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Johannesburg - Global mining group and commodities trader Glencore said on Friday it was suspending its zinc unit in Zambia and was cutting 169 jobs at the mine amid a row over VAT tax.
Africa's second-largest copper producer is withholding a $600m in VAT refunds owed to mining firms and will only repay the cash when companies produce import certificates from destination countries, the minister of mines said in June.
Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda said in August it planned to waive the requirement because it is impractical. The Zambia Revenue Authority says it is still consulting with exporters before implementation.
Glencore said in a statement it was placing Sable Zinc Kabwe under "care and maintenance" - which means operations are being halted - in response "to the current local economic environment in Zambia, as well as the cash flow restrictions caused by the withholding of around $12m in VAT refunds."
Aside from the lay-offs, Glencore also said Sable was curtailing "all expansion capital projects."
"Sable is working with affected employees to identify opportunities at other group companies in Zambia as well as with other operations in the Kabwe area," it said.
Job cuts are a thorny issue in Zambia and the government of President Michael Sata has previously threatened to revoke the licenses of companies that have said they plan to trim headcount.
