WALVIS BAY-Health and safety issues around lithium mining have once again come under scrutiny after a mine employee allegedly died on Tuesday after coughing up black mucus and blood.
The man, identified as Gerson Nauyoma, was employed at Xinfeng Investments, and recently participated in the construction of a N$600 million lithium-processing plant.
Workers at the mine site are exposed to dust and mineral particles during the crushing of the stones that would later be sorted to extract lithium.
Nauyoma allegedly told his colleagues on Friday that he was unwell. He also told them that he was coughing up black mucus.
Rashi Haidula, a relative of Nauyoma, told New Era yesterday that his condition worsened once he arrived in Swakopmund, resulting in him seeking medical help at a clinic.
“His condition deteriorated to such an extent that he was hospitalised, and put on oxygen over the weekend. Here, he started coughing up blood, and sadly passed away on Tuesday afternoon,” he added.
One worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Nauyoma’s death scares them, as it could have been any of them.
He claims that some of them work under extreme dust conditions, without adequate protection. “The chemicals used are labelled in Chinese, and they lack proper safety measures. The crushing of rocks to extract the ore creates significant dust, and we receive only three masks a month. At least they must give us quality masks due to the high dust levels,” the worker appealed.
The Mineworkers Union of Namibia’s coordinator for Erongo, George Ampera, told New Era that workers at Xinfeng are currently not represented by any union.
“These are the workers’ issues that need to receive attention. The health and safety of any employee should not be compromised at all,” he said. Ampweya promised to tackle the matter as soon as possible.
Erongo governor Neville Andre told this publication that he is not aware of the death, but indicated that he will follow up with the mine.
Xinfeng responded to New Era in a statement issued yesterday, noting that Nauyoma joined Xinfeng in February this year, where he worked as a member of the management team.
“He was responsible for the transportation of minerals, and also determined the volume of the minerals in the plant department. He was not part of the crushing unit,” Xinfeng said.
The mine added that the environment in which mining operates is inevitably a challenge, especially as it relates to dust. They thus deployed the highest technology in dust suppression.
“This process was vetted during our application for our environmental clearance certificate, which was successfully granted,” Xinfeng said.
The mine also indicated that they are assisting the family, who made all relevant documents available. This included the death certificate, the medical certificate, the quotation by Nambob for the transportation of the body from Swakopmund to Ongwediva, the casket, and the burial order.
“This has enabled us to finance all related funeral and travel costs for the body of the deceased to Nauyoma’s final resting place. The cause of death is also clearly stated in the document. However, it remains the privilege of the family to decide whether this will be disclosed or not,” Xinfeng stated.
A team from the mine’s ministry visited the mine a day after Nauyoma died, and allegedly found the safety procedures in order.
It is not clear whether Nauyoma underwent a medical check-up prior to taking up his position at Xinfeng.
However, the company yesterday indicated that they will offer all staff the opportunity to subject themselves to a medical check-up in the near future.
Last May, this publication reported that Namibian workers employed at the lithium mine owned by Long Fire Investments and Xinfeng Investments are subjected to inhumane living conditions at the mine site, while their Chinese colleagues live comfortably.
These shocking disparities were witnessed first-hand by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources and journalists during a visit to the mine site, about 60 kilometres from Uis. This was for a public hearing on alleged illegal lithium mining in the Daures constituency. The public hearings followed Landless People’s Movement (LPM) parliamentarian Henny Seibeb’s motion on 6 April last year, calling for the government to impose a moratorium on lithium mining to determine the real value of the rare earth metal, as well as the legality of operations in the constituency.