Senior clerics set to visit Mara gold mine on Friday

Top Tanzanian religious leaders are Friday expected to make a tour of North Mara Gold Mine to assess the mine’s contribution to the surrounding communities and the nation’s economy.

Ms Grace Masalakulangwa from the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT) confirmed the tour by the religious leaders to the mine on Wednesday evening. However, she would not go into details about its aim.

“It is a national interfaith committee and I have also been invited to join the mine’s visit. The tour has been organised in Dar es Salaam and the delegation will involve CCT, BAKWATA (National Muslim Council of Tanzania) and RC (Roman Catholic ),” a senior religious leader in Mara Region said on Thursday.

The management of North Mara Gold Mine has been readying itself to receive the delegation, with a view to furnishing it with detailed reports about the mine’s operations.

Sources said the leaders would also be interested in seeing the efforts taken by the mine to prevent environmental damage in the area and surrounding communities.

North Mara is one of the country’s largest gold mines and is run by African Barrick Gold (ABG).

Before ABG’s arrival, the mine passed under the hands of several foreign giant mining companies, including Africa Mashariki Gold Mine (AMG) and Placer Dome Tanzania.
The mine was officially inaugurated by the former president, Benjamin Mkapa in 2002.
Local communities surrounding the mine have in the past widely blamed the mine for failing to honour promises it made to help in transforming their lives.

The situation has of late significantly improved after ABG showed seriousness in implementing most of the promises, a move which has witnessed the miner pouring millions of money to support local development in recent months.

The mine says it will spend around 13 million US dollars to support local development by providing education, health, water and rural in three years, starting in late 2011. The beneficiary villages includ Kewanja, Kerende, Nyangoto, Matongo, Genkuru , Nyamwaga and Nyakunguru.