By Bishop Witmos, Mana:
Minister of Mining Monica Chang’anamuno has urged district councils in the country to help in regulating the mining industry and arrest illegal mining activities.
Speaking during a meeting with members of Mangochi District Council and Mangochi Municipal Council on Wednesday, Chang’anamuno observed that some foreigners were operating small-scale mining ventures in the country without authorisation.
She said illegal mining benefits foreigners at the expense of local people who, by virtue of being Malawians, were supposed to be benefitting from the mining industry.
“We have established that there has been a tendency of people coming from outside the country to do mining and some of them do not obtain licences. As a result, so many foreigners are doing small-scale mining by extracting minerals in hotspot districts. This is illegal because it is only local people who are supposed to do small-scale mining,” Chang’anamuno said.
Mangochi District Commissioner Smart Gwedemula described the call as timely.
“The coming of the minister is timely. In Mangochi, we have had so many concerns regarding mining activities. Indeed, mining activities must be owned by everybody, including those in rural areas, in order for us to benefit from these natural resources,” Gwedemula said.
Before visiting Mangochi, the minister toured Zomba where she ordered that illegal mining in Traditional Authority Mbiza should stop after observing the extent of land degradation and social ills associated with illegal mining activities in the area.
