By Bampia James Bundu
Landowners in Kafe Simiria Chiefdom, Tonkolili district have expressed frustrations over the closure by the ministry of mines of gold mining company, Transcend International, for the past seven months.
Community elders, youth groups, together with the chiefdom speaker and a chief of Masingbi town converged on State House in Freetown to express their frustration against the removal of the gold miner the locality.
A youth leader, Moses Kalokoh, explained that on 28 June this year over 50 armed police personnel stormed the chiefdom, removedemployees of Transcend Mining Company and brought in China Kingho, which“is an unfair treatment”.
He said the company had operated in the area since 2010, with a valid license and an agreement that allowed them to mine on a 488sqk of land, which the aggrieved people alleged “has been passed on to China Kingho Mining Company”, an iron ore mining company. The locals called on government to at least allocate a 48sqk of available portions of land to the Transcend.
They pointed out that Transcend had contributed immensely to the development of their chiefdom, adding that giving permission to both mining companies to operate simultaneously would contribute to the development of their chiefdom and the district as a whole.
Government was yet to make any statement on the claims, pleas and protests by local farmers who assembled at the seat of power on OAU Drive in central Freetown.
(C) Politico 02/07/14
