Galamsey: Environment Minister justifies burning of excavators on the spot

Minister for Environment, Technology and Innovation, has justified the burning of excavators on the spot when security officials deployed to combat illegal small scale mining - galamsey - seized the equipment.

According to Dr Kwaku Afriyie, who is also Member of Parliament for SefwiWiawso, doing so will serve as a strong deterrent to illegal miners but also importantly cut out the possibility of corruption.

GhanaWeb monitored his comments in an interview on Accra-based Citi TV’s Face To Face programme, where he submitted that he had personally advised the government to burn the machines which are being used in the galamsey activities.

“We must work within the law. That’s why I support the idea of the excavators being destroyed immediately. They should not bring the excavators to town. Using the excavators for other projects is where the corruption starts,” he said.

He added that burning the excavators will also curb the incidence of people going to court to injunct the disposal of seized equipment. “We are in a country of laws so if you seize them now and put them at the SefwiWiawso Regional Office, they will bring a court injunction.

“You should know you cannot use it [for other purposes] because of litigation. I have advised the government to destroy [the excavators] on site and let the owners take the government to court. If we lose [the case], we [will] pay,” he stressed.

Security personnel deployed to combat galamsey particularly on Ghana’s water bodies have recently seized excavators with some videos on social media showing them being burnt on the spot.

The action has received mixed reactions with some people arguing that the government can make better use of the excavators but putting them to alternative use but for others, it was a good decision to burn them as a deterrent but also to avoid scandals like excavators going missing as happened last year.