Mineral sand ban defiance

KATARE MBASHIRU

TPA Director General Engineer Deusdedit Kakoko

• ...TPA discovers 262 containers ready for export

TANZANIA Ports Authority (TPA) has discovered 262 containers of mineral sand pending exportation, against President John Magufuli’s recent ban on the exportation of such.

The containers, according to TPA Director General Engineer Deusdedit Kakoko, were discovered at the Kurasini-based MOFED Tanzania Limited, Inland Container Depot (ICD).

Speaking to journalists at the TPA headquarters in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Eng Kakoko said the containers were in the final stages of cargo clearance through the containers department of the Tanzania International Container Terminal Services Limited (TICTS).

The new revelation comes barely three days after Dr Magufuli made an impromptu visit to the port where he witnessed 20 containers of mineral sand from the Lake Zone based mines before directing the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ernest Mangu, to launch thorough investigations on the containers to establish their contents.

The containers were denied export permits from the ports authorities following President Magufuli's order early this month against the export of mineral sand. He prohibited investors from exporting mineral sand, directing the Energy and Minerals Minister, Professor Sospeter Muhongo, to fully enforce the sanction.

Yesterday, Eng Kakoko said the 262 containers of mineral sand, majority of which are from Buzwagi Gold Mine and Pangea Mine, had already received seals of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and that Freight Forwarders Tanzania Limited was processing export permits

.According to the TPA boss, unscrupulous officials from TRA, TPA, Tanzania Shipping Agency and TICTS were colluding in the process of exporting sand outside the country.

He asked officials especially from TRA to observe ethics and integrity in the course of discharging their duties. “We equally request TICTS to collaborate with TPA because they signed a contract with us,’’ he added.

Eng Kakoko said TPA had launched an operation to crack down on the ICDs that were conniving with government officials in the export of mineral sand. “We ask them to surrender immediately to TPA before we identify them in our operation,’’ he insisted.

According to the Commander of the Ports Unit of the police force, Mr Ramadhani Mungi, Tanzanian ports were currently secure than ever before, insisting that the police had intensified security in all ports to make sure that the country’s resources were not getting out of the country illegally.

“We have good security systems at our ports and modern equipment that makes it difficult to penetrate,’’ he said, adding that the law enforcers had launched an operation to nab and seal loopholes for mineral sand exporters, in the quest to implement the President’s directive on mineral sand ban.

Earlier this month, President Magufuli banned investors from exporting mineral sands, directing the Energy and Mineral Minister, to fully enforce the sanction