The Permanent Committee (CP) of the Assembly of the Republic (AR) has decided to establish a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) to investigate the facts and impact of environmental pollution resulting from mineral resource exploitation in Manica Province, central Mozambique.
The decision was made during the 9th ordinary session of the Permanent Committee, a deliberative body that operates between plenary sessions, which concluded today (22) after a two-day working meeting in Ponta d’Ouro, Matutuíne District, southern Maputo Province.
Speaking at a press conference in Maputo city, Manuel Ramessane, spokesperson for the CP of the AR, explained that the request to conduct the parliamentary inquiry was submitted by the Renamo parliamentary group, the second-largest opposition party.
In addition to Renamo, the CPI includes deputies from the other three parliamentary groups represented in the Assembly: Frelimo, the ruling party; Povo Optimista para o Desenvolvimento de Moçambique (PODEMOS), the largest opposition party; and the Movimento Democrático de Moçambique (MDM), the third-largest opposition party.
The Parliamentary Inquiry Commission is composed of nine deputies, following the proportional distribution of seats in the AR: four from Frelimo, three from PODEMOS, and one each from Renamo and MDM.
The CPI will be chaired by Deputy Aires Bonifácio Ali.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday (16), the government decided to gradually lift the suspension of mining activities for 14 companies formally operating in Manica, excluding gold extraction.
On that occasion, government spokesperson Inocêncio Impissa explained that the measure aims to allow the continuation of legal mining activities by companies in compliance with legal and environmental obligations, while also preventing the dismissal of formal workers, who are essential to the social and economic sectors.
According to Impissa, the decision also seeks to safeguard activities that contribute to the supply of drinking water and the provision of other essential services.
Source: AIM
