Mufulira

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MUFULIRA

Province : Copperbelt

Official blazon

Arms: Vert two chevronels Or between in chief a pair of scales Gold and in base a native Northern Rhodesian copper smelting furnace also Gold enflamed proper.
Crest: On a wreath Or and Vert, a cubit arm erect Sable charged on the wrist with a mullet of six points Argent two hands grasping a native Northern Rhodesian copper currency bar in the form of a saltire formy proper.
Supporters: On either side a Rhodesian fish-eagle wings elevated and addorsed Or holding in the beak an alchemical sign for copper Sable the exterior claw perched on a fish fesstwise the head inwards Argent.
Motto: Per laborem ad copiam

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on June 20, 1957.

The green and gold of the shield symbolise respectively the wooded country and the mineral wealth of the copperbelt. The chevronels, the shape suggesting roofs, represent the mine township and the municipal township which together constitute Mufulira.

The scales represent the commercial side of the towm's activities, whilst the mining and industrial sides are represented by the old native furnace.

The crest represents a native miner's right arm holding the type of currency bar anciently used in the area. The mullet s intended to represent the north star and is an allusion to the town's title 'the gateway of the north' and it is derived from the fact that Mufulira is the first town encountered on entering Zambia via the Benguela Railway from Lobito Bay in Angola.

The supporters are the Rhodesian fish-eagle and fish taken from the national arms, while the- chemical sign for copper which each eagle holds in its beak is a further reference to the copper mining which is the reason for the town's existence.

The motto is Per Laboram Ad Copiam and this may be translated as Through hard work to abundance.