Malawi’s literacy levels have tremendously increased from 40 per cent in 1994 to 63 per cent in 2005, a senior education official said here on Thursday.
Deputy Education Minister Richard Msowoya told journalists during the commemoration of the National Day of Education, observed on every 19 July, that education played an important role in the country’s social, economic and political development.
According to Msowoya, the country’s literacy levels have increased due to the free primary education policy put in place by the former United Democratic Front government of President Bakili Muluzi in 1994.
Msowoya added that the policy had also raised the enrollment of pupils from 1.9 million before 1994 to the current 3.2 million.
"We would like in a few years to see the country reduce its illiteracy levels by half to enhance social and economic development of the country," the minister said, adding that education contributed to poverty reduction among the people.
"Although education is an expensive venture, it is worth it. We need more investment in education," he said.
The occasion began after African Ministers of Education met in Tours, France, in 1995 and agreed to set aside a day to commemorate a National Day of Education.
Thursday, 19 July 2007
Muluzi faces arrest
Malawi government has crafted a plan to arrest former President Dr Bakili Muluzi as he returns from his United Kingdom UK vacation, it has been uncovered.
Government strongman, Davis Katsonga, minister of presidential and parliamentary affairs told Nyasa Times that: “Malawians should allow the law to apply to everybody irrespective of their status.”
Muluzi on departure from Heathrow London, Wednesday via South Africa where he will connect his flight to Malawi on Thursday said he has heard of the impending arrest but was not shaken by the news.
“I have received a tip-off about the arrest, you are among a number of journalists who have asked me about the issue but I am not afraid. Malawi is my country, I can not be intimidated with threats of arrests to keep me away from my country, I am off to Malawi,” said Muluzi, before checking in at the airport via the VIP departure lounge.
“A warrant of arrest has been obtained from Lilongwe Magistrate Court with charges of criminal offences for Muluzi, the police have the duty to effect the arrest as Muluzi returns from UK,” government insiders disclosed to Nyasa Times.
Other government sources say President Bingu wa Mutharika issued an “arrest decree” to chief state advocate, David Nyamirandu before he left Monday for highly secretive meeting with Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe to seek wisdom over the current political impasse besides performing funeral rituals for his late wife Madame Mrs Ethel Mutharika buried at Ndata Farm in Thyolo.
“All cases government failed to prosecute Muluzi on corruption have been put forward to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to handle them under criminal offences other than the Corrupt Practices Act,” sources said.
Katsonga downplayed the arrest reports in a telephone interview.
“I am not aware of any warrant,” said Katsonga. “Yesterday, I was also telephoned by another UDF top brass (not named) who confronted me with similar news on why government is targeting him for an arrest, but I said I don’t have any news about that,” he said.
The Minister, nonetheless, said if Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has made an arrangement with DPP to arrest Muluzi, then he said it may be that they looked at whether there was enough evidence and legal merits to prosecute.
“If there is an arrangement between ACB and DPP to obtain a warrant of arrest, I hope they have followed a proper procedure of the law,” said Katsonga in calmness.
Government top prosecutor, Wezi Kayira could not be reached for comment.
Police spokesman kept a tight lid on the matter.
“I have no knowledge may be call me tomorrow I might be in a position to make a comment,” Willie Mwaluka, police spokesman, said.
UDF secretary general, Kennedy Mwakwangwala said the party was not surprised with the reports that government plans to arrest their leader.
“It has become a routine that government threatens our leader with an arrest as a scare tactic to our party to sew panic in the rank and file,” said Makwangwala.
He, however, said party members were geared up to give the former Malawi leader a rousing welcome at Chileka Airport.
UDF parliamentary chief whip, Leonard Mangulama also said he has got wind of the arrest news.
“I have heard of the same but I wonder why government would be doing that in the present political climate which require dialogue, tolerance than political persecution and witch-hunting,” said Mangulama.
Government strongman, Davis Katsonga, minister of presidential and parliamentary affairs told Nyasa Times that: “Malawians should allow the law to apply to everybody irrespective of their status.”
