Concerned residents and citizens of the Prestea in the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipality of the Western Region have announced their readiness to face their traditional ruler, Nana Ntaboa Prah IV, in court on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.
Information available to this news outlet indicates that a large section of the Prestea community, including laid-off mine workers, is preparing to join protest organisers who were dragged before the Prestea District Court by the Divisional of Himan, Nana Ntaboa Prah IV.
The court action, suit number WR/PST/ DC/A 11/7/2026, was filed on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, by Nana Ntaboa Prah IV as plaintiff or applicant against the convener of the intended three-day demonstration within the Prestea enclave, A. A. Awal, who is the defendant or respondent.
According to the residents, they will not allow what they describe as continued intimidation and harassment of protest organisers through the court, insisting that they have a constitutional right to demonstrate.
Community members said they fully supported the demonstrators, stressing that the decision to stage the protest on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, did not violate the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
“The demonstrators have not gone contrary to the laws of the country. We, the people of the Prestea-Huni community, are ready to go to the Prestea District Court on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, to show solidarity with them,” sources close to the group stated.
The residents explained that the demonstration was aimed at drawing attention to several pressing community concerns, including calls on Heath Goldfields Limited to release abandoned mining shaft/land for small-scale mining under the government’s Cooperative Community Mining Programme.
They also raised concerns about the deployment of military personnel around abandoned shaft/land, road safety challenges, and the impact of mining activities on education. According to them, students of Prestea Goldfields School have, on several occasions, allegedly abandoned classes due to safety fears linked to mining operations.
In addition, the residents said hundreds of former mine workers were laid off following the takeover of the mine by Heath Goldfields Limited and are yet to receive their full entitlements.
These include salary arrears, provident fund contributions, bonuses, severance pay and SSNIT contributions. They noted that the situation has plunged many affected families into severe hardship.
“So what wrongs have the demonstrators committed by deciding to protest and register their displeasure against Heath Goldfields Limited?” the residents rhetorically questioned.
Rising Tensions and Allegations Against the Chief
Tension continues to mount in Prestea-Himan as thousands of aggrieved residents openly accuse the Himan Divisional Chief, Nana Ntaboa Prah IV, of supporting actions by Heath Goldfields Limited which they say have resulted in unemployment, financial hardship and disrespect for the community.
The residents, who recently staged a massive but peaceful demonstration, expressed anger over what they described as the chief’s attempt to block their constitutional right to protest, arguing that such actions infringe on their fundamental human rights and dignity.
According to them, Nana Ntaboa Prah IV obtained an injunction from the Prestea District Court to halt their planned protest scheduled for Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
The demonstrators rejected the injunction, insisting that the chief acted unlawfully by attempting to stop them from protesting against job losses, the refusal to release abandoned shafts for community mining and the alleged mistreatment of residents by Heath Goldfields Limited.
He is not our mediator. We have constitutional rights to demonstrate,” they stated.
They explained that they had already completed the first phase of the protest before hearing on radio that an injunction had been granted.
“We had already finished our first protest before receiving the injunction. We only later went to the Prestea District Court to officially receive the notice,” they added.
The injunction restrains the defendant, A. A. Awal, his associates and all potential demonstrators from embarking on the three-day demonstration or any similar protest until all avenues for dialogue with the traditional authorities are exhausted.
The group questioned the chief’s claim that they had failed to exhaust the appropriate channels for addressing their grievances, arguing that the chief himself had not acted in their interest.
They described the move to court as wrong, unfair and unacceptable, expressing deep disappointment in their traditional leader.
“As our chief, we expected him to ensure that Heath Goldfields Limited addresses our grievances amicably. Instead, he rushed to court to stop our peaceful demonstration,” they said.
The demonstrators stressed that their protest was peaceful and attracted the participation of more than two thousand residents.
“We are happy with the outcome of our demonstration against Heath Goldfields Limited, and we are ready to continue protesting if our demands are not met,” they stated.
Petition to President Mahama
Wearing red and black attire and wielding placards, the protesters marched from the Point area of Prestea through major streets, passing the Prestea Senior High Technical School junction and the Urban Council area.
The march ended at the Point, where a petition was presented to the Municipal Chief Executive, Dr. Matthew Kofi Ayeh, for onward submission to President John Dramani Mahama.
The petition cited alleged disrespectful conduct by Heath Goldfields Limited, including mass layoffs, refusal to release abandoned shaft/land for cooperative mining, deployment of private security and armed personnel, operations allegedly in breach of Ghana’s mining laws, destruction of roads by heavy trucks, use of obsolete equipment and failure to pay entitlements owed to dismissed workers.
Abandoned shafts and community jardship
Residents say the refusal by Heath Goldfields Limited to release productive abandoned shafts has worsened poverty in Prestea, particularly after the company laid off over 600 of its original workforce of about 700 employees.
They accused the company of offering abandoned pits with little or no gold while withholding profitable needed for community mining cooperatives. Areas cited include Dumase, *Breman)* (Himan), Prestea-Nakaba, Prestea-Bondaye and parts of Prestea township.
They also raised concerns about surface mining operations allegedly taking place less than 100 metres from the Bondaye shaft, warning that such activities could compromise its structural integrity. Another pit, they alleged, is located within 300 metres of the Prestea township, in apparent violation of mining regulations.
Use of Obsolete Equipment and Tailings Concerns
The residents further alleged that since commencing commercial surface mining last year, Heath Goldfields Limited has made minimal capital investment, relying on old pumps and pipes inherited from previous operators.
They also questioned why the Minerals Commission has allowed the company to mine tailings ponds despite concerns about its financial capacity and lack of rehabilitation investment, noting that a former operator was denied similar permission.
Appeal to Government
The residents appealed to President Mahama to urgently intervene to stop the use of community roads as hauling routes, stating that heavy trucks are causing severe road damage, environmental degradation and health risks.
“We have reported these issues to all relevant authorities, but nothing has changed. We urgently need government intervention,” they stressed.
