Canadians in diamond hunt in Shinyanga

[BAK]

Canadians in diamond hunt in Shinyanga

By WILFRED EDWIN
Special Correspondent
THE EAST AFRICAN

A Canadian mining giant has started exploring for diamonds in the mineral-rich Shinyanga district in northwestern Tanzania.

The firm, Douglas Lake Minerals, announced last week that its partner, Canaco Resources, has initiated Phase One Exploration of the Magembe Diamond Project in Shinyanga.

“Canaco has started exploration to evaluate indicated diamond potential from both alluvial and kimberlite sources,” said Harp Sangha, the firm’s chief executive officer.

The mineral title to the Magembe property is owned wholly by Douglas Lake. Canaco Resources Inc has the right to take up to a 75 per cent of Douglas Lake’s interest in the 46 square kilometre Magembe Diamond property through payments of cash and shares and undertaking a commitment for exploration as defined in terms of an option agreement between the two companies signed in March this year.

“With all the local artisanal mining activity, we believe there is considerable potential for a commercially profitable diamond mine,” said Mr Sangha in a statement last week.

The exploration programme will follow up on the reconnaissance scale exploration completed earlier this year.

That initial work consisted of data compilation, remote sensing, geological mapping and prospecting and was successful in identifying geological environments favourable for hosting surficial and bedrock diamond deposits.

The Phase One exploration programme will evaluate the concentrations of recoverable diamonds from alluvial material through systematic bulk sampling and processing.

According to the company, on the northern part of the property, regional geophysical data indicate the presence of four unexplored kimberlite targets with magnetic expressions similar to the Williamson kimberlite.

The property in question is located next to De Beer’s Williamson Mine, which is currently owned 75 per cent by De Beers and 25 per cent by the Tanzanian government. It has produced over 20 million carats since 1940.

The Williamson pipe covers 360 acres, and at the time of its discovery, was considered the largest economically exploitable pipe in the world. It is renowned for being the original source of pink diamonds and has produced notable stones, including a 54 carat flawless pink diamond and a 388 carat diamond found in 1990.

Douglas Lake Minerals focuses on exploring and developing gold, copper, nickel, uranium and diamond mining opportunities in Tanzania, a country with vast amounts of undeveloped mineral-rich natural resources. It explores and develops a large portfolio of prospecting concessions through royalty-based joint venture partnerships.

The officer in charge at the registrar and licensing section of minerals at the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Ally Samaje, confirmed to The EastAfrican last week that Douglas Lake Minerals holds two prospecting licenses for all minerals other than gemstones or building materials.

It has for some time been exploring for gold in Mvomero and Makuyu in Morogoro region.

Mr Sangha said recently that the firm was pleased with the early exploration results at Morogoro.

 

[Augustine Moshi]

O thou accursed Shinyanga! Thou has the gold and diamonds that has enriched many a foreigner while thy children wallow in abject poverty!

Where is thy wisdom O Shinyanga? How come thy aged mothers are butchered by their offspring on suspicion of being witches? Why do thy children raise their machetes against their own grandmothers rather than against those who are raping thee?

Where are thy leaders O Shinyanga? Where were they when Douglas Lake bought rights over areas that were being mined by thy own "Artisinal Miners"? Did they so much as inform thy sons and daughters that they were "buying rights" over the very land that received the blood when their umbilical chords were severed?

Who is holding your hands while they rape thee O Shinyanga? Thou art known to be peaceful, except when it comes to thy grandmothers. Is this peacefulness taken as weakness? Why has Douglas Lake bought and then sold rights over you without involving you O Shinyanga? Have you lost your voice?

The peanuts that Douglas Lake paid to officials in Dar, together with the many billions of shillings that Douglas Lake received when it sold its "rights over you" to Canaco Resources, should really have been yours. Why are foreigners reaching into your very womb for wealth that is not theirs, and without your consent? Why do they chase away, like dogs, your own offspring who are scratching the surface for only what they need to live on?

I weep for thee O Shinyanga! When they are done with thee, thou shalt remain a mutilated corpse. Thy dismembered parts will be littered with arsenic, mercury and the other poisons that they now use to purify what they scour from deep within you. Thy children, who have no say in this at all, will die from arsenic poisoning for many years after the plunderers have left.

 

[Nzokanhyilu]

O thou accursed Shinyanga! Thou has the gold and diamonds that has enriched many a foreigner while thy children wallow in abject poverty!

Where is thy wisdom O Shinyanga? How come thy aged mothers are butchered by their offspring on suspicion of being witches? Why do thy children raise their machetes against their own grandmothers rather than against those who are raping thee?

Where are thy leaders O Shinyanga? Where were they when Douglas Lake bought rights over areas that were being mined by thy own "Artisinal Miners"? Did they so much as inform thy sons and daughters that they were "buying rights" over the very land that received the blood when their umbilical chords were severed?

Who is holding your hands while they rape thee O Shinyanga? Thou art known to be peaceful, except when it comes to thy grandmothers. Is this peacefulness taken as weakness? Why has Douglas Lake bought and then sold rights over you without involving you O Shinyanga? Have you lost your voice?

The peanuts that Douglas Lake paid to officials in Dar, together with the many billions of shillings that Douglas Lake received when it sold its "rights over you" to Canaco Resources, should really have been yours. Why are foreigners reaching into your very womb for wealth that is not theirs, and without your consent? Why do they chase away, like dogs, your own offspring who are scratching the surface for only what they need to live on?