Muluzi on departure from Heathrow London, Wednesday via South Africa where he will connect his flight to Malawi on Thursday said he has heard of the impending arrest but was not shaken by the news.
“I have received a tip-off about the arrest, you are among a number of journalists who have asked me about the issue but I am not afraid. Malawi is my country, I can not be intimidated with threats of arrests to keep me away from my country, I am off to Malawi,” said Muluzi, before checking in at the airport via the VIP departure lounge.
“A warrant of arrest has been obtained from Lilongwe Magistrate Court with charges of criminal offences for Muluzi, the police have the duty to effect the arrest as Muluzi returns from UK,” government insiders disclosed to Nyasa Times.
Other government sources say President Bingu wa Mutharika issued an “arrest decree” to chief state advocate, David Nyamirandu before he left Monday for highly secretive meeting with Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe to seek wisdom over the current political impasse besides performing funeral rituals for his late wife Madame Mrs Ethel Mutharika buried at Ndata Farm in Thyolo.
“All cases government failed to prosecute Muluzi on corruption have been put forward to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to handle them under criminal offences other than the Corrupt Practices Act,” sources said.
Katsonga downplayed the arrest reports in a telephone interview.
“I am not aware of any warrant,” said Katsonga. “Yesterday, I was also telephoned by another UDF top brass (not named) who confronted me with similar news on why government is targeting him for an arrest, but I said I don’t have any news about that,” he said.
The Minister, nonetheless, said if Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has made an arrangement with DPP to arrest Muluzi, then he said it may be that they looked at whether there was enough evidence and legal merits to prosecute.
“If there is an arrangement between ACB and DPP to obtain a warrant of arrest, I hope they have followed a proper procedure of the law,” said Katsonga in calmness.
Government top prosecutor, Wezi Kayira could not be reached for comment.
Police spokesman kept a tight lid on the matter.
“I have no knowledge may be call me tomorrow I might be in a position to make a comment,” Willie Mwaluka, police spokesman, said.
UDF secretary general, Kennedy Mwakwangwala said the party was not surprised with the reports that government plans to arrest their leader.
“It has become a routine that government threatens our leader with an arrest as a scare tactic to our party to sew panic in the rank and file,” said Makwangwala.
He, however, said party members were geared up to give the former Malawi leader a rousing welcome at Chileka Airport.
UDF parliamentary chief whip, Leonard Mangulama also said he has got wind of the arrest news.
“I have heard of the same but I wonder why government would be doing that in the present political climate which require dialogue, tolerance than political persecution and witch-hunting,” said Mangulama.
Malawi budget row could hurt food security - minister
If Malawi's $1.2 billion budget is not passed this month it could delay the roll-out of a fertiliser subsidy crucial to boosting food production, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe said on Wednesday.
Malawi, hit by frequent food shortages, introduced the seed and fertiliser programme in 2005. It helped raise output of the staple maize to an estimated 3.2 million tonnes in 2006/07 -- the biggest crop in a decade.
Two seasons ago, Malawi only produced 1.25 million tonnes of maize, nearly two million short of national demand and its worst harvest since 1992.
"Government needs to start purchasing fertiliser for the programme now in readiness for the growing season and we have to pay 6 million kwacha (about $43,000) up front," Gondwe told Reuters
He added that funds weren't available because parliament only approved $8 million to spend for a month until the budget is passed.
Gondwe had asked for $32 million to keep the government running for four months after approval of the national budget was delayed to allow for mourning for the late first lady.
"There is need for an urgent alternative to avert the emerging crisis because the fertiliser is expected to start flowing into the country in two months time," he said.
The opposition has been boycotting debate on the budget, demanding the Speaker sack 41 members who joined President Bingu wa Mutharika's breakaway Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Gondwe feared that the dispute could lead to further postponements.
Malawi, hit by frequent food shortages, introduced the seed and fertiliser programme in 2005. It helped raise output of the staple maize to an estimated 3.2 million tonnes in 2006/07 -- the biggest crop in a decade.
