Devastating toxic spill seen as test of whether African countries will stand up to China

Lamec, like his country Zambia, finds himself in a difficult position. The mine is owned by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, a subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned firm, which has created - according to Chinese sources - more than 2,000 jobs.

Chinese companies like these provide jobs and much needed revenue in Africa. Although the US has recently become the biggest foreign investor across the continent, China is still one of the largest investors in Africa's rich minerals and metals industry - not least in Zambia's Copperbelt Province, the scene of the dam collapse.

More than 30,000 jobs have been created by Chinese companies across Zambia, according to the Chinese embassy. Investment from China was estimated to be worth $1.7bn (£1.3bn) last year. And - in a sign of the close links between the two countries - Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Zambia late last month, ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit in South Africa.

But China has also been accused of neocolonialism, with critics arguing that its infrastructure loans trap African countries in unmanageable debt, that it doesn't upskill local workers, preferring to bring its own in instead, and that its focus on mineral extraction sometimes comes at the expense of safeguarding the environment.

In September, 176 farmers filed an $80bn (£58bn) lawsuit against Sino Metals and NFC Africa, the Chinese firm that owns the land the mine is on. It is one of the biggest environmental lawsuits in Zambia's history, with the farmers alleging the spillage has already affected 300,000 households.

They say the dam's collapse was caused by a number of factors, including engineering failures, construction flaws and operational mismanagement.

In Copperbelt Province, Lamec tells us he was really broken by the spill affecting his family. "We were told that the waterways now had acid in them, and that we were not supposed to use the water."

For two weeks after the spill, Lamec says he and his family weren't allowed to use the local water until it had been sprayed with lime to help reduce the acidity.

He took the job at the dam because, he says, he has no other way to make a living, but now feels conflicted about working there.

Copper mining has been the economic backbone of this region for more than a century. The metal makes up 70% of Zambia's exports and accounts for 15% of its GDP.

The industry is set to grow further, with plans to more than triple production in Zambia by 2031, according to plans laid out by the government last year.

In the village of Twalima, it has been a struggle to grow anything since the spill, say farmers Abigail Namtowe, 28, and Frederick Bwalya, 72.

Farming was the main source of food and income for Ms Namtowe's family, and her six year-old daughter is now very hungry and malnourished, she told us.

"I've tried to grow my maize, I've tried everything so the hunger won't kill my child, but it's too much."

Mr Bwalya has lived in Twalima for 33 years. Strong and energetic, we meet him working on his farm which he tends to daily. "Farming is not going well because the soil is not clean," he says.

He also describes a severe pain in his leg which won't go away and makes it difficult for him to move. "The doctor says the contaminated water could be causing this," he adds.

The Zambian government says it is aware of this and has instructed Sino Metals to put mitigations in place to stop secondary pollution - including planting trees, to bring down levels of pollution in the air and soil, as well as spreading lime to reduce acidity. These measures are currently being implemented, according to the authorities.

Sino Metals might have to pay more after a full assessment of the area has been made, says the government. At the time of the spill, the company pledged to compensate the affected communities and restore the environment.

Financial payments have already been made to some locals in the Copperbelt. Some told us they had received as much as $3,000 (£2,400) in compensation from Sino Metals - but others said they had got as little as $700 (£500) from the company.

One contract we saw suggests that some locals have signed away their entitlement to any further compensation when they accepted these initial payments.

But the presence of a second superpower in the country may help the Zambian government to get even more money out of Sino Metals, according to Prof Stephan Chan. The United States has also been courting the southern African country economically and politically. Zambian copper, important in the global transition to cleaner energy, is in high demand - as well as reserves of another metal, cobalt, used in electric car batteries.

"The Chinese don't have that much leverage over Zambia because it has a foreign policy that also speaks to the Americans," says Prof Chan. "The last thing the Chinese want is to drive the Zambians closer to the Americans."

Additional reporting by Ed Habershon