Mining & Trade News

Illegal sand miners in Lilongwe City say they cannot stop mining the development mineral despite receiving orders from the City Council to stop the practice saying that is their only source of living.

Our spot checks in major rivers in Lilongwe including Lingadzi, Lilongwe and Mchesi revealed that the practice is still ongoing unabetted.

At Kawale Bridge, mounds of sand on sale can be seen with the miners present but no action taken.

In Area 47 near the Watchtower Headquarters, miners are also busy mining sand for sale to motorists passing through the Area 47 bridge.

In random interviews, the miners said they are not law breakers but that they just want to earn a living since they have huge family obligations.

“I cater for a family of six without formal employment. If I do not mine sand then I will start stealing. I know if I am caught I will be arrested and worse still can be torched to death. I have been in this business for a very long time and it is the only trade that I know,’ said Wiskess Basikolo at the Area 47 bridge.

Basikolo was flanked by four fellow miners who also agreed with his sentiments that unemployment is what has pushed them into illegal sand mining.

At Kawale bridge, three miners namely Moyenda Banda, Henry Phiri and Emmanuel Makolera disclosed in an interview that they have been in the trade for over 15 years and have been on the receiving end of the law, with their equipment confiscated over four times.

The three revealed that the business thrives during the rainy season when sand eroded from upper areas ends up in the Kawale River.

They said during the dry , the business is very volatile as they have to remove rocks to get beneath the waters to get their treasured commodity.

‘It is not a simple trade. We have to toil to make ends meet. Sometimes we stay for up  to two weeks without selling but since we do not have formal employment, we have nowhere to go. If only government or other institutions could have given us a leeway then maybe we could think of ending this business but for now  alluta continua,’ said Moyenda Banda who is the leader of the group.

Banda claimed that they are aware of the government laws aimed at stopping sand mining in urban areas and that in the 15-years they have been in operation their equipment including shovels and hammers have been confiscated over five times.

“They confiscate our equipment but by the grace of God we get new ones. The media has exposed our plight but the authorities do not want to listen so we have no option but continue doing what we know,’ said Banda.

Lilongwe City Council Public Relations Officer Taonga Jeka confirmed in an interview that the problem of illegal sand mining and quarrying in Lilongwe City is huge and many people have been complaining of the adverse effects brought by the miners.

Some of the effects of the practice highlighted by the public include lessening of  life spans of bridges and roads as well as encroachment into  private areas.

“We are aware of the gravity of illegal sand mining and quarrying. We normally conduct enforcement exercises which have to some extent yielded positive results. We have partnered with several organisations to end this malpractice. Finally when the worst comes to the worst we demolish the mines  so that the miners do not come back,’ said Jeka.

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