Mention of Malawi gold is usually restricted to talk of arguably one of the finest sativas grown in Africa. According to a World Bank report, it is often referred to as “the best and finest” Chamba in the world. Malawi Gold is also known as one of the most potent psychoactive pure African sativas. The popularity of this variety has led to such a profound increase in marijuana tourism and economic profit in Malawi that Malawi Gold is listed as one of the three ‘Big C’s’in Malawian exports ‘Chambo’ (Tilapia fish), Chombe (tea), Chamba (Malawi Gold)’.
If you have followed the latest news regarding malawi gold, you will have heard of a new and different type. The street value of the new gold is definitely worth a lot more than K1.4 billion that was rumoured about a couple of months back. If you tried a google search of “malawi gold”, you would come up with all sorts of information regarding cannabis, but a deeper search should yield information about the latest mineral deposits found in the tobacco growing region of Kasungu and Dwangwa in central Malawi.
The occurence of this gold is a not a new discovery. The occurrence of alluvial gold in the drainage on the Dwangwa River was first reported by the British South Africa Company (BSAC) in the 1930s. BSAC found out that two types of lode of gold (quartz stringers and ferruginous) could be panned out of stream sediments samples over a wide area of the river. The identified area lies within the Mozambican orogenic belt and has metamorphic rock of the Precambrian to the Paleozoic ages.
The recent re-exploration, undertaken by South East Africa Mining Exploration (SEAMEX), involved systematic stream sediments sampling and geological observation in the reported areas. SEAMEX is geared to work out the actual source of bedrock gold. According to a SEAMEX official, the company will also analyse for 34 other base metals. SEAMEX is also exploring for other gold deposits in the northern district of Chitipa which borders with Tanzania. Malawi was previously known not to have precious metals but of late the country has witness a growing number of international companies scampering for rare earth metals, uranium, nobium, bauxite and now gold.
As this information resurfaces, one cannot help but recall the now famous words spoken by the late Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika, “Malawi is not poor, only its people are!”. Before we all start planting our seeds of hope at the sight of gold clouds carrying the promise of raining forex, a sober moment is necessary to reflect on mistakes and controversies surrounding the Uranium mining deal struck with Paladin.