‘Bloodsucking rumours hit extractive industry’

By Watipaso Mzungu, Contributor:

The government has said bloodsucking rumours negatively affected the extractive industry between 2017 and 2018.

Department of the Geological Surveys acting Director, Kondwani Dombola, cited geological mapping and mineral assessment as some of the activities that suffered major setbacks at the height of the rumours.

Dombola was speaking in Lilongwe on Friday during the annual general meeting of the Chamber of Mines.

“We were forced to recall both local and foreign geologists from districts such as Mulanje, Chiradzulu and Thyolo because their safety was at risk as villagers would easily associate them with the bloodsucking issue,” he said.

But Dombola said the government has completed the geo-mapping exercise in the Southern Region.

Chamber of Mines President, Dean Lungu, said results of various exploration exercises indicate that Malawi could soon become a miners’ destination.

But Lungu asked Malawians to “slow down on their expectations of the industry”.

“It usually takes time to start reaping [fruits] of this industry,” he said.