Communities like Bai Bureh Road, Jennet Wright Road, Ferry Junction and Up–Gun have no business struggling with basic social amenities while MAKCEM and ROCKCEM cement factories continue their operations.
Forum News SL can authoritatively state that the abovementioned communities continue to struggle with inadequate public taps, improper drainages and public toilets, community health and community centres.
Many community residents who spoke to Forum News SL have registered their dissatisfaction over the factories’ deliberate refusal to honour their corporate social responsibilities that should have changed the face or look of those communities, as in a facelift.
We are expecting MAKCEM and ROCKCEM to be conducting annual lung and heart disease tests in communities within and around their operational locations, John Kutubu Bangura told Forum News SL.
He further disclosed that both factories are not giving back to the community for reasons best known to them.
‘We have engaged the management of both factories on countless instances for them to start honouring their corporate social responsibilities’, but disclosed that all ended up ‘as if we were beating a dead horse’.
He continued: ‘We can’t ascertain to whom both factories are paying their corporate social responsibilities. However, both managements seem not to worry over the cry of community residents.’
Kumba Jimmy, a fish monger residing at Bomeh community, revealed that the lives of both causal and permanent workers are at risk as many had sustained serious bone fractures on the job, yet what should have been their due as per the labour law was not accorded to them.
‘We don’t know to whom both factories are paying their corporate social responsibility, yet both managements seem not worry about the cry of community residents with regards the factories’ non commitment to communities in respect of their corporate social responsibility.
Residents of those communities are displeased with government authorities for turning blind eyes on the plight of the suffering communities.’
Harisatu Bundu, a regular fruit seller at both MAKCEM and ROCKCEM factories, whispered to Forum News SL about the amount or influx of government vehicles accessing both factories on a daily basis to collect monies, ‘most time beats my imagination’.
With all the lucrative salaries, allowances that are due senior government officials, ministers and other officials still come begging for money, Harisatu Bundu lamented.
According to her, comments made by the management of both factories after the government people leave ‘most time makes me feel ashamed for those ministers and government officials that regular come to these factories like stones’.
No wonder why many Lebanese normally say that the Sierra Leone government is in their pocket, Harisatu added.
The fruit seller’s experiences speaks volumes on why many senior government officials in ministries, departments and agencies are most times unable to take administrative or policy decisions when and as the need arises ‘because many have relegated themselves to mere beggars to those they are supposed to regulate’.
Many stakeholders in communities within and around the operational areas of MAKCEM and ROCKCEM are highly disappointed over the reluctant way and manner in which they had and continue to treat the communities, with much levity.
