Tsumeb
Plans are afoot to reopen the old Tsumeb copper mine, confirmed Andre Neethling the former managing director of the defunct Tsumeb Corporation Limited (TCL) which operated the mine.
TCL was liquidated in 1998 with the retrenchment of hundreds of workers and the mine has since been standing idle. The reopening will take about 18 months and a cash injection of N$20 million is needed to revive the defunct mine, Neethling said.
Neethling, who headed the Ongopolo mine since 2000 and played an instrumental role in the establishment of other mines such as B2 Gold, the Ohorogo cement factory, Tchudi mine and also the latest
steel plant project, which is expected to be constructed in the next six months, said there are three oxide zones in the Tsumeb deposit. He added that the mine still has about 27 percent zinc and a mere 6.3 percent copper ore.
The mine would concentrate on extracting crystals and other stones but also produce copper on a small scale.
“The deposit here is more beautiful than life – this will be a great story for this town that is close to my heart, and there are the most beautiful stones here,” enthused an upbeat Neethling.
Neethling said the mining operations would focus on extracting crystals, adding that there is indeed a market for such crystals and people all over the world will pay millions for them.
“I just decided that it is a great opportunity and the possibility of finding other minerals is very good here,” he waxed lyrical.
The former underground mine worker turned mine boss said although the copper volumes are small for commercial use, a 10-tonne per hour processing plant is envisioned to be built .
The copper will be produced from the remaining minerals that are left from the ore, from which the crystals will be produced.
Neethling says the mine shares a similar story with other mines in southern Africa such as the Kimberley mine and Gold Reef City in South Africa.
He mentioned the water in the mine, maintaining that water deposits are a normal occurrence in mining and that they just need to be managed by means of pumping or sealing off.
He says he started a small-scale production plant in Rehoboth and is adamant that something similar will be effective in Tsumeb. He says the mine will be open for tourists from around the world, who would like to witness mining operations.
“In the past the mining activities were kept a secret and were closed off but now will be open for visitors. The new operations will put the town on the map, as people seem just to bypass the town,” he said.
He said the influx of tourists could skyrocket.
“The mine has been behind bars and the town was booming back then. Currently the Tsumeb smelter has been keeping the town alive but the reopening of this mine will be a great story that each resident will tell,” he further noted.
Neethling says through his trust, the Andre Neethling Family Trust, the project will be a public-private partnership between the trust , the municipality and other stakeholders.
“This is the right way of moving, where the business community, the people and the municipality can create opportunities together,” he said
He urged the business community as well as the municipality to get involved as this could be another way for the municipality to create revenue as the population of the town is likely to grow.
Neethling was part of the mining indaba that took place in 1998 when the mine was liquidated, and described the dynamics of the mining industry in the past twenty years as an “ongoing cycle” in different times.
He says the Otavi-Grootfonetin-Tsumeb triangle has a great potential for mining.
The mayor of Tsumeb, Ndangi Shetekela, was very excited, saying that although the groundwork still needs to be done it would only mean positive developments for the town.
“To us it is good news and will create jobs and uplift the town’s economy. The municipality will grab this opportunity with both hands as it will generate extra revenue,” said Shetekela .
Shetekela said he was unable to give further information as intensive consultations had not yet commenced.