata as saying, “We
welcome your investment, but as we welcome your investment, your investment should benefit Zambians and not the Chinese.”).
72 “Zambian workers set to strike,” AFP, October 10, 2011.
73 Chris Mfula and Clara Ferreira-Marques, “Zambia lifts metal exports ban after two days,” Reuters, October 7, 2011;
Nicholas Bariyo and Devon Maylie, “Zambia Lifts Ban on Copper Exports,” Wall Street Journal, October 7, 201; “Editorial:
Lessons for SA in Sata’s Zambia,” Business Day (South Africa), October 11, 2011.
27 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | NOVEMBER 2011