Areas in Machinga, specifically, areas of Paramount Chief Kawinga, Senior Chief Liwonde and Traditional Authority Nsanama have reported that locals are currently excavating and panning gold.

According to The Daily Times newspaper, a gram of gold was being bought at an average price of K25, 000. In May this year, People in Gogodi Village in Senior Chief Kaomba in Kasungu, were confirmed to be illegally mining gold, selling to customers from Tanzania, Nigeria and China.

The situation led the Ministry of Natural Resources and Mining, to visit the area to sensitise residents on the laws that prohibit illegal mining. “At the moment, most people in the country are not aware of laws that forbid illegal mining. This ignorance has led many people to indulge in illegal mining activities. We visited the site to have a talk with people that are doing the mining and equip them with knowledge on how best they can go about it.” said the former Minister of Mining, Werani Chilenga.