Two seasons ago, Malawi only produced 1.25 million tonnes of maize, nearly two million short of national demand and its worst harvest since 1992.
"Government needs to start purchasing fertiliser for the programme now in readiness for the growing season and we have to pay 6 million kwacha (about $43,000) up front," Gondwe told Reuters
He added that funds weren't available because parliament only approved $8 million to spend for a month until the budget is passed.
Gondwe had asked for $32 million to keep the government running for four months after approval of the national budget was delayed to allow for mourning for the late first lady.
"There is need for an urgent alternative to avert the emerging crisis because the fertiliser is expected to start flowing into the country in two months time," he said.
The opposition has been boycotting debate on the budget, demanding the Speaker sack 41 members who joined President Bingu wa Mutharika's breakaway Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Gondwe feared that the dispute could lead to further postponements.
Lower food prices help ease Malawi inflation
Good maize harvests continue to help drive down inflation in Malawi, with the headline number easing to 7.7 percent year-on-year in June from 7.9 percent in May, the National Statistical Office (NSO) said on Thursday.
It said food inflation, which accounts for 58.1 percent of the impoverished southern African country's Consumer Price Index (CPI), dipped to 6.8 percent.
Inflation fell to single digits for the first time in four years in January and has continued to ease during the course of 2007.
Malawi is enjoying a bumper maize harvest for the second consecutive year, partly attributed to a government policy to reintroduce input subsidies scrapped in 1996.
According to official data, the country has a surplus of 1.3 million metric tonnes of maize this season, up from 400,000 metric tonnes in the 2005/06 season.
The surplus in the staple grain has prompted government to start selling the food grain to some famine struck neighbours in the southern African region, particularly Zimbabwe and Swaziland.
On Tuesday, the U.N Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) cited Zimbabwe and Swaziland amongst 28 poor countries worst hit by food shortages this year.
It said food inflation, which accounts for 58.1 percent of the impoverished southern African country's Consumer Price Index (CPI), dipped to 6.8 percent.
Inflation fell to single digits for the first time in four years in January and has continued to ease during the course of 2007.
Malawi is enjoying a bumper maize harvest for the second consecutive year, partly attributed to a government policy to reintroduce input subsidies scrapped in 1996.
According to official data, the country has a surplus of 1.3 million metric tonnes of maize this season, up from 400,000 metric tonnes in the 2005/06 season.
The surplus in the staple grain has prompted government to start selling the food grain to some famine struck neighbours in the southern African region, particularly Zimbabwe and Swaziland.
On Tuesday, the U.N Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) cited Zimbabwe and Swaziland amongst 28 poor countries worst hit by food shortages this year.
Clinton comes to Malawi's rescue
Former US president Bill Clinton will on Friday launch a multi-million dollar hospital project in impoverished Malawi, where healthcare is dogged by poor facilities and a brain drain.
"Former president Clinton will perform a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the modern hospital which will cost 70-million dollars (about R480-million)," Local Government Minister George Chaponda told AFP on Thursday.
The Clinton/Hunter Initiative for Development will bankroll the construction of the 80-bed hospital and 23 staff houses at Neno district, 120 kilometres south of the commercial capital Blantyre, the minister said.
Clinton is also expected to hold private talks with President Bingu wa Mutharika at the hilltop Sanjika Palace in Blantyre, during his one-day visit, Chaponda added.
Malawi, where 60 percent of the 12 million citizens live below the poverty line of less than a dollar a day, faces an acute lack of health workers with around 120 registered nurses migrating to Britain and the United States every year in search of better salaries.
One nurse serves 50 patients in most hospital wards, and the doctor-patient ratio is 64&nbs;000 to one, according to a recent survey by the health ministry.
Malawi's mortality rate, currently at 984 per 100 000 live births, is the third highest in the world, after conflict-plagued Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.
One of Africa's poorest countries, Malawi is also battling HIV and Aids which has affected around 14 percent of the population. There are about 80 000 Aids-related deaths every year. - Sapa-AFP
"Former president Clinton will perform a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the modern hospital which will cost 70-million dollars (about R480-million)," Local Government Minister George Chaponda told AFP on Thursday.
