Africa-Press – Mozambique. Representatives of some mining companies in Manica province have asked the government to lift the measure suspending gold extraction there.
The request was made by mining company managers who consider the government’s decision to suspend operations to be wise, but argue that the government needs to review the measure to minimize the impact of this interruption on the population’s lives.
Thousands of young people and adults working in mining companies have been put on suspension, although the companies continue to pay wages. If the ban is not lifted, however, some companies may be unable to continue doing so.
“We agree with the measure because we really have problems with our rivers due to pollution. We recognize that the environment has also been degraded, putting people’s lives at risk. Agriculture has also stopped in some regions. Livestock farming is also affected. But it’s important to understand that not all companies are responsible for the environmental problems,” said a mining company representative.
“The government should rethink and, if possible, work with companies that operate without endangering the environment. Without polluting the rivers. For these companies, we believe the measure should be reviewed and they should resume operations following all regulations to avoid degrading the environment,” said the source.
The mining companies spoke on Friday (24), at a meeting held in the Manica district, chaired by the Secretary of State for Manica province, Lourenço Lindonde.
Lindonde headed a multisectoral team working in Manica district to monitor compliance with the government’s decision, announced through Decree 32/2025 of September 30, regarding the suspension of mining activities throughout Manica province.
The government decided to completely suspend mining activities for an indefinite period, having determined that they were harmful to the environment and posed a risk to public health.
In fact, the government considers river pollution and environmental degradation an environmental crime.
The suspension of semi-industrial and artisanal mining could present an opportunity for better organization, allowing miners to extract gold without polluting water or harming the environment.
Some rivers in Manica province and their tributaries, namely Révuè, Muzongo, and Nhacuarara, in Manica district, as well as Púnguè (Vanduzi) and Mussapa (Sussundenga) are contaminated with mercury and cyanide, chemicals used in gold mining which are dangerous to public health and can lead to death.
Responding to the miners’ concerns, Secretary of State Lindonde said it was not the province’s responsibility to lift the suspension, as it was announced by the government through the Council of Ministers.
However, he promised that the concerns would be raised with central agencies and that they may receive due attention and an assessment as to whether the conditions for reopening the businesses are in place.
“We visited Manica to monitor compliance with the government’s measure to halt mining activities. To see if companies are truly complying with the government’s decision. We visited some companies where we received explanations about how the mining companies operate. They say they are not polluting river water or damaging the environment,” said Lourenço Lindonde.
“If this explanation is true, we can say we are very satisfied. We don’t want companies that mine for gold in the dead of night. Our monitoring teams will be on the ground while we prepare a report that will be sent to the central authorities, who will decide whether or not to restart mining activities for those that are truly complying with the government’s recommendations,” he said.
Provincial Secretary of State Lindonde said that communication with the central authorities will be made soon so that we can quickly “receive a response to our concerns”.
“The government’s desire is for all companies to resume operations. But this will depend on each company and the report we receive from our technicians. If we have some companies that are violating the government’s recommendations, they will obviously not be allowed to resume operations,” he said.
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