…”Arrest Crown Feeds officials and stop the chicken farm now”
Malawians have accused government of being bribed by Crown Feeds to clear the company of the alleged illegal gold mining underway at Senzani in Ntcheu.
“Shame on the authorities for shamelessly defending the Crown Feeds illegal mining activities. Money can make one to betray his nation. Even a child can tell that this is mining” wrote renowned whistle-blower and political activist, Gerald Kampanikiza.
The Malawi Government through the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining cleared Crown Feeds of illegal gold mining at an area between Senzani and Phalula along the M1 road in Ntcheu.
It was reported that about 50 km west of the main road between Senzani and Phalula there is a vast area that is being cleared and dug with earth moving machines and also huge water tanks for water used to process the gold.
However, the ministry through a statement signed by the ministry’s principal secretary Patrick Matanda says on 10th November 2018, the Department of Mines deployed a team of Mine Inspectors to the site and conducted investigations.
“Crown has cleared a large expanse of land approximate size of one football field. The company used bulldozer to clear and level the land and also dig foundations. The area is for the construction of chicken pens and other farm buildings,” says the statement.
It adds: “The preliminary investigations have shown that it is a construction site for farm buildings and not a mining site. If anyone has any information contrary to the findings above please present such information to the Ministry”.
Kampanikiza, however, says the statement was prepared by Crown Feeds which in turn palm-oiled Government.
“I can confidently say that the press release was prepared by the Crown Feeds officials and shared by govt. Zowona makola a nkhuku mpaka kukumba mozama ngati zikuwonekeramu ma truck pompo mchiyani Malawi chinakulodza iwe betraying your country dzuka Malawi” he posted on Facebook.
Member of Parliament, Louis Chakhwatha, concurred with Kampanikiza, saying: “Komatu izizi ife tinadziwa kuti pansampha munaona mbalame yakodwapo, munafulumira kufuula mokweza pumbwa wamkulu anamva. Malawi Government is a criminal enterprise…. sali okha aCrow”.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) General Secretary, Eisenhower Mkaka, described the ordeal as “wicked” whereas another commentator by the name Viktara Viktarata called for a “Crown Feeds Must Fall” campaign with regards to the alleged illegal mining.
Meanwhile other social commentators have called on the Malawi Police officials to detain Crown Feeds officials.
“They should be arrested and declare what they were doing. And the chicken farm should be halted now” demanded Zifa Lungu
Where is gold here? This can also be done to sites where gravel for road construction can be mined. If this is real these guys must have started long time ago and they would have been very rich by now. My worry is this is campaign time and there is no enough evidence basing on this picture alone. Where are pieces of rocks the same way it was looking from mangochi site where people were doing real mining?
Amkampanikiza did you really see or you are basing your claims on this picture? Everyone knows that this is campaign time and others can take a picture from any excavated site for road construction. Are you really serious we have gold of such quantity? If it’s true by now, I hope these guys would have been very very rich. I will trust you if you show me the picture of gold mined from the site and at least a picture of processing of the gold in question. Surprisingly you are only showing us the excavated site which can be any site where gravel for road construction can be taken from.