JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Zambezi Resources has confirmed that the Lusaka High Court in Zambia concluded the inter-party appeal hearing with regard to the environmental approval of its Kangaluwi copper project.

The appeal had been lodged on February 6 by an applicant group representing various organisations associated with an environmental movement that opposed the Zambian Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection’s decision to allow the Kangaluwi project to proceed in the upper escarpment area of the Lower Zambezi National Park.

At the time the appeal was lodged, a stay of execution was granted to the appellants preventing Zambezi subsidiary Mwembeshi Resources from starting operations on the site, the miner explained in a statement released on Thursday.

“The judge has reserved his decision in the case and has indicated he will hand it down as soon as possible after March 14,” until which time the parties could still file further material if they wished to do so, Zambezi said. 

“The two key legal issues, on which the judge indicated he will rule on, are the stay of execution and the irregularity of the appeal,” Zambezi said, adding that the stay of execution would remain in place until the decision was handed down.

“Zambezi has the utmost respect for the Zambian legal process and with the hearing now concluded, [the company] awaits the decision of the presiding judge. Zambezi remains positive about receiving a favourable outcome, Zambezi chairperson David Vilensky said.

He added that the company was disappointed by the lack of support from the conservation movement, with which it would like to proactively engage to ensure that the Kangaluwi project, if it was allowed to proceed, was at the forefront of a new generation of environmentally sustainable mine developments.

The company last month stated that it aimed to develop the project into “the world’s greenest copper mine” while generating local jobs and improving liv