I weep for thee O Shinyanga! When they are done with thee, thou shalt remain a mutilated corpse. Thy dismembered parts will be littered with arsenic, mercury and the other poisons that they now use to purify what they scour from deep within you. Thy children, who have no say in this at all, will die from arsenic poisoning for many years after the plunderers have left.

Brought a tear to mi eye.
Hiri ri nchi rimebarikiwa.....

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

I tell you, last time I read anything like this was in Stratford Upon Avon....

 

[Augustine Moshi]

Aidha Azimio la Arusha au Mwongozo wa Chama (can't recall which) linasema:

"Tumeonewa vya kutosha, tumedharauliwa vya kutosha, tumenyonywa vya kutosha. Sasa tunataka kufanya mapinduzi; mapinduzi ya kutuondolea kuonewa, kudharauliwa na kunyonywa"

Hii "sasa" ya "Sasa tunataka kufanya mapinduzi" itakuja lini? Tunaambiwa sasa kwamba Shinyanga ni (1) Original source of pink diamonds in the world (2) Has produced a 54 carat flawless pink diamond (3) Produced a 388 carat diamond in 1990.

Shinyanga hawakuwa wanajua hayo. Hata Serikali ya Tanzania huenda ilikuwa haijui hayo. Kama serikali ilijua mbona hao clowns wa wizara husika hawajawahi kututangazia? Si lazima washinde wakijadili mikataba ya siri tu kila siku! Kama Shinyanga inatoa vito vya kuishangaza dunia bila hata kufahamu imefanya hivyo, si kudharauliwa sana?

Shinyanga imezalisha almasi toka 1940. Ina miaka 67 ya kuzalisha almasi sasa. What does it have to show for it? Masikini hawana hata maji ya kunywa! Shule ni Shycom imewaondolea aibu kidogo juzi, walikuwa hawana! Hata sasa ni kama hawana tu, ndio maana wamezama sana kwenye imani za kishirikina.

Shinyanga ni tajiri mkubwa wa almasi na dhahabu, lakini watu wake ni masikini wa kutupwa. Why? "Rights" over parts of Shinyanga are bought and sold without involving any sections of the people there. I was going to compare Shinyanga with a slave, but it occurred to me that that would be unfair to slaves. At least they know that they are being bought and sold.

Anagalu kijengwa sasa Chuo Kikuu cha Madini mjini Shinyanga. After all, kuna uhaba mkubwa wa wataalamu wa madini nchi kwetu.
DeBeers wanazalisha almasi Botswana vile vile. Kampuni husika kule, (Debswana) ni 50% mali ya DeBeers na 50% mali ya serikali ya Botswana. Iweje kwetu wachukue 75%?

Hii mikataba mipya ya utafutaji na uchimbaji wa madini kwa nini inaendelea kuwa siri? Dai letu kwamba ijadiliwe na wawakilishi wetu (Bunge) kabla haijasainiwa hotelini limekataliwa kabisa? Hatujadharauliwa vya kutosha bado?

 

[Augustine Moshi]

Kwetu sisi watu wa kawaida, almasi tunayoiona ikitoka Shinyanga ni mchele wao. Pamoja na kwamba unaoteshwa juu ya almasi na dhahabu, si mzuri kama wa Mbeya. Mojawapo ya sababu zinazosababisha hilo ni kwamba ndugu zetu Wasukuma huongeza mchanga kwenye mchele wao kabla ya kutuletea sisi Waswahili wa Kariakoo.

Naona tujitahidi kufundishana namna ya kushughulikia mchele vizuri.
Hizo almasi na dhahabu labda tuwaachie wahusika waendelee kuwekeana mikataba vyumbani mahotelini nga'mbo.

 

[Nzokanhyilu]

Kwetu sisi watu wa kawaida, almasi tunayoiona ikitoka Shinyanga ni mchele wao. Pamoja na kwamba unaoteshwa juu ya almasi na dhahabu, si mzuri kama wa Mbeya. Mojawapo ya sababu zinazosababisha hilo ni kwamba ndugu zetu Wasukuma huongeza mchanga kwenye mchele wao kabla ya kutuletea sisi Waswahili wa Kariakoo.

Naona tujitahidi kufundishana namna ya kushughulikia mchele vizuri.
Hizo almasi na dhahabu labda tuwaachie wahusika waendelee kuwekeana mikataba vyumbani mahotelini nga'mbo.

Mkuu, umeweka vitendawili vya kutega. Ila naona watu hawategeki.
Hivi kwanini Chadema wako strong north, na UDP wamelemaa kanda ya ziwa?

 

[Madela Wa- Madilu]

Tukinyonywa kiasi cha kutosha tutaanzisha mapmbano ya kweli ya kujikomboa kiuchumi.
Tukibanwa hapa tunakimbilia kule siku tukibanwa kila kona utakuwa ni muda mwafaka wa kutumia akili zetu na vitendo vyetu kupambana.
SISIEMU kamwe hawataleta ukombozi wa kiuchumi kwa sababu wao ni washiriki wakubwa wa kuvuruga hata yale mema yaliyowekwa na mkoloni mzungu.

 

[mpenda pombe]

Tukinyonywa kiasi cha kutosha tutaanzisha mapmbano ya kweli ya kujikomboa kiuchumi.
Tukibanwa hapa tunakimbilia kule siku tukibanwa kila kona utakuwa ni muda mwafaka wa kutumia akili zetu na vitendo vyetu kupambana.
SISIEMU kamwe hawataleta ukombozi wa kiuchumi kwa sababu wao ni washiriki wakubwa wa kuvuruga hata yale mema yaliyowekwa na mkoloni mzungu.

Rais wetu kipenzi JPM kaanza mapambano.