Africa-Press – Mozambique. There are at least 925 active sites of illegal mining in Mozambique, involving both Mozambican and foreign citizens, according to Fernando Maguene, director of the Internal Control Service in the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Speaking in the northern city of Nampula on Monday, at the opening of a regional seminar on the implementation of mining and petroleum legislation, Maguene said “we shall look for a common approach on how to fight against the expansion of the criminal networks who are struggling to control our territory and our strategic resources”.
“Our goal is to guarantee that those resources generate fiscal revenue to drive the development of local communities and of the national economy”, he added.
Illegal mining and the smuggling of minerals are causing severe damage. “The state is losing a lot of money”, stressed Maguene. “These year 14 tonnes of assorted minerals have been seized, including gold, rubies and garnets, among others, in the provinces where mining is most intensive, such as Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Zambezia and Manica”.
As for minerals that are not regarded as precious, Maquene said that 210 tonnes of quartz had been seized at the control post on the Save river, in Inhambane province. His department also deals with illicit fuel sales, and he said that this year 12,000 litres of fuel have been seized.
Supreme Court judge Rafael Sebastiao said that seminars on the legislation that should govern the extractive industry are important in order to draw up plans for common action against offenders.
“The legislation on mineral resources is vast”, he said, “But to solve the problems that may arise, there must be deep knowledge of that legislation on the part of those who will apply it. Not only must they know the law in detail, but they must also act efficiently and effectively, so that illicit situations can be identified and solutions found”.
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