Africa-Press – Mozambique. Around 9,000 brick makers in Moatize, Tete province, are claiming compensation of around 185,000 meticais each from mining company Vulcan, on the grounds that they used to practice their activity in the area now concessioned to the concern.
Vulcan are refusing to pay the resulting more-than 1,000,000 meticais, saying that all outstanding issues were addressed in the 2019 memorandum of understanding.
“No compensation will be paid, but we are open to working on social development initiatives shared with brick manufacturers for the sustainable progress of the members of the community where the company operates,” Vulcan has said.
The mining company has started a series of interviews with the potters to identify candidates to benefit from these initiatives, but of the 2,000 individuals so far interviewed, only 300 have been accepted as bona fide brick-makers.
The company maintains that, seeing the fake brickmakers exposed, informal commissions blocked the tests and sent messages threatening vandalism through demonstrations.
“They made illegal demands, such as for Vulcan to stop mining in concession areas previously occupied by the potters and issued unrealistic demands such as the payment of all compensation by December 31,” the company stated, cited by Notícias.
To put an end to the conflict, a meeting was held on Monday between the management of Vulcan and representatives of the protesters. The meeting was attended by the mayor of Moatize, Carlos Portimão, who advised all those eligible to take the practical test as requested by the mining company, starting next Wednesday.
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