Africa-Press – Tanzania. MINERAL Minister, Dotto Biteko has questioned construction of a water treatment plant at North Mara Gold Mine (NMGM) saying its execution violated laws of the land.
“The challenge we are seeing here is that they announced the tender outside the country without following the laid down procedures,” said the minister, shortly after visiting and inspecting the water treatment plant on Friday.
Mr Biteko further noted that despite the company not being a green light to construct the treatment plant by the minerals commission, it continued with the project using a foreign firm.
“The facility was built without following the right procedures. We want Tanzanians to participate in this project. We have come to educate and remind them that the laws of the land must be observed,” he added, while warning that anyone violating the laws can be fined 5 million us dollars and above.
The Minister also warned against land speculation locally known as ‘tegesha’ that is practiced by some people living near the goldmine, who inflate land values so that they get big compensations from the mine.
Instead, Mr Biteko said such people should not be paid anything, prompting Mara Regional Commissioner, Adam Malima to support him by saying: “We shall not tolerate acts of land speculations anymore.”
North Mara is one of the country’s largest goldmines currently operated by Barrick Gold Corporation in partnership with the government of Tanzania through Twiga Minerals Corporation
