Good afternoon. Why is Mozambique’s defence sector being given responsibility for cleaning up the polluting mining sector in Manica province? The alarm over the levels of pollution has been raised by media reports, and since amplified by the Manica provincial government. But now the central government has decided to act, based on a report into the situation on the ground produced by the armed forces, under the direction of defence minister Cristóvão Chume. A suspension of all mining activities in the province will be enforced by the presence of Mozambique’s Security and Defence Forces — suggesting that the military will be there as well as, or instead of, the police. An interministerial commission has been set up to review the licensing regime, reinforce oversight, define authorised areas where mining can be authorised, and create effective enforcement mechanisms. This interministerial commission will be led by none other than defence minister Chume.
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One might think that Chume has enough on his plate, fighting the insurgency in Cabo Delgado. And there are other arguments for not putting him in charge of regulating mining — beyond the obvious, that there is already a ministry for that area, and a regulatory institute. But Chume has also made headlines for being one of those Frelimo elites with interests in the mining sector — raising questions of a conflict of interest.
