Mining & Trade News

The Ministry of Mining has with immediate effect suspended all small scale gold mining operations in Kasungu District following a tragic accident which has cost lives of eight people and injured five in Kasalika Village, Traditional Authority Suza’s area.

Principal Secretary Betchani Tchereni and Director General for Mining and Mineral Resources Regulatory Authority Samuel Sakhuta state in a joint Press Release that the ban will allow them to finalise their due diligence on the incident that resulted from informal artisanal gold mining activities that continue to attract multitudes in the district.

In accordance with the Mines and Minerals Act, 2023, (No. 25 of 2023), Section 35, any reconnaissance, prospecting, exploration, or mining without a valid mineral tenement or artisanal mining permit constitutes a criminal offence. Offenders are liable to a fine of K20,000,000 and imprisonment for up to four years and that courts may also order land rehabilitation, with costs recoverable as a debt to the government if the offender fails to comply.

Reads the statement from the Ministry: “The Ministry and the Authority extend their deepest condolences to the bereaved families and reaffirm their commitment to preventing such tragedies in the future.”

“The Ministry of Mining as well as the MMRA are aware that illegal mining operations are taking place in several parts of the country, involving a range of minerals.”

“Based on the site visit that the MMRA carried out on 30th September, 2025, there are more people involved in illegal mining activities in the area which pose serious risks to public safety, the environment, and the integrity of the mining sector despite the efforts taken to curb the malpractice across the country.

“MMRA will enhance enforcement by carrying out joint inspections with law enforcement agencies to close illegal operations and prosecute offenders.”

The MMRA also announced that it will carry out community awareness campaigns aiming at intensifying education efforts across affected districts to highlight the dangers and legal requirements of mining.

The statement says: “The Ministry of Mining and the MMRA are carrying out a comprehensive investigation to determine the circumstances of the recent incident and identify those responsible.”

“The Ministry of Mining will train cooperatives that will be formed in these areas while the MMRA will issue small-scale mining licences to formalise the activities.”

The Ministry of Mining and the MMRA appealed to community leaders and local authorities to discourage illegal mining and promote legal alternatives as well as support in monitoring and reporting of illegal mining. They also urged Malawians to report illegal activities, particularly where safety is at risk.

But reacting to the statement, Artisanal Small-scale Mining (ASM) consultant Chikomeni Manda said the ban will just worsen the situation as currently the escalating illegal mining activities across the country are due to another ban on exporting of gemstones as well as delays by the Ministry to issue ASM licences.

Manda said: “Do you think this ban will hold in Kasungu? No, it is just like the gemstone export ban that has not worked because smuggling has increased hence activities of only legal operators have been impeded.”

 “Why can Government not sit down with the miners/ ASM Federation, CSOs and many other stakeholders to find a proper solution to address some of these challenges being faced than imposing these useless bans which do not work at all?”

He reiterated the need for Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) who are buying gold across the country to start giving back to the community by offering trainings to ASMs.

Mining Expert and Geoscientist Ignatius Kamwanje said the blame on the incident should go to both Government and the community.

Kamwanje explained that government should be blamed for delaying in formalizing the ASMs and dealing with illegal miners as well as lack of regular monitoring, inspections, sensitization, capacity building, and health and safety awareness in ASM sites. He said: “The miners are to blame as well. Safety was compromised.”  

“The MMRA should have enough funding for inspectors to be on the ground to sensitize these miners on the dangers of illegal mining.”

“ASM mining hotspots should be designated formal areas, well mapped and monitored by the government. This will offset other undesignated areas as no go zones.”

Kamwanje concurred with Manda in slamming the ban saying government needs to encourage illegal miners to form cooperatives through all formal licencing processes.

“The government banning ASM activities is not a solution. The government has a prerogative to preach to ASMs the benefits of responsible/ sustainable mining, health and safety and other regulations. The government should engage the illegal ASMs to get licenced.” said Kamwanje.

Programs/MEAL Officer for Natural Resources Justice Network (NRJN) Biswas Ishmael said it is difficult for the government to stop gold mining activities as they are many doing it with the intention of earning a living. Ishmael said the major challenge is that the communities involved in the mining activities are much connected to government structures.   He said: “The continued market for gold just like charcoal in Malawi makes the situation more difficult to contain.”

“Lack of consistency in doing things in the governance structures brings doubt as to whether those monitoring can be sustained.”

“The tendency of some government officials of grabbing tenements from locals in these hotspots to grant to influential individuals from elsewhere forces the locals to continue searching for other gold-rich spots.”

The deceased in the Kasungu accident were identified as Mphatso Banda, Sindama Mnyanja, Lydia Mpando, Labani Kawongo, Idah Chikondi, Tiyamike Phiri, Galeson Mpanganachi Chibwezi, Kamputeni Harrison Banda, and Grace Chisale.

Kasungu Police Public Relations Officer Joseph Kachikho expressed concern that rescue efforts were complicated by the lack of proper equipment and the unstable nature of the site.

Sub-Traditional Authority Suza said there is need to introduce regulations to govern mining activities in the area to ensure safe practices stressing that “We cannot keep losing lives like this."

Chairperson of Kasungu Civil Society Organisation Network Braxton Banda urged the authorities to treat the situation with the urgency it deserves.

"We are calling on stakeholders to ensure that both the environment and the lives of people are protected. We also urge the Ministry of Mining to intervene by providing appropriate machinery and safety gear to make mining safer for the communities who depend on it,” Banda said.

Another mine accident involving ASMs recently occurred in Balaka District where it killed one miner and left others with minor injuries.

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