Maravi

Rev Matale urges mines to stop hoodwinking locals

Rev Matale urges mines to stop hoodwinking locals
By Gift Chanda
Thu 22 Dec. 2011, 13:35 CAT

LOCALS want to see proper development and not tokens of appreciation by mining companies, says Reverend Suzanne Matale.

In an interview, Rev Matale, the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) general secretary, urged mining companies to stop hoodwinking locals with tokens of corporate social responsibility.

She said Zambians want to see a win-win situation where mining companies make profits and assist develop the area they operate in.

"We are concerned that whilst the minerals are in the ancestral lands of these people the locals, they are benefiting very little. We can't continue on that path; everyone should be a winner," she said.

"Yes, we understand that mining companies are attempting to build small clinics in villages and they are also committed to their social corporate responsibility programmes but what people really want to see is real and proper development in these areas."

She said people would love to see mining companies putting up good roads, housing, and health facilities considering the profits they make from mining.

"No one is against them mining companies making a profit but they are not going to make huge profits at the backs of the Zambian people," Rev Matale said.

"What we want to see is a 50-50 fairness. It is our resources, of course, they are bringing their capital which is appreciable but at the end of the day we want to see that it is a win-win situation and no one loses out."

And Rev Matale said clear compensation plans need to be drawn before any mining activity commences on new projects.

She said locals also needed to be fully involved from the onset of a new mining project so that they don't feel left out.

Rev Matale recommended that mining companies and the state hold open dialogue with the locals on new developments that might come in their area.

"The government should not monopolise decisions as they affect the people on the ground. The fact that some people may not be educated doesn't mean that they do not know anything and cannot be consulted. They are people with full faculty as given by God and to discuss with them to solicit their input into the decisions made is what we are looking for because that is important," she said.

"We are not against mining in Zambia. All we are saying is that before operations begin, we want to ensure that the Zambian people are taken care of. If they are to be displaced from their ancestral homes, proper compensation should be made. We don't want tokens; we want them locals to be given enough resources to go and begin a proper new life where they go."

Rev Matale further said it would be better to even leave minerals in the ground for future generations if mining company owners were not prepared to listen to the voices of the locals.

Labels: SUZANNE MATALE, TAX EVASION

posted by MrK @ 10:25 PM