Why Tanzanite miners, buyers meeting was halted

What you need to know:

Recently, the Tanzania Mineral Commission formed by Dr Magufuli under the chairmanship of Prof Idris Kikula uncovered arbitrary smuggling of the gemstone that led to gradual decline of the revenue from Sh444 million to Sh40 million per month.


Manyara. The Simanjiro District Commissioner, Mr Zephania Chaula, has revealed why he decided to suspend a meeting between Tanzanite miners and buyers on Thursday.

Mr Chaula said he was forced to take the decision after being informed that the meeting might turn chaotic.

The DC told The Citizen today that although the meeting was approved by law enforcers, there was information that some people were planning to disrupt it forced him to take action. 

"They should wait for at least two to three days for the dust to settle. They will certainly be permitted to meet, but for now, they must respect the government’s order,” he said.

Owners of Tanzanite mines and buyers convened a meeting at Kazamoyo Inn to discuss challenges they were facing when entering and leaving the main gate of the fenced Tanzanite mines.

Manyara Region Miners Association (Marema) chairman Sadiki Mneney said they were surprised by fresh police directives because the meeting was approved after following the required procedures.

"We face a myriad of challenges when entering and leaving the main entrance of the peripheral wall surrounding the Tanzanite mines,” he said.

“Our workers are now supposed to show national identity cards and those issued by the Ministry of Minerals in order to have access. This has caused some inconvenience for some of those who do not have them.”

One of the owners of the Tanzanite mine, Mr Abubakary Mwamba, said the government should adhere to President John Magufuli’s directive when he said that the Tanzanite miners should not be mistreated.

"The government should put proper procedures to streamline activities in the Tanzanite mines because things are complicated. It is even difficult to bring water here, and water is important for extraction activities,” he said.

Manyara Regional Commissioner Alexander Mnyeti said the owners of Tanzanite mines and Tanzanite buyers are supposed to comply with directives of the government when entering and leaving the mines to ensure the gemstones are not stolen.

Recently, the Tanzania Mineral Commission formed by Dr Magufuli under the chairmanship of Prof Idris Kikula uncovered arbitrary smuggling of the gemstone that led to gradual decline of the revenue from Sh444 million to Sh40 million per month.