Chinese mining firm ‘captures’ local chiefs, puts them on payroll
A controversial Chinese owned gemstone mining firm in Chitipa District has put 21 local chiefs on a monthly pay roll of K20 000 and has justified the payments as gifts symbolizing what it called “the chiefs good relationship with the company”.
Malawi government pays Group Village Headmen K10 000 per month and it means these Chitipa Chiefs are now carting home K30000 courtsey of this Chinese firm.
Despite, being billed as one of the sectors that could help boost the country’s economy by 20%, 2017 Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) Report shows that the mining sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and the economy in general is shrinking.
The Church and Society Program of CCAP in the Synod Livingstonia has discovered this practice by Ilomba Mining Company where 21 chiefs under Traditional Authority Mwawulambya are appearing on the mining company’s payroll.
The Chief’s soekperson Group Village Headman Chizale confirmed the extra pay, a development that gives credence to allegations that the company had been bribing locals to silence them from demanding the Chinese mining investor fulfils some of the corporate social responsibility he made before the commencement of operations.
Among other things the locals are demanding for the immediate construction of a clinic, an electric transformer, five boreholes, a teacher’s house and a graveled road from the mine to Kasisi turnoff before the expiry of the miner’s Licence by June 2020.
“Zhang gives us the money because he says he appreciate our role as leaders in our community, we tried to reject the money but he said as elders we had to receive it so that our relationship should continue growing from strength to strength,” GVH Chizale said.
Part owner of the Company Jou Zhang said he saw nothing wrong in helping the local chiefs pocket a little something.
Church and Society Program Executive Director Moses Mkandawire said it is sad that the mining company is operating in the area without fulfilling some of the requirements like environmental impact assessment and corporate social responsibilities in relation with the rules governing the extractive industry worldwide.
“There are a number of emerging issues from the mine…we want to see them having a good relationship with the communities and also we tried to enquire whether there was an environmental impact assessment prior to the commencement of the mining activities,” Mkandawire said.
But Mkandawire did no comment on the alleged bribery by the Chinese firm disguised as ‘gifts’.
On December 20th 2019, under Civil Case Number 470, the company dragged to court Michael Mansewu, Kossam Munthali, Sydney Simwaka, SGVH Mbilima and T/A Kameme for various offences that led to the closure of business at its mine in Chitipa District a week before.
Meanwhile, the company has distanced itself from an impending lawsuit filed at the Mzuzu High Court where it is demanding compensation from Senior Chief Kameme and four others for loss of business and gemstones following running battles with locals.
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This is where HRDC of Timothy Mtambo is needed to step in & not other things they were fighting for.
Seeing our brothers and sisters in this country suffering because of the leadership who are selling our souls just for k20000 this it clearly shows that our kids future is slavery, this Chinese must leave this country, I remember leaders like mogabe, Gaddafi and idi amin they didn’t take nonsense because of them protecting their country and the people on it
ZACHIBWANA INE NDIKADZAKHALA PULEZIDENT NDIDZATHETSA MAUFUMU
Kubetsa ma resources all because of K20, 000 yet the Chinese will make billions of $$. How stupid are we? One can really go crazy with what happens here in Malawi. Where is the tippex president? Oh! He is busy Kuba knowing he won’t be president any more.
CORRUPTION!!! DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY! Pleas lets open our eyes. This firm is destroring our rivers our countryside and the health of people around the mining area. All rivers drain into Lake Malawi, if toxins are thrown into our fresh Rivers they all drain where our fish is and we will if we have not started already eat those toxins! 20,000 kwacha!!! PLEASE GOD HELP MALAWI OPEN ITS EYES!!!!!
