Malawi ex-mines minister Malunga warned in Karonga for ‘backing’ Paladin

Former energy and mines minister Grain Malunga has been told to stop getting himself involved in Paladin Africa Limited (PAL) – miners at the Kayerekela Uranium Mine – with Karonga communities saying they still feel cheated by the company as far as their social corporate responsibility is concerned.

Grain Malunga given yellow card for ‘backing’ Paladin

Malunga who reportedly works with PAL now was in the district to handover a health facility the company has constructed around the mine.

Residents that attended the handover ceremony fumed when district health officer (DHO) Phinous Mfune disclosed that the long awaited USS$70 000 project was not a health centre but a simple clinic.

Mfune said, among others, no maternal services will be offered at the facility meaning residents will still have to cover a 10 kilometre distance to access the services at Wililo Health Centre.

“The facility will be operating as a dispensary, not as a health centre. There will only be treatment for outpatients,” said Mfune.

In his remarks, Malunga said they constructed the facility instead of a health centre due to limited resources.

“Depending on our economy as Paladin, people must understand that there are certain things that we cannot do, and because the mine is not operational right now, we thought of constructing the dispensary,” said Malunga.

He said the money used for the exercise was borrowed from the Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia, a sister mine to Kayerekela.

But Karonga Youth for Justice and Peace (KYJD) Steve Simusokwe, who pioneered protests against PAL in 2012, rubbished Malunga reminding him that he must behave as Malawian and not a foreigner.

According to Simusokwe, the owners of the mine know they have lied to the people of Karonga and cannot face the communities hence they sent Malunga to represent them.

“Malunga should stop this nonsense. He should behave like a Malawian. Next time if he comes for this cheap propaganda he will regret the day he was born,” warned Simusokwe.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
5 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
shushe
6 years ago

us$70 000 x 720=k50,400,000. this money is enough to construct a very good health center with a maternity ward and four staff houses. not that thing given to the community.

chitutu
chitutu
6 years ago

WHAT YOU KNOW IS TO STEAL THE RESOURCES FROM THE NORTH AND FATTEN YOUR POCKETS-CHUPITI!!!!!!!!! MBAVA ZAKUM WELA,NKANI MULI BUSY KUSOKONEZA MCP NDI NDALAMA MWAPEREKA KWA KALIWO NDI BVUMBWE KUTI AZITUKWANA PAC

joze
6 years ago

Sadly we Malawians are being fooled by our leaders..one of them was Bingu..who cashed a lot of money on our heads..He cashed US$500, 000.00 cash in Portugal when he bragged that after the UN trip he had wanted to rest and surfed for a cheap lodge and found vacancy on one on the shores of Portugal..He had lied as the truth of the matter is that he went to Portugal to meet Mota Ingel bosses who had bribed him with that cash. Pinto the car panel beater and spray-painter knows this as is a cousin to one of the Mota… Read more »

MANYI
MANYI
6 years ago

CHIKANGAWA IS GONE

KAYELEKERA IS GONE

REFUGEES IS NOT DEVELOPMENT BUT A
WASTE DUMP

KAXIWIZIWI A WASTE

Unenesho
6 years ago

Please, never allow paladin to operate in malawi. They’re thieves. Karonga people do not allow these thieves come and open their mine once. You should have given some blows. Malunga aided paladin to syphon alot of minerals from kayelekera. It was not only uranium. Diamond, gold and brass is plenty there. Government, never try to renew theit licence. No kayelekera no refugees camp .

Read previous post:
Kangaroo Court: Stop smiling at the mediocrity

In the understanding of this Court, a normal closure of an education institution, as in the sense of a holiday,...

Close