By Chrispin Inambao
ROSH PINAH
The mining sector that in 2006 generated exports of N$18 billion, accounting for 63 percent of Namibia’s total export revenue, has firmly established itself as the backbone of the economy with the Skorpion Zinc Mine playing a significant role.
Its General Manager Gerald Boting said this at the Skorpion Zinc Mine near Rosh Pinah where he and his team briefed a media contingent flown to Rosh Pinah on Tuesday.
Apart from eclipsing other sectors of the economy in terms of revenue generation, mining plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of the country, directly employing 7 503 permanent employees with an additional 1 873 contractors being paid well in excess of N$1.1 billion in salaries and wages, said the MD of Skorpion Zinc.
“From its humble beginnings in 2001 when construction started, the company has risen to be a major player in the socio-economic landscape of the country, contributing close on four percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” Boting stated. GDP is the total value of goods produced and services provided in a country in any given year.
The company has risen to be a major player in the socio-economic landscape of the country, though the path to reaching 100 percent production has not been an easy one as it’s faced many technical challenges.
The challenges faced included two impurity excursions in electro winning that curtailed production of this mineral whose use includes provision of protective coating for steel.
It is also mixed with copper to form brass and zinc oxide, which is used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and rubber and zinc sheets that are used in architectural applications.
With the zinc mining still to continue for the next ten years as the mine has a projected life of 17 years, Skorpion Zinc is confident it would achieve its target of 150 000 tons for 2007, though in the past, it fell short of meeting its annual projections due to various challenges.
Cognizant of the fact zinc is a non-renewable resource, Skorpion is involved in continuous exploration to extend the mine’s life by possibly exploiting sulphide deposits and low grade copper deposits that its geologists have discovered farther below the current layer it mines.
Because global metal prices have reached unprecedented heights in the past year or so, the company intends to maintain its current production levels to ensure it maximizes its gains.
The record prices are primarily being attributed to low supply and the high demand caused by the resurgent economies of Brazil, India, Russia and particularly the emerging giant China.
Zinc ingots are shipped to overseas markets via Lǟ