– Protests did not cause injuries or damage to essential equipment.
– Under pressure from demonstrators, Irish company confirms commitment to build bridge.
By Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – The main camp of Kenmare Resources, in the community of Topuito, in Larde district, where it is exploiting heavy mineral sands, was occupied on Friday by demonstrators who support fugitive presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.
A large crowd invaded the Kenmare premises, demanding that the mining operations should provide benefits for the local communities.
Images widely shared on social media show scenes of chaos, including the moment when a light aircraft, carrying company staff, was obliged to take off again immediately after it had landed, fearing that it would be attacked by the crowd which was advancing on the landing strip.
Another image shows the Director-General of Kenmare, Higino Jamisse, promising the demonstrators that work on building a bridge will begin on Monday.
The promised bridge is of great importance because it will link the Topuito community to the Larde district capital, facilitating the movements of the local population. However, the promise to build the bridge is longstanding, and community members accuse the company of not complying with its promise.
The protests against the results of the 9 October general elections served as an opportunity for the population to put pressure on the company, and finally advance with building work.
In an exclusive interview with MOZTIMES, Regina Macuácua, the National Assistant Director of Kenmare, confirmed the company’s commitment to build the bridge.
“The company has promised that it will participate in building the bridge”, declared Macuácua in a telephone interview on Friday.
As for the invasion of the camp, the Kenmare official said that all measures were taken to guarantee the safety of the workers and of the premises, thus avoiding any significant damage.
“So far, there has been no damage to our installations, and our activities are continuing to run normally”, said Macuacua.
Despite the commitment to advance with building the bridge, on Saturday the demonstrators invaded another camp, belonging to Transworld, a company subcontracted by Kenmare for logistical services. At the camp, the demonstrators forced staff to hand over company vehicles, which they used to carry the crowd to the town of Moma, where protests were being held against the election results.
Shouting “Venâncio! Venâncio!”, the demonstrators carried dozens of people in vehicles taken from the camp, including trucks used in mining, minibuses that normally carry workers, and pick-up trucks.
“There’s not much we can do. People invaded the camp, and as far as possible we avoided any kind of confrontation”, added Regina Macuácua.
Kenmare has been mining the heavy sands in Moma and Larde districts since 2009, producing the titanium ores that are the raw materials used in paints, paper, tiles and other products. It is one of the main mining companies in Mozambique and is among the country’s most important taxpayers. (RD)
