As Victims of ‘Killer’ Company cry to government for salvation

The 2009 award winners of the most irresponsible company in the world, Newmont Ghana Gold Limited has once again been stripped of its ‘lying robe’ by residents of communities affected by the mining firm’s recent alleged spillage of poisonous substances (Cyanide) into the river Subri Dam in the Brong Ahafo region where the company operates its Ahafo Mine project.

In a petition to the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Madam Sherry Ayittey, the communities namely Damso (water dam communities) and Tutuka (Dokyikrom) rejected Newmont indecent attempt to blame them for the cyanide spillage in the Subri River which has caused the death of many fishes, animals as well as some cocoa trees.

“Since the incident occurred, Newmont Ahafo had fed the public with many lies and we want to take this opportunity to let your Ministry and the Ghanaian public know the truth about what happened”, the communities stated in the petition signed by 41 victims of the alleged cyanide spillage by Newmont.
This is the second time in just over a year Newmont has spilled cyanide into water bodies in its Ahafo mine operating area. The government early last year slapped the company with a 7-billion-cedi fine for negligently spilling cyanide in October 2008 after investigations by a ministerial panel which uncovered the Newmont’s shameful attempt to cover up its deadly activities.

The communities noted in the petition that “Newmont had said that the dead fishes were detected by its patrol team and this is not true. We had a bad smell from the dead fishes floating on the dam and because we are not allowed to go near the dam, we quickly informed the company’s security at the duty post who in turn informed the company officials. It is not true that it was the Company’s Community Patrol Team that found the dead fishes floating on the dam and informed our communities as presented by Mr Kwame Azumah Agbeko in his interview with the Ghana News Agency on 7th January 2011”.

No official from Newmont Ahafo mine had visited our communities since the incident occurred, they added in the petition copied to the District Chief Executive of Asutifi District Assembly, the District Police Commander, Kenyase, Kenyase No 2 Traditional Council, Kenyase No 1 Traditional Council and the Managing Director, Newmont Ghana Gold Limited.

They continued that “It has come as a surprise to us that, the company quickly pushed the blame of the dead fishes on local communities immediately when the incident was detected at a time when the company had not undertaken investigations. The speed with which the company pushed the blame of the pollution of the Subri river dam shows that the company has something to hide”.
They stated “We want Ghanaians and the whole world to know that we are the victims of the pollution of the Subri river dam. The Subri river dam flows into community farms and some water bodies outside the mine take area which farmers use and our worry is that these water bodies would be polluted”.
“We want to bring to your notice that two sheep belonging to some of our farmers that drank the polluted water from the dam died and this shows how serious the situation is”, the victims pointed out the minister.

Further, the helpless victims of the multi-million mining giant denied the malicious allegation by Newmont Ahafo that the dead fishes on the Subri dam resulted from the use of poisonous chemicals by the communities for fishing.
The victims lamented “Newmont Ahafo mine has created many problems for us since it started its operations and now finds it easy to push the chemical pollution it may have caused on us. The work of Newmont has worsened our poverty and it is simply not possible for us to have enough monies to purchase chemicals in quantities that can kill plenty fishes in such a big dam like the Subri river dam when the water in the dam does not flow”.

“We are very angry and surprised that Newmont could go to this extent in disgracing us to Ghanaians and the whole world. If Newmont cared about our welfare, it would have used the resources it is wasting on propaganda to disgrace us in solving our many problems which we have presented to them.”
“We know that Newmont raised the embankment between the Subri dam and the Tailings dam when the Tailings dam was full and that could lead to the discharge of poisonous substances into the Subri river dam through the embankments”, the victims stated.

The victims concluded that they have confidence in the ability of Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology to investigate the pollution of the Subri river dam which would end the continued disgrace and humiliation they are experiencing from the propaganda of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited Ahafo mine.