A day long visit at Tilola and Chisese hills gold mining sites in Karonga District established that despite congestion of people from different districts, the sites have very low to zero stocks of condoms.
Despite claiming that many illegal gold miners have temporarily relocated to Mpata and Nyungwe hundreds of women, men, girls and boys are still mining gold at these sites.
According to Tilola-Chisese gold mining vice-chairperson Frank Chisale, the area has people from all the regions in the country and some from neighbouring Tanzania and Zambia.
“Where people of different sex interact, chances of sexual relationships are high and this cannot be ruled out here. However, we hardly get supplies of condoms and any other sexual reproductive health rights messages,” bemoans Chisale.
He says with different cultural and social backgrounds, coupled with economic activities, sex workers have moved closer to these sites to cash in on the growing business community.
He says: “This could have moved relevant authorities to quickly intervene and supply condoms in this area to save the situation.”
These concerns were echoed by a local resident who preferred not to be named. He lamented that the surge in illegal mining activities has serious consequences to self-boarding girls at Tilola Community Day Secondary School (CDSS), who may fall prey to the men in exchange for money.
She said: “This illegal mining is posing a serious threat to vulnerable girls at both Tilola primary and CDSS. I pray that authorities act with the urgency it deserves before girls are impregnated or contract STIs”.
Tilola CDSS head teacher Edward Sambamo also expressed concern with the migration of people into the area, who are renting houses close to self-boarding girls.
Sambamo says the situation puts vulnerable girls at risk of falling prey to miners.
“In addition to pollution, dust, environment and land degradation, we have a girls’ hostel nearby. Though not verified, there are high chances of sexual relationships with school girls,” he says.
Karonga District female sex workers association chairperson Mable Mhango said since the mining activities started, Tilola, Chilumba and Uliwa have become a haven for their trade.
“The area has received sex workers from all over the country. These have different types of viral status and need enough supply of condoms and lubricants.
“Unfortunately, hospitals only give 11 or 15 condoms to each female sex worker per week. Our latest count showed that there are 134 registered female sex workers at the sites, a figure which is alarming,” she said.
Mhango said on top of these registered female sex workers, there is also an influx of ‘street rangers’ who also flood the market.
She added: “In this case, condoms are in short supply because on a good day, one can use 11 to 15 condoms. So, chances of hitting it raw are high and the spread of STIs, including HIV, are high”.
A snap check at Chilumba Rural Hospital and Nyungwe Health Centre, to ascertain figures of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) treated, could not independently verify claims of miners’ involvement due to several factors.
At Chilumba Rural Hospital, for example, the in-charge MacSpecial Chimbalu said on average, they treat between 60 and 90 STI cases.
“However, I wouldn’t say that these are cases from the mines because we don’t record such details, otherwise, we also have fishing activities in beaches,” he said.
Chimbalu, however, said the hospital as well as the area’s youth club distribute condoms but the choice to use them is incumbent upon those who collect them.
At Nyungwe Health Centre, the senior health surveillance assistant Charles Kayuni told us that on average, the hospital handles between 50 and 60 STI cases.
He too, attributes these surging figures to proximity of fishing activities which also draw people from different districts to Ngara, Nomba, Bandale, Vuwa, Phapha, Thangalang’ombe and Chisese where coincidentally, there is also a gold mining activity.
“My office distributes condoms but their usage remains in the hands of the client. However, we also distribute the condoms based on demand and supply basis,” he said.
Karonga-based local non-governmental organisation Pamoza Tingakwaniska Youth Organisation programmes manager Gomezgani Mhango bemoaned the trend.
He said it is sad that despite its interventions at Nyungwe Health Centre, STIs are increasing in the area.
“As an organisation, through Fiska Ulato project, we will scale up the weekly support visits where our nurses assist health personnel and the facility to reduce workload to reach out to more community members in the areas with SRHS,” she said.
