A man who claims to be engaged in illegal gold mining, has in a video shared on social media, thrown a challenge to government on the plans to clamp down on the trade, popularly known as ‘galamsey’ [gather and sell].
Research has shown that the environment, besides water bodies and forest is highly affected as a result of the activities of the illegal operators.
According to research, many water bodies have been polluted with chemicals such as mercury.
The government, he said, was also coming up with a well-rehearsed strategy to implement drastic punitive measures to ensure that all people who connived to fund the activities of the illegal miners were dealt with.
“This time round, we will not take things lightly because we believe that China and India are the sources of funding for these illegal miners; so we are dealing with the root cause of the menace,” Mr Amewu said in an interview with Graphic Online on Tuesday March 28, 2017.
But in a video shared on social media and responding to the government’s announcement, a man who described himself as engaged in the illegal business dared government to rethink its position on the fight.
Introducing himself as a resident of Accra, near American House in East Legon, the man who said he is popularly known as Bronxy One (Bronxy Baako P3) took the video from a mining site.
He claimed he owned the pit, which had dozens of illegal miners operating at the time he shot the video. He also showed off an excavator, which he said he owned and was being used for his operations.
He asked President Akufo-Addo to rethink his commitment to fight illegal mining and sent an open invitation to government to come after him.
He said some of his workers are able to earn GhC50, GhC60, GhC100 in a day and added some are even able to earn GhC200 a day.
Watch the video below
Source: graphic.com.gh
