Ntungamo miners demand compensation for deaths
Under the tunnels. Artisanal miners extract tin from Mwerasandu mines in Ntungamo District last week. PHOTO BY PEREZ RUMANZI
What you need to know:
- Casualties. Miners say about 15 people have died under the tunnels in the last two years, leaving families in despair.
- Zanack Holdings Company has been running the mines since 2009, and according to Mr Moses Sserunjogi, the company manager, the company works with 820 artisanal and small scale miners.
Artisanal miners from Mwerasandu Tin Mines in Rwamwire and Ruhaama parishes in Ruhaama Sub-county, Ntungamo District, have accused Zanack Holdings Company of failing to compensate families who have lost loved ones in the mines.
They say victims’ families are suffering due to the death of their breadwinners.
Mr Sebastian Musimenta, the coordinator of small scale and artisanal miners, says about 15 people have died in the mines in the last two years.
Five of them were buried underground after efforts to retrieve their bodies failed.
“Miners continue to die in the mines with some completely buried inside but no compensation is made to their families. There have been many deaths in the mines because of laxity of the company operating the mines,” Mr Musimenta says.
The artisanal miners on September 24 petitioned the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development and the district leaders over the matter.
Mr Musimenta identified some of victims as Duncan Kamwesiga, Milton Karuhanga, Jonan Niwahereza Johnson Makepu, Latibu Nasasira Mohamad Kadugaara, John Muhumuza and Amos Taremwa.
He adds that Emmanuel Muhumuza, Milton Karuhanga, Amos Biryabarema, John Nuwahereza, Aaron Kadugara, Jolly Kembaga and two other miners only identified as Nyangabo and Keredonia also died in April 2017 and May 2019.
Ms Hope Komukama, who lost her husband in the mines in April, says the company has never helped her yet she has three children to take care of.
She says her efforts to get compensation were met with arrogance from the company managment.
Although their work is risky, miners say it is their only source of income since most of them have no land for farming and cannot do business. Mr John Kwatampora, the Ruhaama Sub-county chairperson, says: “The challenges in the mines have been increasing but the miners have always kept silent.”
Mr Moses Sserunjogi, the company manager, acknowledged that accidents occur in the mines, but added that some of them are as a result of miners’ negligence.
“Like any other mines, we get accidents, but it is normally because some miners do not take precaution. We do everything necessary to protect them. We provide the miners with timber to break the falling rocks, we give them protective gear but most of them do not use it effectively,” Mr Sserunjogi says.
“I think this (protest) is happening because of other issues, not necessarily deaths. Maybe it is because we recently stopped some miners from working, it may be politics,” he adds.
About company
Zanack Holdings Company has been running the mines since 2009, and according to Mr Moses Sserunjogi, the company manager, the company works with 820 artisanal and small scale miners. Rwamwire tin mines have been in existence since 1912. The miners dig horizontal underground tunnels as long as 200 metres searching for tin.
