BY DRAXON MALOYA.
Malawi. (News of The South) – Communities in and around sites where mining activities are taking place started mobilizing each other to demand proper documentation and possible rightful compensations from authorities and mining companies working in their respective areas.
For the past few weeks a number of taskforces have been formulated with the primary objective of demanding documentation and compensations which are in conformity with the extractive industry worldwide.
These formations comes amidst reports of continued exploitation of mineral resources which are being smuggled out of the country using unchartered routes, leaving the country and communities in and around the mining sites in abject poverty.
Mchenga, Jalawe, Khayuti, Mwaulambo, Kayelekera and Kasikizi are some of the areas in the northern region where communities have formulated cooperatives to deal with impunities surrounding the mining activities.
One of the traditional leaders around coal extraction activities at Jalawe in Rumphi District, Francis Mughogho described situations around the mining sites as risky considering the consequences brought about with the mining activities.
“Indeed mining has brought about some of the deliquesces which if not properly checked people will remain in abject poverty, because environmental degradation is taking place at a rapid rate considering the heavy machinery used in the excavation of mineral resources,” Mughogho said.
Lately, a new group of people in the northern region coordinated by Mzondi Kandawire calling themselves Defenders of Mineral Resources (DMR) has been formed and quickly registered with the Church and Society Program’s Mining Department as a civil society organisation.
Mkandawire said, “we decided to approach the Church and Society Program for proper direction in the way how issues to do extractive industry can be handled without further exploitation, these miners are taking away our God given mineral resources yet we are still remaining in abject poverty,”
The project manager for church and Society Program’s mining department, Paul Mvula confirmed his office having been approached by the concerned citizens.
“I was approached to explain a few issues surrounding the mining governance and how we have moved around the issues of mining, we applaud these people for taking keen interest to come together as a Community Based Organization (CBO) to push for transparency and accountability within the mining sector,
“We are happy that after we embarked on awareness campaigns we can see some fruits now, more and more people have realized that they should take part in safeguarding our God given resources, we keep on asking why government has taken a lukewarm approach in ensuring that there is sanity in the mining sector,” Mvula said.
Recently there was a day long media training workshop in Mzuzu which dwelled on a number of thematic areas which among others gave the journalists food for thought on government’s involvement in extractive industry operations which are expected to contribute 20 percent of the country’s domestic product (GDP) by 2020.
In his presentation one of the academicians specialized in the extractive industrial studies, Lowani Mtonga expressed the need for professional reporting on issues to do with mining in Malawi which he said needs special attention if communities are to be enlightened on their contribution towards the industry.
“Journalists needs to be well conversant with issues to do with this extractive industry, though Malawi is now a member of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI), that means these natural resources will have to be mined and governed in line with global standards for transparency and accountability,
“The absence of strong investigative media in Malawi fuels a culture of impunity and unaccountability among both elective officials and corporate elite, so to ensure the government meets EITI standards, and Malawians have access to information about the developments in this new sector, the media needs to be strengthened on how it can be reporting,” Mtonga said.
One of the participants at the workshop George Chitaya described Mtonga’s presentations as an eye opener which he said will help provide mentorship to guide story ideas and planning, research, writing and quality control and publication on issues to do with the extractive industry which has been neglected for a long time.
“As journalists we commit ourselves to the highest standards of independent journalism so we need to serve the public’s right to know, in line with section 36 of the Malawi’s constitution which guarantees this fundamental right in order to allow citizens to make decisions and judgments about what is in their society.
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“This will also help us to exercise our role with great care and responsibility to safeguard public trust in our integrity as we are expected to maintain the highest level of ethical conduct in line with journalistic values globally,” said Chitaya.
Malawi’s Mining report analyses the tax revenue from mining focusing on how legislation can be improved to ensure that communities also benefit more from the country’s natural resources.
Ironically the issue is critical in that mining has hitherto contributed relatively little to the country’s revenue but it is a growing sector, the report also focuses much on the closure of the largest mining project in Karonga District, the Kayerekera Uranium Mine managed by the Australian company, Paladin.
Government recently announced plans to establish the Malawi Mining Authority (MMA) through the 2018 Mines and Minerals Act to regulate activities in the mining industry and to champion sectorial investment which among others call for the establishment of the mineral resource committee.
Meanwhile, mining activities in the country are free for all, as government continues flouting the decentralization policy and raping the local government act that recognizes power to the people, as it fails to decentralize the sector and that is a huge concern to the citizenry.
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