Speaker Sameer Suleman believes figures being presented qualify Kangankunde as large scale mining
* We are not going to allow our minerals to be stolen anymore — we would rather keep them, sizimaola (minerals don’t get rotten)
* No one can come from Australia just to get get something here that is useless
* As he ordered Minister of Mining to suspend mining activities and directed Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources to review the Australian company’s licence
By Duncan Mlanjira
Speaker of Parliament, Sameer Suleman yesterday expressed his outrage over suspected irregularities at Kangankunde Rare Earths Mine in Balaka District, and ordered Minister of Mining to suspend its mining operations.
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The Speaker was reacting to a report presented by Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Climate Change that indicated that the Australian company is operating under a medium-scale mining licence issued in April 2022 — despite the scale of operations suggesting it qualifies for a large-scale licence.
“I had a good day today but this report has upset me,” said Suleman as soon as after the Committee’s chairperson Khadijah Leah Chunga presented her report.
He then turned to the Minister of Mining, Thoko Tembo and ordered him to suspend the company’s operations, saying it was absurd and cannot be accepted for the company to be operating a large scale mining using a medium scale licence.
“As long as we want our minerals to assist us, Lilongwe Ngwenya [MP Nancy Tembo] said, we are not just going to throw them away,” said Suleman, attracting a huge round of applause.
“No one can come from Australia just to get something here that is useless — it has value and we need that value to show.”
Suleman also observed that export revenue figures being mentioned in the report that include US$25 million and US$40 million and in excess of US$200 million is “not from a medium scale mining — that’s large scale”.
“So, maybe there’s something that they want to expose by using large scale licence. We need a committee to be on top of this.”
He thus directed chairperson Chunga that they have 30 days to establish the reality on the ground at Kangankunde and report back to the National Assembly.
“If you are not satisfied, this mine can close — we are not going to throw our minerals away. If our people are not benefiting, we don’t need them.
“We are not going to allow our minerals to be stolen anymore — we would rather keep them, sizimaola (minerals don’t get rotten). I rule so.”
MP Khadijah Leah Chunga
A report by Malawi News Agency (MANA) indicates that MP Chunga’s Natural Resources Committee report also established that the mining company, London Resources, failed to produce key technical, financial and environmental documents — including an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), during their oversight visit to the mine.
She further said the committee was concerned that raw mineral samples were being exported to Zambia and Australia for testing, but the Geological Survey Department could not account for the quantities exported or confirm whether test results had been returned to Malawi.
“We have given the Geological Survey Department two weeks to provide the information, but we are still waiting for the responses,” she told the august House, adding that the absence of a laboratory at the mine means all raw materials are exported for testing.
While acknowledging the mine’s significant potential to contribute to Malawi’s economy, Chunga said the committee remained concerned that the country could be losing value from its mineral resources because of inadequate monitoring and regulatory compliance.
This is not the first time Kangankunde attracted public scrutiny as in April 2025, the mine’s site was invaded by two Chinese nationals suspected to be geologists, who were illegally collecting samples.
They got arrested but the outcome of the court case were not made public, after being handed over to Balaka Police to face charges of criminal trespass.
James Makanga, a community leader involved in the interception of the Chinese nationals, was reported to have indicated that this was the third time the two were also caught collecting samples.
According to AI-generated search, the Kangankunde Rare Earths Mine is a world-class, high-grade critical minerals project being developed by Lindian Resources Limited— a company that is listed on the Australian stock market.
The mine is widely recognised as one of the world’s most significant and lowest-cost underdeveloped rare earth deposits, which transitioned into active open-pit mining operations in mid-2026, with commercial production of its first monazite concentrate targeted for late 2026.
* Resource profile — The deposit hosts a massive 261 million tonne resource grading at 2.19% total rare earth oxides (TREO). This includes a highly accessible, high-grade starter zone of 26 million tonnes earmarked for early-stage mining.
* Strategic minerals — It is exceptionally rich in Neodymium and Praseodymium (NdPr), which are critical components for manufacturing high-strength permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, and defense technologies.
* Low impurities — Unlike many global rare earth deposits, Kangankunde features extremely low levels of thorium and uranium. This unique, low-radioactivity mineralogy makes it much cleaner and safer for downstream processing.
* Operational lifespan — Stage 1 operations support a 45-year mine life, with a remarkably low waste-to-ore ratio of 0.2:1. Potential expansion into Stage 2 could extend the project’s lifespan significantly.
* Economic Transformation — The mine is projected to generate roughly US$114 million annually over its initial 40-year lifespan. This will heavily boost Malawi’s gross domestic product (GDP) and generate millions in direct annual royalties and taxes for the government.
* Supply chain diversification — Geopolitically, the project is a vital piece in diversifying the global critical minerals supply chain, helping Western economies reduce their near-total dependence on China for processed rare earths.
* Local processing & beneficiation — In alignment with Malawi’s local mineral regulations, Lindian Resources plans to process the extracted ore into high-grade monazite concentrate on-site before exporting it to international refineries.
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