Kalulushi

Kalulushi is a town in the Copperbelt Province of north central Zambia, on the M18 road about 12 km west of Kitwe. It began as a planned company town for the mining companies and housed the main offices of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines. It was established in 1953 for workers at the nearby Chibuluma copper and cobalt mine and became a public town in 1958, at an altitude of 1,260 m. The name comes from the Lamba language and refers to the Kalulushi River, whose name is believed to derive from kalulu, hare. The closure of the 2 Shaft and 7 Shaft mining sites caused a severe decline in economic activity, and the town is now home to Zambia Catholic University and two health colleges. Chambishi Metals is its major employer, and the Chati Forest Reserve west of the town supplies timber to the mines.