The Clinton/Hunter Initiative for Development will bankroll the construction of the 80-bed hospital and 23 staff houses at Neno district, 120 kilometres south of the commercial capital Blantyre, the minister said.
Clinton is also expected to hold private talks with President Bingu wa Mutharika at the hilltop Sanjika Palace in Blantyre, during his one-day visit, Chaponda added.
Malawi, where 60 percent of the 12 million citizens live below the poverty line of less than a dollar a day, faces an acute lack of health workers with around 120 registered nurses migrating to Britain and the United States every year in search of better salaries.
One nurse serves 50 patients in most hospital wards, and the doctor-patient ratio is 64&nbs;000 to one, according to a recent survey by the health ministry.
Malawi's mortality rate, currently at 984 per 100 000 live births, is the third highest in the world, after conflict-plagued Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.
One of Africa's poorest countries, Malawi is also battling HIV and Aids which has affected around 14 percent of the population. There are about 80 000 Aids-related deaths every year. - Sapa-AFP
Malawi fears farm inputs will be late if budget remains in limbo
Malawi has expressed fears that its forthcoming farming season could be put in serious jeopardy due to the delayed passing of the national budget by the country’s parliament.
The country has in the past two years been successfully implementing a subsidy fertiliser programme in which the inputs like seeds and fertiliser are sold at reduced prices to poor farmers nationwide.
The result has been a 1.8-million tonne food surplus in the 2005/06 and 2006/07 farming seasons.
Due to this massive food surplus, Malawi is this year able to export 400,000 tonnes of maize to food deficit Zimbabwe.
So far the country has transported 93,000 tonnes of maize to Harare, according to Binton Kuntsaira, Malawi’s deputy agriculture and food security minister.
But in the next farming season, all this may be jeopardised since government has no funds to import the farm inputs, especially fertiliser, the minister said.
His remarks on Wednesday came after uncertainty continues to surround the resumption of parliament amid continued disagreements between the opposition (which has the majority in parliament) and government on what to discuss first in the House — the budget as proposed by the government or the court ruling’s on Section 65 of the constitution as demanded by the opposition.
The court decision validates the expulsion of MPs who defected to the government side from the House. Unlike the opposition, the government argues this can wait after the House has discussed the budget.
It is this stand-off that has put the whole budget affair on hold, leaving parliament to remain adjourned sine die.
In the Wednesday interview, the minister said his ministry has greatly been affected by the budget impasse in parliament, unable to order the farm inputs from abroad, due to lack of funds.
So far, no known efforts are being made by both the government and the opposition to solve the problem, despite some sectors calling for a roundtable discussion between the two sides.
The leader of government business in the House, Henry Chimunthu Banda, shelved any chances of a round table discussion to solve the impasse.
He insisted that the solution to the current situation was the need for the parliamentarians to recognise what should be the priority between the court ruling’s implementation and the pro-poor budget.
The country has in the past two years been successfully implementing a subsidy fertiliser programme in which the inputs like seeds and fertiliser are sold at reduced prices to poor farmers nationwide.
The result has been a 1.8-million tonne food surplus in the 2005/06 and 2006/07 farming seasons.
Due to this massive food surplus, Malawi is this year able to export 400,000 tonnes of maize to food deficit Zimbabwe.
So far the country has transported 93,000 tonnes of maize to Harare, according to Binton Kuntsaira, Malawi’s deputy agriculture and food security minister.
But in the next farming season, all this may be jeopardised since government has no funds to import the farm inputs, especially fertiliser, the minister said.
His remarks on Wednesday came after uncertainty continues to surround the resumption of parliament amid continued disagreements between the opposition (which has the majority in parliament) and government on what to discuss first in the House — the budget as proposed by the government or the court ruling’s on Section 65 of the constitution as demanded by the opposition.