MALAWIAN PEOPLE SEEM TO BE CONFUSED LIKE THEIR DERENGED LEADERS.CHINESE ARE NOT TRUSTED MONSTERS. SINCE THE SO-CALLED LEADERS OF AFRICA HAVE BEEN BRIBED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BY THE SATANIC CHINESE,NOT ONLY MALAWIANS HAVE BEEN ROBBED OF THEIR RESOURCES AND THEIR GOD-GIVEN AFRICA BY THE SATANIC CHINESE,AFRICA IS FAST DROWNING ECONOMICALLY AND POLITICALLY.WHEN THESE MONSTERS WERE CONSTRUCTING TANZANIA-ZAMBIA RAILWAY,ON THEIR WAY,THESE BRUTES STOLE HANDREDS OF TONS OF GOLD AND DIAMONDS WHICH FOUND THEIR WAY TO CHINA.HASTINGS BANDA WENT ALONG WITH TAIWAN BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT CHINESE WERE DESTRUCTIVE BABOONS.MY FELLOW TUMBUKAS,DO AWAY WITH THE MONSTROUS CHINESE OTHERWISE YUO WILL DESTROY YOUR CHLDREN’S FUTURE.YOU MUST KNOW THAT THE CORRUPT REGIMES OF MALAWI,HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE NORTH AND KNOW THAT MALAWIANS FROM THE SOUTH AND CENTRAL WILL NEVER ALLOW US TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT OF MALAWI FOR TRIBALISM AND HATRED HAVE GROWN FAST AND DEEP BUT ONE DAY GOD WILL REMEMBER YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE CONTRIBUTED FOR THE LAST HUNDREDS OF YEARS. ALUTA CONTINUA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ILOMBA GRANITE COMPANY OWNED BY AN INDIAN NAMED FIAZAL, IT IS NOT A CHINESE COMPANY. WE ENTIRELY NOT BENEFITED FROM THIS MINE. THIS INDIAN STOLE MUCH FROM US, NOW THE INDIAN USES THE CHINESE AS A TOOL AGAIN TO ROB US AGAIN. THIS GOVERNMENT IS MUCH CORRUPTED, THE MINES DEPARTMENT SHOULD CANCEL THIS PERMIT. BUT THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT DO IT, BCZ THEY ARE CORRUPTED.
The Chinese know that Malawians, including the leadership are easy to bribe; they go nuts at the sight of money. Question is: what is ACB going to do because this is a classical example of corruption? Let’s wait and see.
ACB please do your job. Let both the Chinese and the Chiefs be arrested.
Trust ACB???
The land just doesn’t belong to local chiefs. How about everyone else? What is MK20,000.00? This is one of the reasons I support that chieftainships should be abolished.
Where is the ministry of mines? Are these people certified to mine ? If they are then palibe nkhani aoa.
Moses Mkandawire must also have fallen into the Chinese trap. If not, why did he not comment on bribes?
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This Malawi government is a shit now your closing the mouth of local leaders trying to blind them with k20,000 shame
They know they can’t be suing for close of business when they claim to be taking out samples.
Maybe i need to be a village headman!
Malawi on auto pilot eishhhhh
Only in Malawi, kodi chifukwa chani timawoneneledwa nthawi zonse, no wonder we are always referred as monkeys, do u think a Malawian can go to china and wake up one day ndikuyamba kupanga mining just like that? A Malawi, inde ndalama ndiyofunika koma please have some sense of dignity, pride and love for your country, u cannot sell resources that are supposed to be beneficial for the nation for a mere 20 thousand kwacha tazizindikilani zinthuzi inu………eishhhhhhhh!
They Will Be Taking Our Precious Stones Instead. Watch Out
Malawi was sold to Chinese. Thanks to Bingu. May his soul rest in peace.
they tried to reject the money!? hell no!
Clearly they are being bribed and threatened with lawsuits. Talk of the carrot and the big stick.
I can’t believe history happening again..the way African chiefs were being bribed by salt during slave trade times (not sure if this information is right) and the way colonials stole precious stones from Africa. ..and now the Chinese are doing the same right in front of our eyes and we are allowing it to happen…do you know how much those stones will cost after being processed…the demands made like build us a clinic etc and paying 21 chiefs 30000 kwacha is like giving the whole village a packet of salt compared to the profits the Chinese are making…when are we gonna wake