Mozambique: Three Chinese nationals sentenced for disobeying Manica gold mining ban

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Mozambique: Three Chinese nationals sentenced for disobeying Manica gold mining ban

2:48 CAT | 20 Oct 2025

Screengrab: Miramar

Sussundenga District Court has sentenced three Chinese nationals to three months in prison on Friday for violating the mining suspension in the Mozambican province of Manica.

Convicted of the crime of contempt of court for mining for gold “during a period when mining activities were temporarily suspended across the entire province of Manica”, the three men will also have to pay a daily fine of 7,000 meticais (€93.84), said the judge in the case, Eugénia Conceição.

According to the court, the Chinese nationals were discovered mining for gold by a multi-sectoral team that included the natural resources and environmental protection police, and during their mining activities, were discharging polluting waste directly into a river.

On September 30, the Mozambican government decided to suspend all mining licenses in Manica province and created an inter-ministerial commission to review the licensing regime, strengthen oversight, and advance environmental restoration measures with the active participation of offenders, local authorities, residents and other relevant entities.

Law of the jungle

This suspension comes after President Daniel Chapo announced on September 17 that mining is causing an “environmental disaster”, and admitted the possibility of a complete suspension of the activity. The suspension of mining licenses in Manica comes after the government reviewed the report by the operational command of the Defence and Security Forces, which visited that province between July 17 and 19 to assess the environmental situation regarding mining.

On the ground, “uncontrolled mining” by licensed operators was observed in Manica, with companies operating without environmental restoration plans and waste containment systems, in addition to violations of workers’ rights.

The Mozambican government has classified the environmental situation in Manica as critical, pointing to “serious pollution” of the rivers, which have “reddish, cloudy and opaque water” resulting from the direct washing of minerals and the dumping of waste from this activity without any treatment.