[4] On 1 April 2000, Mopani purchased the ZCCM assets at Mufulira and Nkana, consisting of the underground mine, concentrator, smelter, refinery and cobalt plant, from the government.

[2][1] With a new government installed in August 2021, indications of a policy shift on ownership were floated with the leadership advising they intend to create an enabling environment that will attract both local and international investments.

[9][10][11] In March 2022, the Canadian High Commissioner to Zambia Pamela O’Donnell, indicated that Canada, through Barrick Gold and First Quantum Minerals expressed interest to invest in the Mine.

[10] In July, ZCCM-Investment Holdings agreed to offer corporate guarantees of up to US$15.0 million to Atlas Mara Bank Zambia Limited to provide working capital to Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) to inject liquidity for its operations.

[12] Mopani Copper Mines was previously owned by Carlisa Investments Corporation (a joint venture company comprising Glencore International AG (73.1%) and First Quantum Minerals Ltd (16.9%)) and ZCCM-IH (10%).

[4] In February 2024, Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH) approved the acquisition of a 51 percent stake worth 25.5 bn kwacha (US$ 1.1 bn) in Mopani Copper Mines Plc by Delta Mining Limited, a subsidiary of International Resource Holdings (IRH) that is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

In this documentary local residents complain of frequent breathing problems, chest pain and eye irritation due to exposure to the emissions.

In the documentary a serious incident due to high levels of sulfuric acid in the drinking water in 2008 is reported, which caused numerous hospitalizations of local residents, among whom children.

Local officials are seen testifying that measured concentrations of sulfur dioxide frequently reach levels many times higher than recommended values.

It was reported that Zambian environment authorities temporarily closed part of the mining operation after health complaints from local residents in March 2012.

[18] However, under investigation is the fraudulent dissimulation of thousands of million dollars by MCM,[19] and the President of the EIB has instructed the services to decline any further financing request from this company or one of its subsidiaries.

Assets include: a concentrator, a refinery and a smelter; and produces 35,000 tonnes of contained copper in ore each year through the process of open stoping.

The project has successfully established the capacity to eliminate 170,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide a year, materially contributing to the protection of the environment.

89 mine workers from the night shift were killed, and a sinkhole at the bottom of the drained pond remained, allowing surface water to continue to pour into the workings.

[22] Two years prior to this, a series of sinkholes had started to develop within the #3 Tailings Pond as the result of underground hanging wall collapse, and two instances of mud ingress had been recorded.

The Nkana Concentrator is one of the most important mineral processing units of Mopani, as it contributes to produce high purity cobalt metal.

[31] According to the company itself, MCM is spends around US$16–20 million per year on social projects that include: operating two hospitals and seven township clinics, five first-aid centers and public health departments at Nkana and Mufulira mines.

Mopani also runs two schools for 1,850 pupils, HIV and malaria prevention and control programmes, supports local orphanages, charities and sports clubs.

Due to serious concerns about Glencore's governance which have been brought to light recently and which go far beyond the Mopani investment, the President of the EIB has instructed the services to decline any further financing request from this company or one of its subsidiaries.