Minkailu Mansaray, Minister of Mines
By Mohamed Massaquoi in Pujehun
Local authorities and landowners in the Kpaka and Gallinas Perri chiefdoms have expressed concern after an environmental impact assessment team says 16 villages will be relocated by iron ore miner, China Kingho Investment Sierra Leone Limited.
Looking very apprehensive, residents of some of the affected villages told Politico that they would strongly challenge any attempt by the company to relocate them and called on civil society groups to intervene now.
The town chief of Funyehun, Brima Lukuly, said: “we will not be evacuated by a company that is clandestinely investing in our lands”, and expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which their land was being used by Chinese miner.
He claimed that the company had no formal agreement with them regarding land leases.
A landowner in Korwuma village, Lahai Massaquoi, said a major source of income was their land, adding that most of their plantations were being cut down by the company without compensation, and that they had been prevented from farming for 19 months.
He said each time they had expressed concerns to their political leaders over the ways in which their land was being utilized by the company, the impression they got was that the company was doing exploration and that people should not expect too much from them.
Youth leader of Kakayama village, Ansu Massaquoi, said the company started work on their land without any agreement as to their limitations.
“After two months if no proper land agreement is made between us and the company, we will not allow any of the company vehicles to ply our roads”, he threatened.
Kadie Kamara, from a land holding family, claimed that their only source of clean drinking water from a well in Funyehun village had been contaminated by the Chinese who she alleged deposited waste into the bore holes and failed to construct another as promised.
“They have not given us any alternative source of water. We now fetch water from the swamps. The roads are being destroyed by heavy-duty trucks belonging to the company,” she lamented.
One of the Imams for Ngendema Section, Abdulai Zakiew said they were disappointed in their Member of Parliament, Dickson Momoh Rogers, who was alleged to have kept sealed lips over the operations of the Kingho.
Rogers, representing constituency 89, denied the allegations by the landowners who claimed they were not aware of the exploration by Kingho.
“The people gave their land and some money was given to them in the form of surface rent”, the MP said, adding that the company had constructed a Court Barry in Njala Kpaka village and had made some donations to the people on several occasions.
He said since the Chinese and Kingho mining company went to the district he had only visited them once. He said there were 229 villages in his constituency and he would have to seek the interest of all of them.
Rogers said the people had never reported to him the issue of not being able to farm for 19 months. He denied ever working in the interest of the company.
Chairman of civil society in Pujehun district, Ibrahim Swaray, said they were not aware of any formal agreement between Kingho Company and the people.
“We strongly condemn such an operation in the district”, he said and craved the indulgence of government to look into the activities of the miner which he said were “potential security threat” to the district.
The company liaison officer, Amadu Sesay, declined to comment when contacted by Politico.
(C) Politico 21/11/13
