WALVIS BAY – The long-awaited report on alleged illegal mining in Daures constituency’s Uis area, has laid bear a myriad of shortcomings and irregularities. Chief among them is lack of consultation, environmental damage, and unfair exclusion of small-scale miners.
The report, released on Monday, also revealed that Xinfeng Investment (Pty) Ltd and Long Fire Investment (Pty) Ltd presented legal documents for their lithium mining activities in Uis under EPL 8397 and ML numbers 73409-73418. The Standing Committee on Natural Resources said the joint venture mining activities were legal at the time of their consultations.
The committee, consisting of lawmakers Tjekero Tweya, Kletus Karondo, Maria Elago, Bernardus Swartbooiand Maria Kamutali visited the Daures constituency as well as the lithium mining sites in May 2023. Their aim was to conduct public hearings following a motion tabled by former Landless People’s Movement parliamentarian Henny Seibeb. Seibeb asked during the tabling of the motion that the government should impose a moratorium on lithium mining to determine the real value of the rare earth metal, as well as the legality of operations in that constituency.
Tweya, during the public hearings and visits to various mining sites, including Xinfeng, said they observed very serious anomalies during these hearings and described their findings as horrible and shocking, and that the report raised more questions than answers.
The report now recommends stricter mining regulations to ensure transparency and accountability in the extraction of natural resources.
The committee also proposed several measures aimed at addressing concerns raised by the local communities regarding mining activities in the region.
“We advised the environment ministry to enforce a policy requiring all investors to create a separate account for their closure plans from the first day of production. This fund will be used for land rehabilitation once mining projects end, ensuring that environmental damage is addressed in a sustainable manner,” the report states.
Additionally, the committee recommended that the constituency councillor liaise with the mines and energy ministry to establish a comprehensive database of all mining activities in the Daures constituency, regardless of their scale. This is to ensure better monitoring and oversight.
The environment ministry was urged to explore alternative methods of advertising objections to mining activities, making them more accessible to rural communities. Public notices in newspapers were deemed ineffective as they did not reach many affected people.
“The mines and energy ministry must also refrain from issuing EPLs to investors before obtaining consent from traditional authorities. It was found that some licences were issued without proper community consultation, leading to conflicts between investors and residents,” the parliamentarians stated in their findings.
Concerns
The parliamentarians also highlighted that the community, during the public hearings, voiced concerns over the lack of engagement from mining companies.
“Many residents complained that investors arrived with pre-approved licences and started mining without consulting the traditional authorities or the affected communities. Some mining pits were left open, endangering livestock and wildlife. While mining companies failed to fulfil their corporate social responsibility obligations. Roads were damaged by heavy mining vehicles, but no efforts were made to repair them. Schools and community facilities also saw little to no investment from mining firms operating in the area,” the report stated.
Furthermore, small-scale miners alleged that they were being pushed out by larger companies with government-issued licenses. Traditional authorities were accused of signing consent agreements without community involvement, leading to allegations of corruption and mismanagement of natural resources.
Additionally, the mines ministry defended its procedures, stating that EPLs are granted based on specific programmes and that investors are required to follow legal protocols. However, the committee noted gaps in community consultation and recommended a review of policies governing the issuance of licences. Traditional authorities acknowledged some mismanagement but denied allegations of corruption, according to the report.
They argued that they were often bypassed in decision-making processes and that community consultations were insufficient due to logistical challenges.
“Hence we recommend increased cooperation between traditional authorities, investors, and government agencies to improve transparency,” the report further states.
It added that the two ministries were given specific mandates to implement these recommendations. The committee will conduct follow-up assessments to ensure compliance and to track progress on the proposed reforms.
-edeklerk@nepc.com.na
Photo: Eveline de Klerk