The court decision validates the expulsion of MPs who defected to the government side from the House. Unlike the opposition, the government argues this can wait after the House has discussed the budget.
It is this stand-off that has put the whole budget affair on hold, leaving parliament to remain adjourned sine die.
In the Wednesday interview, the minister said his ministry has greatly been affected by the budget impasse in parliament, unable to order the farm inputs from abroad, due to lack of funds.
So far, no known efforts are being made by both the government and the opposition to solve the problem, despite some sectors calling for a roundtable discussion between the two sides.
The leader of government business in the House, Henry Chimunthu Banda, shelved any chances of a round table discussion to solve the impasse.
He insisted that the solution to the current situation was the need for the parliamentarians to recognise what should be the priority between the court ruling’s implementation and the pro-poor budget.
Malawi up in arms over lucrative uranium mine
Malawi will have its first-ever modern mining project located in the northern town of Kayelekera in Karonga by early next year if plans by an Australian mining company, Paladin (Africa), are successful. In April this year, the Malawi government granted the mining company a licence to exploit up to 34,5-million tonnes of uranium.
One would have taken it for granted that there would be immense enthusiasm over the introduction of this mining project in a country where the economy has over the years been solely dependent on agriculture.
This is especially so since the mining company has promised that the project will generate an annual income of more than $100-million, which is about 5% of Malawi's annual gross domestic product and 20% of the country's total export income.
The revenue for the uranium is projected to exceed tobacco's annual proceeds of $19-million. Tobacco is currently Malawi's main foreign-exchange earner.
The uranium project also promises to transform the under-developed Kayelekera into a prosperous town and create jobs for 800 people during the construction phase and 280 people during the operational phase.
It also promises to support indirectly more than 1 000 additional jobs, build a modern primary school, a secondary school and a health facility near the project area.
Controversy
However, controversy has been dogging the project since its hatching stages with fears from the public that the mining of uranium poses serious health hazards, such as cancer and disability in infants due to radiation.
A warning signal was first sent by a 2006 paper published by researcher Martin Mkandawire. He argues that scientific evidence shows that uranium mining is implicated in most cancers, especially those of the lung, blood and bone, and that it leads to disability in infants.
In the paper, titled The Kayelekera Uranium Mining Activity: Economic Benefit and Environmental Dangers, Mkandawire argues that the project will lead to the loss of social goods that do not have market value, such as human health in the surrounding community.
"As someone who has been conducting research on uranium deposits, mining and cleaning of uranium sites for more than 10 years now, I would caution government, the politicians and all Malawians to weigh carefully the pros and cons of the project," states Mkandawire.
Then came an environmental impact assessment (EIA), also conducted last year by an international consulting firm, Knight Piesold Consulting. Among others, it indicated that the project could increase social problems in the Karonga area in the form of increased cases of HIV/Aids due to the migration of sex workers to the area.
"There will be an increase in the existing commercial sex industry and risks of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/Aids," says the EIA.
Health and environment
A group of six influential civil society organisations in Malawi said the company has neither complied with the Environmental Management Act nor with international uranium-mining standards, which underscore the importance of ensuring health and environmental protection for people.
These organisations are the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Focus on Karonga, Citizens for Justice, the Institute for Policy Interaction (IPI), the Uraha Foundation and the Foundation for Community Services.
They have since obtained a court injunction stopping the project from proceeding. It is unlikely that the issue will be resolved soon since court processes in Malawi usually take a long time due to case backlogs.
CHRR executive director Undule Mwakasungura argues that local people are being taken for a ride as they were not given information on the dangers of the uranium project. Mwakasungura says that the mining project should be handled responsibly with adequate information being supplied by environmentalists and radiation experts.
A lawyer representing the organisations, Titus Mvalo, says uranium is radioactive and that at open-pit mines, like the one to be conducted at Kayelekera, the soil drains into rivers and contaminates the water. When humans drink the water, it damages kidneys and causes cancer.
In Malawi, according to the 2006 Human Development Report, up to 33% of the population of 12-million people do not have access to safe water. They depend on water from rivers and lakes. Mvalo says there is a need for measures that will mitigate the damage that could arise from radiation.
