CCJP joins Kyungu in Paladin mining battle
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of the Karonga Diocese has rallied behind Paramount Chief Kyungu in the fight against further issuing of mining licences to Paladin Energy Limited without a clear Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with communities.
In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by Karonga Diocesan justice and peace desk officer Mwawi Shaba, CCJP supported Kyungu’s call for an MoU between Paladin and the communities in Chitipa and Karonga, where it is making additional mineral explorations, to hold the company accountable for any irregularities.
The statement is in reaction to remarks by Minister of Mines John Bande that Kyungu has no say on the issuance of licences, stating that the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) and Ministry of Mines control mining issues.
He added that government is guided by the Mines and Minerals Act in making decisions.
In the statement, CCJP said despite the Mines and Minerals Act, communities need to be respected so that they benefit from mining activities.
It observed that the act has loopholes, which expose communities to exploitation and need to be reviewed.
“The position of Karonga Diocese is that the view expressed by the Paramount Chief is a clear reflection of the views of many Malawians living in Karonga and Chitipa districts and, therefore, must be respected as the view of the people most affected by the mining activities.
“Our long history of working with communities in the said areas has convinced us that the affected communities in Karonga feel cheated and let down by both government and Paladin as they seem not to have benefited from the commercialisation of the mining resources being extracted in the areas they live.
“It is, therefore, our appeal to government to revisit the way business is done currently before Paladin can extend its extractive activities to other parts of Karonga.
“We also urge mining companies to emulate internationally recommended best practices in extractive industry such as Free Prior Informed Consent [Fpic] in which a social contract is reached with communities before mining activities can start,” reads the statement in part.
