Tanzania's minerals minister told the Mbogwe zone to investigate 191 mining permits in Geita that have been sitting dormant forever without any actual development happening. Anthony Mavunde wants a preliminary report hitting his desk showing who owns these prospecting licenses and what progress they supposedly made, and he's basically fed up with people hoarding huge chunks of land while doing nothing with them.
The minister said anyone sitting on prospecting or primary mining licenses without putting real money into development is getting their permits yanked. Mbogwe officials confirmed the zone handed out nearly 2,000 small-scale mining licenses on top of the 191 sketchy ones under review.
Local mining groups are saying these undeveloped permits cause constant beef between small operators and investors who use security guards to kick out people who actually found minerals. They want abandoned areas to be going to miners who will actually work them.
The minister said anyone sitting on prospecting or primary mining licenses without putting real money into development is getting their permits yanked. Mbogwe officials confirmed the zone handed out nearly 2,000 small-scale mining licenses on top of the 191 sketchy ones under review.
Local mining groups are saying these undeveloped permits cause constant beef between small operators and investors who use security guards to kick out people who actually found minerals. They want abandoned areas to be going to miners who will actually work them.