"There are examples in Mexico and Ghana where people suffered irreparable damage to kidneys because of such mining," he cautions.
Legislation
The NGOs are demanding that legislation regulating radioactive materials be put in place and that the government should invite comments from the public. They want the project to be redesigned following the input from the public and that the government should make public the EIA report.
Furthermore, Paladin should enter into a separate legally binding agreement with the local community to ensure "meaningful" social investment and the mining company should provide a guarantee to the public regarding their well-being, health and environmental conditions.
The controversy surrounding the uranium project also came up during parliamentary proceedings in March this year, when the government described some of the contents of the agreement with Paladin as classified. It refused to make it available after opposition parliamentarians demanded a copy of the agreement.
The chairperson of the parliamentary legal affairs committee, opposition MP Atupele Muluzi, took the government on, saying it was important for people who would be affected by the project to have a copy of the agreement. But Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe stressed that "certain details of the agreement have to be kept secret".
Minister of Energy and Mining Henry Chimunthu-Banda only reported that the Malawi government awarded Paladin a 15-year licence over 55,5 square kilometres with a possibility to renew the licence for another 10 years.
Moreover, Paladin will only transfer a 15% stake in the uranium project to the Malawian government but get a corporate tax reduction from 30% to 27,5%. Paladin will also not pay a 10% resource rent tax.
Defence
Both the government and Paladin have defended the project and denied that uranium mining could pose health and environmental problems.
Chimunthu-Banda says that the Malawi government believes that Paladin has met all the requirements and that all environmental issues have been tackled in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency's prescriptions.
"We believe all necessary consultations have taken place. As government we have been shocked that some stakeholders are presenting this issue as if government did not want to take care of environmental issues," says the minister.
An information brochure from the mining company says Paladin will "carefully" monitor the radiation to which people at the mine will be exposed and ensure that levels are always as low as can be achieved reasonably.
"People not working at the mine will receive far less than that level. Like the heat from a fire, the radiation level drops the further you move away from the source," says the brochure.
Paladin also says that radon gas, one of the natural decay products of uranium that is radio-active, will not harm people. The company admits that the gas can be carried by wind, but insists that it quickly disperses after being released from the ground.
The country's President, Bingu wa Mutharika, has since said that Malawi will in the next 10 years be one of the largest producers of uranium in Africa. Another Australian-based company, Globe Uranium, has since been carrying out search activities since January 2006, also in the northern part of Malawi.
One would have taken it for granted that there would be immense enthusiasm over the introduction of this mining project in a country where the economy has over the years been solely dependent on agriculture.
This is especially so since the mining company has promised that the project will generate an annual income of more than $100-million, which is about 5% of Malawi's annual gross domestic product and 20% of the country's total export income.
The revenue for the uranium is projected to exceed tobacco's annual proceeds of $19-million. Tobacco is currently Malawi's main foreign-exchange earner.
The uranium project also promises to transform the under-developed Kayelekera into a prosperous town and create jobs for 800 people during the construction phase and 280 people during the operational phase.
It also promises to support indirectly more than 1 000 additional jobs, build a modern primary school, a secondary school and a health facility near the project area.
Controversy
However, controversy has been dogging the project since its hatching stages with fears from the public that the mining of uranium poses serious health hazards, such as cancer and disability in infants due to radiation.
A warning signal was first sent by a 2006 paper published by researcher Martin Mkandawire. He argues that scientific evidence shows that uranium mining is implicated in most cancers, especially those of the lung, blood and bone, and that it leads to disability in infants.
In the paper, titled The Kayelekera Uranium Mining Activity: Economic Benefit and Environmental Dangers, Mkandawire argues that the project will lead to the loss of social goods that do not have market value, such as human health in the surrounding community.
"As someone who has been conducting research on uranium deposits, mining and cleaning of uranium sites for more than 10 years now, I would caution government, the politicians and all Malawians to weigh carefully the pros and cons of the project," states Mkandawire.
