Lunhinga Mine 'lays off' over 100 workers due to financial difficulties.

Two mining companies at risk of bankruptcy in Lunda-Norte are leaving families unemployed.

The Sociedade Mineira do Lunhinga, in the province of Lunda-Norte, suspended 102 employment contracts and 102 employees of the company in July due to financial difficulties, said the chairman of the diamond company's Board of Directors, Samuel Republicano.

The decision to suspend contracts was made due to the financial difficulties that the company has been facing, with emphasis on “internal and external factors”, the official highlighted.

“These are the factors that prevent the company from fulfilling some of its main commitments, especially the payment of employees' salaries”, he said.

The company, which currently has a workforce of 350 employees, has as one of its main focuses the recovery of stability levels, which involves reducing operating costs. The implementation of the investment plan, already outlined, is scheduled for the coming months, which will consist of boosting production to get the company out of the critical situation it finds itself in.

In the meantime, to overcome the situation affecting the Luminas mine, the management of the Angolan National Diamond Company (Endiama) is developing actions to help improve the financial situation of the Lunhinga and Luminas mining companies, which are currently going through a critical phase, judging by the difficulties imposed by the market, including internal factors related to operating costs.