Makuza tours Rulindo, cautions miners over safety

RULINDO-Prime Minister Bernard Makuza has called on the Rutongo mines management situated in Masoro Sector, Rulindo District, to ensure the safety of their miners or else their operations be stopped. Makuza made the remarks, Friday, while inspecting the mines during his final day of touring the district as he visited several developmental projects established by the residents. The Premier made the comments after most of the miners at the site were seen without protection gear like helmets and overalls while carrying out mining activities hence putting themselves at risk. He urged the management to value the lives of the miners saying they should be handled with care. “This is not the leadership of the previous regime where residents were just exploited anyhow. The conditions under which these people are working in are not acceptable at all. You rather stop the operation instead of putting the lives at risk,” Makuza noted. During the interaction with the Premier, the workers raised the issue of little pay. “We are paid Rwf 850 per kilogram of pure Cassiterite which takes us long to get,” said Jean Pierre Ndikumana. Residents living near the mines raised their concern over explosions which have destroyed their houses. Martin Kahanovitz, the Chief Executive Officer of Rutongo Mines, said that the company had earlier met with the local leaders and some community members and inspected the said houses. “We offered to bring in technical experts with seismic equipment to measure our blasts and assess the damage correctly, with the provision that if the damage was found to be of natural causes, they would be responsible for the costs of the technical inspection,” he said. According to said Kahanovitz, the company employs about 4,000 area residents. Rutongo Mines currently produces 100 tons of Cassiterite per month and hopes to increase its production to 200 tons next year equivalent to over US$10 to 14 million. The premier urged the mine’s management and the local authorities to solve the matters amicably as soon as possible to improve the lives of the workers. In the same tour, Makuza also paid a visit to Leonard Kaboyi, a coffee farmer who owns 15 hectares of coffee in Ntarabana Sector. In his achievement story, Kaboyi said he now plants 22,800 coffee trees and produces over 25 tons of coffee. He employs 50 local residents. “I m looking forward to establishing my own coffee factory,” he said. The premier urged residents to emulate Kaboyi’s developments. He also launched a milk collection station belonging to Abatanana Cooperative. Ends