Yvonne Chaka Chaka: South African Icon Speaks On Galamsey, Begs Akufo-Addo On Behalf Of Ghanaians

• Many Ghanaians have hit the streets of the country's capital, Accra, protesting against illegal mining
• The Say No to Galamsey online and offline campaign has garnered significant traction worldwide
• South African musician Yvonne Chaka Chaka has weighed in on the menace, sending a message to President Nana Akufo-Addo
• YEN.com.gh spoke with Rose Balami about the impact of Yvonne Chaka Chaka's comments about Galamsey

South African musician Yvonne Chaka Chaka has added her voice to the ongoing illegal mining protests in Ghana.

The Police said it has arrested over 50 Ghanaians and denied them bail after an initial demonstration in September.

On October 3, hundreds of Ghanaians thronged the streets for a three-day demonstration to share their frustrations about illegal mining, also known as Galamsey and demanded the release of the arrested protestors.

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According to Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who recently arrived in Ghana for the Africans Legends Night concert on October 4, the menace of illegal mining has become a burden across Africa.

Experts believe Ghana could be importing water by 2030. This comes after the Ghana Water Company recently recorded water turbidity levels of 14000 NTU (nephelometric turbidity units), far above the 2000 NTU required for adequate treatment.

In an interview with Citi FM's Caleb Kudah, the Umqombothi hitmaker empathised with Ghanaians and rallied behind the campaign against Galamsey with a message to the president saying

“Young people are saying the solutions are there, and all we need now is to see him [President Akufo-Addo] walking the talk. We need him to practice what he is preaching so that these minerals can benefit everybody and everybody can get water to drink."

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She also promised to direct the message to Akufo-Addo at the upcoming Global Citizen meeting in Ivory Coast, where the president will be present.

Rose Balami, a cimate change activist and national operator for the Young Reporters told YEN.com.gh that

"It’s great to see Yvonne add her voice to this issue especially when she’s not eve ln Ghanaian. We need more influential people in the space to add their voice so our leaders realize how much of a national emergency this is. Galamsey affects everyone whether rich or poor, influential or not and so it is good to see everyone come on board for this fight."

Tic Tac speaks on Galamsey

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Tic Tac, now TiC, had bemoaned the current state of Ghana's Weija dam, which supplies about 80% of potable water for Accra and its surroundings.

The Hip Life star and Fefenefe hitmaker said he feared Galamsey had taken its toll on the dam after he shared a video of its discoloured surface.

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Source: YEN.com.gh