Then came an environmental impact assessment (EIA), also conducted last year by an international consulting firm, Knight Piesold Consulting. Among others, it indicated that the project could increase social problems in the Karonga area in the form of increased cases of HIV/Aids due to the migration of sex workers to the area.
"There will be an increase in the existing commercial sex industry and risks of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/Aids," says the EIA.
Health and environment
A group of six influential civil society organisations in Malawi said the company has neither complied with the Environmental Management Act nor with international uranium-mining standards, which underscore the importance of ensuring health and environmental protection for people.
These organisations are the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Focus on Karonga, Citizens for Justice, the Institute for Policy Interaction (IPI), the Uraha Foundation and the Foundation for Community Services.
They have since obtained a court injunction stopping the project from proceeding. It is unlikely that the issue will be resolved soon since court processes in Malawi usually take a long time due to case backlogs.
CHRR executive director Undule Mwakasungura argues that local people are being taken for a ride as they were not given information on the dangers of the uranium project. Mwakasungura says that the mining project should be handled responsibly with adequate information being supplied by environmentalists and radiation experts.
A lawyer representing the organisations, Titus Mvalo, says uranium is radioactive and that at open-pit mines, like the one to be conducted at Kayelekera, the soil drains into rivers and contaminates the water. When humans drink the water, it damages kidneys and causes cancer.
In Malawi, according to the 2006 Human Development Report, up to 33% of the population of 12-million people do not have access to safe water. They depend on water from rivers and lakes. Mvalo says there is a need for measures that will mitigate the damage that could arise from radiation.
"There are examples in Mexico and Ghana where people suffered irreparable damage to kidneys because of such mining," he cautions.
Legislation
The NGOs are demanding that legislation regulating radioactive materials be put in place and that the government should invite comments from the public. They want the project to be redesigned following the input from the public and that the government should make public the EIA report.
Furthermore, Paladin should enter into a separate legally binding agreement with the local community to ensure "meaningful" social investment and the mining company should provide a guarantee to the public regarding their well-being, health and environmental conditions.
The controversy surrounding the uranium project also came up during parliamentary proceedings in March this year, when the government described some of the contents of the agreement with Paladin as classified. It refused to make it available after opposition parliamentarians demanded a copy of the agreement.
The chairperson of the parliamentary legal affairs committee, opposition MP Atupele Muluzi, took the government on, saying it was important for people who would be affected by the project to have a copy of the agreement. But Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe stressed that "certain details of the agreement have to be kept secret".
Minister of Energy and Mining Henry Chimunthu-Banda only reported that the Malawi government awarded Paladin a 15-year licence over 55,5 square kilometres with a possibility to renew the licence for another 10 years.
Moreover, Paladin will only transfer a 15% stake in the uranium project to the Malawian government but get a corporate tax reduction from 30% to 27,5%. Paladin will also not pay a 10% resource rent tax.
Defence
Both the government and Paladin have defended the project and denied that uranium mining could pose health and environmental problems.
Chimunthu-Banda says that the Malawi government believes that Paladin has met all the requirements and that all environmental issues have been tackled in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency's prescriptions.
"We believe all necessary consultations have taken place. As government we have been shocked that some stakeholders are presenting this issue as if government did not want to take care of environmental issues," says the minister.
An information brochure from the mining company says Paladin will "carefully" monitor the radiation to which people at the mine will be exposed and ensure that levels are always as low as can be achieved reasonably.
"People not working at the mine will receive far less than that level. Like the heat from a fire, the radiation level drops the further you move away from the source," says the brochure.
Paladin also says that radon gas, one of the natural decay products of uranium that is radio-active, will not harm people. The company admits that the gas can be carried by wind, but insists that it quickly disperses after being released from the ground.
The country's President, Bingu wa Mutharika, has since said that Malawi will in the next 10 years be one of the largest producers of uranium in Africa. Another Australian-based company, Globe Uranium, has since been carrying out search activities since January 2006, also in the northern part of Malawi.
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