Mozambique: Illegal digging at tantalite mine continues to cause deaths

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Mozambique: Illegal digging at tantalite mine continues to cause deaths

4:04 CAT | 06 Feb 2017

DW (File photo) / Young people on the way to dig for rubies in the Namanhumbiri mines in Cabo Delgado

Twelve people have died in the last three weeks in landslides at the Muiane mine in Zambezia province. The company that formerly operated the mine has abandoned it and the exploitation is being carried by members of the public.

More and more young people and adults are risking their lives at the Muiane tantalite mine in the Gilé district to earn some money. In the last three weeks alone, 12 people have died and several have been seriously injured following landslides, which have become more and more frequent.

The provincial director of the Mineral Resources of Zambézia, Almeida Manhiça, is worried about the situation. “The government is warning communities to stop illegal mining and is making every effort to have the company that was running the mine resume its activities.”

default — Almeida Manhiça, Mineral Resources Director of the Mozambican province of Zambézia

The Muiane mine has now been exploited by members of the public for more than a year. Tantalum Mining, the company that exploiting the deposits, left the region in November 2015 after riots protesting the death of a miner destroyed machinery and facilities, killing civilians and police officers.

Authorities believe that the deaths will not stop, because there is no control over activity and everyone is working in his own way.

For Almeida Manhiça, the return of Tantalum Mining would be one solution.

“We are already working on reopening the mine, which means that the company will have to pay for new equipment. Everything there was destroyed; the company would have to reinvest,”, Director of Mineral Resources of Zambézia province in central Mozambique Almeida Manhiça says.

Uninsured mining

Confederation of Economic Associations of Zambézia spokesman Alfredo Ramos said that it was imperative to reduce the risks that the miners were running in Muiane. “‘Garimpo’ activity [informal mining] is generally rather artisanal, and, often, people do not respect work safety rules,” he warned.

“They do not have the technologies that facilitate the process and this is the consequence. It is not good if you are losing young people who should give their all to develop the country,” he said.

Zambézia police spokesman Miguel Caetano said that the corporation had been called upon to intervene many times. “We have been encouraging the population not to practice this illegal activity. Our team went to the scene and managed to rescue four young people. Two were already dead,” Caetano said.

The Zambézia provincial government says it has lost a lot of money from taxes that were to have been be paid by the Canadian mining company that has abandoned the region.

Source: Deutsche Welle