'If by close of today Erastus Asare Donkor fails to come and apology we will curse him' — Tontokrom chiefs warn JoyNews journalist

Traditional leaders and residents of Manso Tontokrom in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region have threatened to invoke traditional curses against JoyNews environmental journalist Erastus Asare Donkor unless he visits the community and apologises for what they describe as damaging and unverified reports about the area.

The elders, led by Nana Kwaku Gyamfi II, accused the journalist of portraying the community as a centre of illegal mining, lawlessness and environmental destruction without adequately verifying the claims or allowing residents to respond.

They specifically challenged Mr Asare Donkor to provide evidence for allegations that dangerous mining pits had been dug in the community, resulting in deaths.

According to the traditional leaders, the journalist failed to exercise professional diligence by independently establishing the facts and seeking the community's position before publishing the reports.

“If the media continues to do this, it is not fair. JoyNews, if you hear anything, you must take your time and verify it. You claim that we dug pits and people died in those pits. Where?” the elders questioned.

They further suggested that the journalist's reports could have been motivated by personal differences, alleging that he had previously approached them but became dissatisfied after they declined to meet his demands.

The elders have consequently given him until the close of the day to appear before the community and offer an unqualified apology to its traditional authorities and residents.

They warned that failure to comply would result in the invocation of traditional curses, insisting that their deities and spiritual forces would intervene in the matter.

“If by close of today Erastus Asare Donkor fails to come to the community and render an apology to the whole community, we will curse him,” they declared.

The traditional leaders maintained that they had faith in their spiritual protection, including a river they believe safeguards the community, and were confident that their deities would deliver justice.

“We live here with the gods, our river is here, and they are protecting us. Since we have not done anything wrong, but he is destroying us, the gods will judge him,” they added.

The elders also accused the journalist of allegedly promoting the interests of a foreign mining company operating in the area, claiming that indigenous miners were being unfairly targeted while foreign mining interests were receiving favourable attention.

Their reaction follows a series of Facebook publications by Mr Asare Donkor in which he described Manso Tontokrom as a major illegal mining hotspot allegedly protected by influential political interests.

In one of the posts, he alleged that political influence had emboldened illegal miners to challenge security personnel deployed to enforce environmental regulations.

“There is a lot of political backing for the deep-seated galamsey in Manso Tontokrom. That's why miners will dare soldiers. NAIMOS indeed restrained itself. That jinx must be broken,” he wrote.

In another publication, the journalist described the community as a place where illegal mining was conducted openly, allegedly with little fear of enforcement agencies.

“Manso Tontokrom is the only town where Galamsey has taken seed. Even soldiers are afraid of enforcing environmental laws in that town. Galamsey is done glaringly,” he stated.

The traditional leaders, however, insisted that their objections were not intended to protect illegal mining activities or prevent journalists from exposing environmental abuses. Rather, they said, their concern was the need for accurate reporting, fairness and an opportunity for communities to respond to allegations made against them.

Residents demand evidence of alleged payments to security personnel

Separately, some miners and residents of Manso Tontokrom have also threatened traditional action against Mr Asare Donkor over allegations that local leaders and mining operators were making payments to prevent security personnel from taking action against illegal mining activities.

The residents challenged the journalist to produce evidence of the alleged financial inducements, arguing that such serious accusations should not be made without verifiable proof.

They questioned why he had not publicly presented evidence to support claims that military personnel had been compromised to protect illegal miners in the community.

One visibly agitated resident accused the journalist of acting out of personal financial interests rather than pursuing responsible environmental reporting.

“Our issue with that boy, Erastus Asare Donkor, is that he is talking out of hunger. That is why he is doing and saying what he is saying and doing,” the resident alleged.

The miners also accused Mr Asare Donkor of advancing positions they believe favour foreign mining companies at the expense of indigenous communities.

They questioned why local people should be denied opportunities to benefit from Ghana's mineral resources while foreign companies were allegedly allowed to undertake mining activities.

The residents further challenged the journalist to publicly disclose whether he had ever received money from illegal mining operators, warning that any evidence of such conduct would attract traditional consequences.

They maintained that if he had accepted payments from illegal miners while accusing others of similar practices, he should be prepared to face the traditional sanctions they were threatening to invoke.