GOLD miners residing in the Potaro-Siparuni Region are calling on the officials of the judiciary to handle matters before the courts dealing with land claims and ownership in an expeditious manner, since the continuous holding-up is costing them tremendously.
This concern was an important one raised at an open-day session hosted by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, in Mahdia on Wednesday. Broomes also called for the matters to be dealt with expeditiously.

In tears, female miner Lucille Austin said that a matter for her concerning double claim for four plots of land is before the courts since 2016 and she continues to suffer tremendously because of the hold up. She noted that because she cannot work the land, pending the court hearing, she is unable to earn, but the lands are being raided daily by intruders who are reaping the gold, that legally belongs to her. She has all verification documents issued by The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Lucille Austin said that the matter is so frustrating that her husband died as a result of the stress relating to fighting the case. “Today I am without a husband because of this, it is unfair that it is my land and I cannot work my own land, and everyday persons are raiding the land,” she said, trying to hold back her tears.

Another pork knocker, Kendrick Roberts, also bemoaned the back logging of cases and while he acknowledged that the government has no control over the judiciary, he said that government officials are fully aware of the crises befalling miners, and they are the only ones miners can turn to for help. He said that it is unbelievable to see that lands have several owners, as soon as a significant amount of gold is found on it and all of these owners show up with legal documents, issued by GGMC.

This is the underlying issue that is triggering the overwhelming cases in the courts and he is also calling on the requisite officers at GGMC, to be more prudent in the process of land issuance. He said that as a result of outstanding court cases, and not being able to ply his trade on lands, he lost two relationships, because of not being able to sustain his family. “I already lost two relationships because of this, because of not being able to sustain the home…we need officers at GGMC with integrity as well as magistrates who will not drag out the cases, sometimes years gone by the and case not called as yet,” he said.

While he is only a small pork knocker, Roberts described his losses as minimal since all mining requires investments, but for large scale miners, he said their investments are in the million, which gradually turn to millions, following dragged out court cases.

Minister Broomes says she in indeed aware of what miners are experiencing in this regard and it pains her to see how miners are affected, especially the issue of Mrs Austin, since she is a woman and a widow. While the cases are not under her jurisdiction, she is hoping that the courts expedite its dealing with miners, since it is a bread and butter issue. These unwarranted delays, she said, are causing tension among miners disputing the cases and can result in a regrettable situation. She also alluded to the millions of dollars in investment that goes down as losses, pending these court cases.