Daure Daman chief threatens to evict Ultimate Safaris, rhinos

Nikanor NangoloWindhoekThe Daure Daman Traditional Authority chief, Zacharias Seibeb, has threatened to evict Ultimate Safaris from his communal area if the company continues to oppose mining projects there. Seibeb has also warned that he will request the environment ministry to relocate three black rhinos from his jurisdiction to Etosha Pan if it means creating 300 jobs for his community.His warning comes amid an intensifying battle between local communities, conservationists, and miners in the Kunene region. In a letter dated 30 September and addressed to Tristan Cowley of Ultimate Safaris, Seibeb called for dialogue with miners to find common ground between tourism and mining.“If Ultimate Safaris and all others are not willing to coexist with mining, I will request the environment ministry to relocate these alleged three black rhinos to Etosha Pan in the interest of generating 300 jobs for my people. These rhinos are not inhabitants of my communal area. The ministry introduced them, and they can be relocated elsewhere,” he wrote.Mass unemployment Seibeb added that with young people in his community facing mass unemployment, it would be irresponsible for him to oppose projects, including one owned by Timoteus Mashuna and Ottilie Ndimulunde, that promise jobs. “Also bear in mind that Mr Mashuna and Ms Ottilie Ndimulunde were granted rights to mine in that area by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Ministry of Mines and Energy. Equally, the Daure Daman Traditional Authority has also given them consent to conduct mining on their mining claims. Moreover, the mining claims of those miners are not within the jurisdiction of the #Aodaman Traditional Authority, within which the Doro !Nawas and Uibasen conservancies are operating, whom you have listed as applicants in the High Court case,” Seibeb wrote.He further reminded Ultimate Safaris that it is operating without a leasehold. “Also be further reminded that you are operating in my communal land without leasehold, which is a serious contravention of the Communal Land Reform Act, Act 5 of 2002. Should you continue with your economic sabotage of mining activities, I will file for your eviction,” he warned.Seibeb said his letter was in response to Cowley’s indication that Ultimate Safaris and others intend to oppose Mashuna’s mining activities in the High Court on 8 October 2025. “The position of the Daure Daman Traditional Authority in this matter is that tourism and mining should coexist to benefit my community and the Namibian nation at large,” he said.Tourism blocking developmentLast year, residents accused Ultimate Safaris of manipulating conservation efforts under the guise of rhino protection to block competing investment interests. The company filed two court applications and secured interim interdicts to halt the development of a proposed tin mine and a road to the site. Community activists argue that their land has become a playground for wealthy tourists while locals see little economic benefit. They maintain that responsible mining would create jobs and ease the poverty burden in the region.Earlier this year, the Namibian Sun reported that a group of critically endangered black rhinos is being protected until 6 March to roam freely through Sorris Sorris, Uibasen Twyfelfontein, and Doro.!Nawas conservancies, ahead of a court case that will determine whether mining in the area can proceed. Acting High Court Judge Anne-Doris Hans-Kaumbi ordered last Tuesday that proceedings over the planned open-pit tin mine would continue in March. Until then, interdicts against further mining activities remain in effect.Legal challenge on licensing processThe three conservancies, Sorris Sorris, Uibasen Twyfelfontein, and Doro.!Nawas, together with Ultimate Safaris, filed the lawsuit against the government and tin miners last year, successfully obtaining interdicts. The legal challenge centres on the procedure followed in issuing environmental clearance certificates and mining licences to developers Ndimulunde and Mashuna.While Uibasen Twyfelfontein and Doro !Nawas enjoy the support of the ?Aodaman Traditional Authority, Seibeb, whose Daure Daman Traditional Authority is responsible for Sorris Sorris, voiced dissatisfaction with the case. He claimed neither miners nor tourism operators had consulted him despite his request. “The community must benefit from natural resources. These two sectors must find a way to coexist,” he said at the time, adding that the ministries of environment and mining have the authority to issue licences without his consent.Mining cannot coexistUltimate Safaris maintains that traditional authorities already benefit financially from conservation. The company says Daure Daman received nearly N$3 million last year, arguing that ongoing court proceedings render any fresh meetings with Seibeb meaningless.Cowley has further insisted that rhinos and mining cannot coexist. “This has already been scientifically proven by a study conducted by Save the Rhino for the ministry. In a similar scenario in the Huab conservation area, it was shown that noise and gunfire from the open-pit copper mine drove the desert-adapted rhinos away,” he told Republikein earlier this year.“The rhinos have poor vision and rely on sound and smell, which makes them very skittish. Without rhinos, there will be no tourism. It’s a significant risk because fleeing rhinos could invade inhabited communal areas, sparking conflict, or escape into the desert where lack of water would threaten their survival,” he warned.

Daure Daman chief threatens to evict Ultimate Safaris, rhinos

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-07

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Daure Daman chief threatens to evict Ultimate Safaris, rhinos

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-07

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