Ministers faulted over Ilomba licence remarks

By Tawonga Nyirenda

The Malawi Chamber of Mines and Energy has lashed out at Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining Mungusulwa Mwambande and Minister of Health and Population Jappie Mhango over their remarks that government will not renew the 25-years mining license for Ilomba Granite Mine when it expires in June this year.

Mwambande and Mhango made the remarks during an engagement meeting that a group of cabinet ministers conducted with a group of Chitipa businesspersons to address the volatile situation in the district where the Concerned Citizens have been holding protests to force the government to implement various development projects including construction of Mbilima – Chitipa Boarder Road.

The Concerned Citizens also forced Ilomba Granite Mine to stop production through protests which resulted in the burning of shelters for workers at the mine and seizing of a lorry that was ferrying the granite-sodalite to the boarder for export.

Members of the Community targeted the mining company for its alleged failure to fulfill corporate social responsibility projects as agreed with the community.

Mwambande said, just like the concerned citizens, government is concerned with the conduct of Ilomba Granite Mining Company and it will reject its application to renew the licence.

Minister of Health and Population Jappie Mhango commented in an interview on the sidelines of the meeting that when a license has been awarded to a mining company, “it is the expectation of government that all agreements made between parties are respected and if they are not the government deserves the right to terminate the license.”

“The position of the government is that the license will not be renewed because the agreement between the license holder and citizens has not been respected,” said Mhango.

But Coordinator for Malawi Chamber of Mines and Energy Grain Malunga told Mining & Trade Review in an interview that the two ministers jumped the gun in making such a declaration because the Mines and Minerals Act (MMA) of 2019 stipulates that the mandate to renew a licence or not is with the Mineral Resources Committee and not Cabinet Ministers.

“It should be noted that the new MMA came into effect on September 1, 2019 so these remarks by Cabinet Ministers undermine the mandate that the Mineral Resources Committee has,” he said.

MD for Ilomba Granite Faisal Hassen commented in an interview that he is shocked by the news that the Ministers made such a declaration at the meeting.

“My reaction is basically huge disappointment. I have not heard officially from the concerned government offices of their intention not to renew my licence. I suppose I should wait for that before I make known my intentions,” Hassen said.

However, Chairperson for the Concerned Citizens of Chitipa Sydney Simwaka doubted if the Ministers were serious in their declaration saying “government is good at talking than implementing.”

“I would not say we are happy or we are not happy with the Ministers’ sentiments. We will just wait until June to see whether the licence is renewed or not,” said Simwaka

Mhango also promised the Concerned Citizens that in the next budget resources will be provided to make sure that the road from Mbilima to Chitipa Boarder is upgraded to bitumen standards.

“In the next financial year the road will be done, but as an interim measure maintenance will commence as soon as possible. The contractor is already on site to make sure that the road is graded to usable state until the end of the rainy season,” said Mhango

The engagement meeting was graced by five cabinet ministers including Mhango, Transport and Public Works Minister Ralph Jomah, Information and Communication Technology Minister Mark Botomani, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Symon Vuwa Kunda and Mwambande.

The Ministers urged people of Chitipa to desist from holding demonstrations anyhow but Simwaka argued that holding demonstrations is a constitutional right for Malawians, and the only bad side of it is violence.

He said demonstrations work for the benefit of citizens citing that they are the ones that have attracted the attention of the ministers to start thinking of addressing the concerns of the people of Chitipa. 

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