Africa-Press – Angola. The governor of Huíla, Nuno Mahapi, considered Monday, in Lubango that the fight against illegal exploitation of mining resources in the province involves greater educational provision in areas prone to the phenomenon, to guarantee job opportunities.
Currently, the municipalities of Jamba and Chipindo are the ones with the highest incidence of illegal exploitation of resources, mainly gold.
When speaking on the sidelines of the visit to the group of African ambassadors accredited in Angola, the governor stated that the focus must be on such investment, so that the deaths of young people can be avoided in the process.
“We cannot remain indifferent in the face of this reality. Our focus to combat the phenomenon first involves opportunities and these will only appear if we provide education”, she reinforced.
He declared that concessions must be made in all areas to be explored so that duly legal companies can continue to explore and create jobs for young people in these mines.
Nuno Mahapi understands that they are self-employed workers, but if they are organized they minimize the problem, being in a legal way so they can explore without problems.
Jamba and Chipindo are the main gold assets in Huíla, areas where deaths associated with illegal mining have already occurred due to landslides.
The most recent death reported by the cause occurred in Jamba in December 2022, of an 18-year-old citizen. In March of the same year, three others were also buried when they were exploring for gold in an illegal mine, in the same municipality.
The chronology indicates that these are frequent events, as in September 2010 a landslide in an illegal mine caused the death of three miners in the municipality of Chipindo. Days earlier, in the same month, another 16-year-old lost his life due to the same circumstances.
In April 2019, 15 miners died in the same region (Chipindo), in what was the worst incident since the search for gold began in that region, in 2014, when prospecting began.
Currently the companies Lafech, Mpopo and Chicuamona are the only ones currently exploring gold as such and operate in the municipalities of Chipindo and Jamba, respectively 456 kilometers to the North and 315 to the East.
Huíla has nine registered gold exploration companies, three of which are in operation, one in the prospecting phase in the commune of Quilemba, in Lubango and another five in the implementation process, in the municipalities of Caluquembe (one), Chipindo (three) and Cuvango (two).
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
