Illegal Chinese miners invade villages in Upper East Region

A farming community in the Talensi District in the Upper East Region of Ghana has been invaded by illegal Chinese gold miners who have built mine shafts right in the middle of the poor farming community.

The Chinese company- Shaanxi Mining Ghana, is said to be using the mining license of Yenyeya Mining Group, a Ghanaian-owned small scale mining company. However, the Republic newspaper can confirm that Yenyeya company’s mining license is not valid as it has expired since 2012 and has since not been renewed.

The Chinese company is said to have flouted orders by the Minerals Commission to remove their mine shafts from the community.

The Assembly Member for Gaare-Gbane Electoral Area Mr. Bismark N.S Zumah is in the forefront of a crusade to get the mining company out of the community, accusing it of illegal land grabbing. According to him, the mining company used illegal means to acquire 747.41 acres of land belonging various communities.

“ As we speak today, Shaanxi Mining Ghana continue to occupy and operate on unauthorized land what is surprising the failure of the Mineral Commission to enforce their own directive,” Mr. Zumah charged.

“I have been imprisoned several times for leading community protests to reclaim our land that was illegally acquired by Shaanxi Mining Ghana and its Ghanaian partners,” the peeved Assembly Member explained.

“We are helpless even the chiefs are being manipulated by Shaanxi Mining Ghana,” he alleged.

On August 10, 2009 the chief of Gbane Naba Porbortaaba Nabil, is said to have thumb-printed a land document without knowing it content. Unknown to the illiterate chief who thumb-printed the document, he had ceded the huge pact of land to the Chinese company and its accomplices.

Investigations reveal that the document was a phony document allegedly prepared by the management of these small scale mining companies.

The chief who could not read the content of the letter hurriedly thumb-printed the said letter which was under the heading “Release of Land for Surface Use at Designated Small Scale Mining Area in the Talensi-Nabdam District in the Upper East Region of Ghana”.

The said letter reads in part “This is to certify that the chief of Gbane Naba Porbortaaba Nabil, has on 10th August 2009 consented to the request made by Yenyeya and porbortaaba mining groups and Shaanxi mining Ghana limited to release land showed edged pink and covering an area of seven hundred and forty seven point forty-one acres (747.41) as indicated on the attached site plan endorsed by me to be fenced out for the construction of a mine shaft, installation of plants, construction of a residential accommodation and safe keeping of equipment and their trucks…”. The document also bears the thumb-print of one Baabii Daniel Tu, elder of Gbane as a witness, Awudu Pagra Nnabil, Charles Ndanbon and Liu Xiaoqing as CEOs of Porbortaba Mining Group, Yenyeya Mining Group and Shaanxi Mining Ghana.

When a Chinese mining company began the construction of its project in the middle of the community, the heads of Yilzugdem and Tindaandem communities raised alarm and subsequently petitioned the Tongo Traditional Council over illegal acquisition and occupation by the Chinese.

The Tongo Traditional Council upon a complaint lodged by the heads of Yilzugdem and Tindaandem communities ruled null and void the said land agreement entered by the Gbane chief with the Chinese mining company.

The council subsequently directed that a letter should be written and signed by all the four sections of Gbane and Tongo-Rana to withdraw the said letter that approved the sale of 747.41 acres of land to Shaanxi Mining Ghana. The ruling dated 12 July 2012 and signed by Tongo Rana and president of Traditional Council Sakosong Lebeg Gbiamer, and Baare Naab, Winkogo Naab, and Tengzuk Naab as council members was pronounced on 6th July 2012 and communicated to all interested parties, this paper gathered.

However, the Chinese mining company disregarded the ruling and went ahead to construct its mine shafts.

The said mine shafts are located within the community and one is very close to St Anthony’s primary school.

The head teacher of St Anthony primary school Mr. Francis Naleog said, “Children are playing around in the midst of stone blasting. When they blast the debris fly through these shafts and could hit and wound the children.”

He feared that if nothing is done tragedy may soon happen in the community.