As the management of Golden Star Wassa Mine begins to count its losses following an attack on it Benso site by illegal miners culminating in the loss of properties running into millions of cedis, management has decided to suspend operation at the Benso concession for the mean time.
It explained that the decision to suspend operations at the mining site was because it was not safe at the moment, considering the severity of the attack, and that whether or not the mine would open for business when it was safe rested on the management’s decision.
It would be recalled that last week Thursday, illegal miners, numbering over hundred, attacked the security personnel of the mine and set fire to most of the properties, including dump trucks, ambulance, offices and also smashed the windscreens of vehicles that were not burnt.
The illegal miners first overpowered the security personnel on duty at the time, leading to the latter retreating for safety, paving the way for them to have a field day setting fire to properties they came across.
Some local contractors, Edgate Mining Services and Yellow Power, also had their properties vandalised by the illegal miners.
Edgate Mining Services, they appeared to have suffered the most casualties from the extent of damage caused to its properties. For instance, 200 brand new vehicle tires were set ablaze, and the storeroom looted and burnt in the process.
During a tour by journalist at the mine site to assess the extent of damage and destruction caused, Group Head of Communication, Gerard Boakye, told them that the extent of destruction to the company’s properties was huge and unexpected.
He said for now, the mine’s operations remained suspended until it was safe.
Gerard Boakye confessed: “The attack was unexpected, and has come at a cost to the company.
“We haven’t actually calculated the cost, but we saw 22 trucks plus 12 light vehicles vandalised, with windscreens crashed. The dump truck alone is about $478,000.”
Gerard explained that it cost the company a lot to re-start operations at the Benso mine, only for the unfortunate development to befall it.
“It cost us a lot to re-start mining here, which cost we haven’t recovered even fifty percent, [now] set back by another cost.”
The Community Affairs Manager, who took the media round, said the company had lost vital information as a result of the attack.
He stated that the core yard where the mine kept exploration information and drilling data had been lost, and it was going to cost the mine huge sums of money to recover the information. He said, though the technical personnel could recover the information, it would come at a huge cost to the company.
That apart, the exploration service, which kept important mining information, was also burnt and destroyed.
He explained that the mine resumed work on it Benso site after ten years of suspension, and that farmers who were hitherto working on their concession had been paid off with the expectation to resume mining, only for the unfortunate attack to befall the company.
