| Kambove mines | |
| Pushpin Map: | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Coordinates: | -10.8129°N 26.5857°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Province |
| State/Province: | Katanga Province |
| Country: | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Owner: | Gécamines |
| Products: | Copper, cobalt |
The Kambove mines (French: Société minière de Kababancola) are a group of active or abandoned copper mines near Kambove in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were originally established by the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga under Belgian rule.
Inactive mines in the region include Kabolela Mine, Kakanda deposit, Kambove Principal Mine and M'sesa Mine.Gécamines, a state-owned mining company, owns the Kamoya central, Kamoya south, Shangolowe and Kamfundwa mines.[1] Other mines are Kambove West Mine and the "secret" Kamoya South II Mine.
In January 2001 the Kababancola Mining Company (KMC) was established as a copper and cobalt mining partnership for a 25-year term.Tremalt, controlled by John Bredenkamp, held 80% of KMC while Gecamines held 20%.[2] KMC gained the rights to mines, facilities and concentrators at Kambove and Kakanda.KMC made relatively low investment in these properties, continuing to operate the already-functioning Kamoya Mine but not opening the others.In March 2002 the DRC authorities took back control of the Kambove concentrator from Tremalt following a complaint by the manager of KMC against Gecamines at the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes.[3]