By Juliet Aguiar DUGBARTEY, Takoradi
Gold Golden Star Wassa Limited is to resume its mining operations on its Benso concession in the Western Region.
The company suspended its operations following an attack by illegal miners on their concession about three years.
Gerard Boakye, Group Corporate Affairs Manager of Golden Star Wassa Limited explained to the B&FT in an interview at the company’s Stakeholder’s Forum in Takoradi that “We are still in the process of going back, its more certain than not probably this week we’ll start mining there.
“We lost a lot such as the core shed, reference materials among others; we’ve drilled in several months and that is in several millions of dollars that, we’ve established some base line to start mining there”.
On what informed the decision to resume mining at Benso, he said “this has been motivated by the gold price, normally in mining that’s what happens. There are areas that when its difficult or expensive to drill you wait until the sale of gold price is appreciable then you can take advantage of that because, your cost may be the same or slightly higher but then because the price is gone up, we can go back to Benso and to some of the pits we have left there”.
This time he said “we have put in place all the necessary measures. We have done several community engagements to let them understand that we going to Benso, this is what is going to happen, there will be trucks running up and down. We hoping that once the community wants it, it a good big start. By next week we taking the ore out to the mill.
Background
It would be recalled that about three years ago, illegal miners were mining within the 500-meter buffer of the company and a siren had been played because the company was about blasting. The security spoke to them but they were not ready to leave and ended up chasing the security men and some of them go hurt alongside.
Over 30 vehicles, made up of 22 trucks belonging to a local contractor of the mine ‘EDGATE Mining Service’ about 12 of light vehicles, excavator, tankers, water suspension, ambulance which served both the community and the mine were destroyed.
The office of the security at the entrance of the mine was totally burnt as well as some offices were vandalised with some items such as refrigerators among others were taken away by the illegal miners.
