‘Much needed step’ for resolving mining disputes - Zambia’s Mining Appeals Tribunal sworn in under new regime

The appointments of five members of the Mining Appeals Tribunal and an Assistant Registrar are “a significant step towards strengthening accountability, transparency, and good governance in Zambia’s mining sector”, said Lady Justice Koreen Etambuyu Mwenda-Zimba, following a ceremony swearing in the new members. 

A judge of the High Court, Commercial Division, the Lady Justice yesterday swore in Philimon Songolo SC as Chair of the Mining Appeals Tribunal, along with Douglas Tambulukani as Vice-Chair, Prof Emmanuel Chanda, Dr Mususu Kaonda, and Dr Joseph Dyson Saul Zulu as Members, and Mutale Kamangu as Assistant Registrar.

Yesterday’s ceremony follows on from last month’s inauguration of a new Chair and eight Board members for Zambia’s Minerals Regulation Commission, who have been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the country’s mineral resources are managed prudently for the benefit of both present and future generations.

“The mining sector is rapidly evolving due to global market dynamics, technological advancements and increasing demands for transparency and good governance,” noted Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Paul Kabuswe on 6 May. 

Now, Lady Justice Mwenda-Zimba said that the establishment of the Mining Appeals Tribunal under the Minerals Regulation Commission Act No. 14 of 2024 demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring that decisions affecting the mining industry are subject to fair, impartial, and competent review.

The Tribunal members had previously been sworn in under the old legislation in January 2025, but with the commencement of the new mining regime late last year, a fresh oath was required binding them to new statutory powers, guidelines, and the appellate frameworks established under the now-operational 2024 legislation. 

The Mining Appeals Tribunal consists of a mix of veteran legal practitioners and technical experts from the mining sector. The Chair, Philimon Songolo, is a veteran Senior Counsel with decades of experience in Lusaka. Vice-Chair Douglas Tambulukani is the Managing Partner of DT Legal Practitioners, a full-service, independent law firm based in Ndola in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. 

Prof Emmanuel Chanda is Dean of the School of Mines at the University of Zambia (UNZA), and has nearly four decades’ of experience in mine operations, academia, and consulting in the local and global mining sector. Dr Mususu Kaonda is an expert in metallurgy, extractive processing, and board governance, and the first-ever female lecturer of Metallurgical Engineering in the School of Mines at UNZA. Dr. Joseph Zulu is an expert in structural geology and ore deposit, and a senior academic, researcher, and highly qualified technical specialist.

Having previously described last month’s inauguration of the Minerals Regulation Commission as a “major and welcome development for Zambia’s mining sector”, leading expert Chilombo Malama, Head of Mining at Chibesakunda & Company, a DLA Piper Africa member firm, praised yesterday’s swearing in of the Mining Appeals Tribunal as “a much needed step” for efficient resolution of mining disputes. 

Malamba also spoke with Africa Legal earlier this year about the potential for Africa’s critical mineral wealth to help nations like Zambia transform their economic and social development (if governments and local industry can adapt). 

New Mining Regulation Commission Chair Matongo Matamwandi, who recently finished a successful three‑year term as CEO of the Zambia Tourism Agency, has underlined mining’s place as “the lifeline” for Zambia and its development.