MOPANI RESCUE TEAM SECURES HISTORIC SECOND PLACE AT 2026 INTERNATIONAL MINES RESCUE COMPETITION

06 MAY 2026 – Mopani Copper Mines PLC has recorded a major international achievement after
the Mopani Mufulira Mine Rescue Team emerged as the Second Overall Best Team at the
prestigious 2026 International Mines Rescue Competition (IMRC) held in Zambia.

The IMRC is a biennial global event that brings together the world’s leading mine rescue
professionals to test their emergency response capabilities, technical expertise and teamwork under
realistic mine emergency simulations.

Mopani’s Mufulira Mine Rescue Team competed against 21 elite teams from more than 10 countries,
including Canada, Australia, Poland, Colombia, India, China, Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso
and the host nation, Zambia.

The overall 2026 IMRC award was won by Coal Mine India, while Glencore Kidd Mine of Canada
secured the third Overall Best Winner prize.

The results were announced by IMRC 2026 Chief Judge, Mr. Shawn Rideout, during the Awards
Gala Dinner held in Livingstone on Tuesday, 5th May 2026.

The overall winner awards went to the teams adjudicated to have accumulated the highest scores
across the six categories as determined by a pool of around 40 international judges from across the
globe and experts in their respective disciplines. The six categories competed for were underground
simulation, firefighting, rope rescue, first aid, equipment testing and team skills, assessed by over
40 international judges.

In announcing the overall runners-up in the global competition, Mr. Rideout declared: “The overall
second-best winner, ladies and gentlemen, is a team from Zambia – Mopani Mufulira Mine Rescue
Team!”

In addition to winning the overall second-best award, Mopani delivered exceptional performances in
individual categories, emerging second best in Rope Rescue, while Mopani rescue technician
Wellingtone Bwalya won the second best position in the Equipment Technician’s Individual Test
category.

The Mopani Mufulira Mine Rescue Team becomes the first African team in over 100 years of the
competition to achieve a second-place overall finish.

Reacting to the achievement, Mopani Copper Mines PLC Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Charles
Sakanya, described the recognition as a strong confirmation of the company’s continued investment
in mine safety and emergency preparedness.

“This outstanding global achievement by our Mufulira Mine Rescue Team is a demonstration of the
world-class competence, discipline and professionalism that our people continue to exhibit. It is also
a strong endorsement of Mopani’s heavy investment in safe mining operations and emergency
response preparedness,” said Mr. Sakanya.

He added that Mopani remained committed to ensuring that safety continued to be embedded in
every aspect of the company’s operations.

“At Mopani, safety is not merely a compliance requirement; it is a core value that defines how we
operate, how we interact and what we prioritise, and that is why any incident or accident, however
minor, is treated with seriousness and the urgency it deserves with a view to eliminating any
recurrence. We are proud that our investment in modern rescue infrastructure, training and
emergency response systems is producing globally competitive results,” he said.

As part of preparations for hosting the IMRC 2026, Mopani invested more than US$ 1 million towards
upgrading critical rescue and training infrastructure. The investments included the establishment of
an ultra-modern communication and control room equipped with advanced technologies for
communication and real-time monitoring of competition activities, the upgrading of underground
infrastructure at the Mufulira West Underground Portal as well as extensive improvements to
facilities at the Mopani Central Training Centre (MCTC).

The 2026 IMRC was co-hosted by Mopani Copper Mines PLC at MCTC in Mufulira and FQM
Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi, with Zambia becoming the first ever African country to host the globally
recognised competition.

Mopani Copper Mines PLC is an integrated Zambian copper mining company committed to safe,
sustainable and responsible mining operations.
-End-

Original statement signed by:
Dr. Nebert Mulenga
Public Relations Manager