Govuro residents say no benefits from Sasol

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Govuro residents say no benefits from Sasol

8:31 CAT | 17 Jun 2018

Photo: Gabinete do Governador de Inhambane Facebook

Residents of Govuro district in the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane on Thursday complained to President Filipe Nyusi that they are seeing no benefits from the exploitation of natural gas by the South African petro-chemical giant, Sasol.

Sasol has gas facilities at Pande and Nova Mambone, in Govuro, and a treatment plant at Temane, in the neighbouring district of Inhassoro.

But at a rally in the Govuro locality of Machacame, residents said that, although Sasol has been operating the gas fields for almost two decades, the activities of the South African company have not improved their lives. Instead, poverty levels were on the rise, they claimed.

Speakers at the rally also alleged that Sasol trucks, using the stretch of the main north-south highway (EN1) that passes through Govuro, are contributing to the deterioration of the road.

Nyusi agreed that these problems exist. He said that the Inhambane Provincial Governor, Danied Chapo, had repeatedly drawn the attention of the central government to the difficulties he was facing with Sasol.

Nyusi said the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, and the Ministry of Land, Environment and Rural Development are working on the matter to see if they can find a solution.

As for the main north-south road, Nyusi stressed that its needs rehabilitation along its entire length, and not just the stretch that passes through northern Inhambane. “Right now the government is mobilising resources so that this project can take off as quickly as possible”, he said, stressing that the most degraded parts of the road would be given priority.

Among the many other questions raised by Govuro residents was the need for improved policing to combat crime. They said the local police have no vehicles and so are obliged to pursue criminals on foot. Another vehicle required was an ambulance for the Govuro health centre.

Nyusi assured the crowd that the Ministry of the Interior will soon send a vehicle to the Govuro police command, and he also took the opportunity to deliver an ambulance.

Speakers also asked the government to build a technical school in Govuro – but Nyusi pointed out that such a school already exists in the neighbouring district of Mabote, and every year it is unable to fill all the places it has available. He suggested that the population of Govuro should send their children to the Mabote school, which even has boarding facilities.

Nyusi urged the people of Govuro to work on increasing their production and productivity, and to use the services of extensionists who would help them to produce much more. Only through increased production would they be able to reduce the cost of living, he said.

Source: AIM