Kunene small-scale miners fight for space, rights

Small-scale miners in Kunene say they are being pushed out of mineral-rich areas they consider their own, while a parliamentary committee has raised questions over how mining activities are being monitored and regulated on the ground.

The concerns surfaced this week when the parliamentary standing committee on natural resources visited small-scale miners operating around Oroutumba in the Epupa constituency.

The committee heard that local miners struggle to operate in areas covered by exclusive prospecting licences (EPLs), with community members saying they had been told to stop mining because their activities were not authorised.

Isaac Murumbua, a small-scale miner at the Namibia Blue Sodalite Mine in Oroutumba, said he started mining in 2019 but was eventually forced to stop after a mining company ordered him to stop, claiming his activities were illegal.

He said local people had given consent for companies to obtain mining and prospecting rights but were now being excluded from the economic opportunities created by those rights.

“We want it to be very clear to us that what we give to Gecko, we can also have a portion of to make a living from it,” Murumbua told the committee.

Muddled oversight

The industries, mines and energy ministry's published licence records show that several large EPLs have historically covered areas around Opuwo.

Among them are EPL 4346, covering more than 68 000 hectares, EPL 4347, covering more than 22 600 hectares and EPL 4351, covering more than 28 200 hectares. The ministry records have also listed Gecko Cobalt Mining as the holder of some of the Opuwo-area licences.

The ministry describes an EPL as a three-year licence that gives its holder exclusive prospecting rights over an area of up to 1 000 square kilometres, subject to extensions and other requirements.

However, the older licence records should not be treated as a complete picture of the current EPL position in Kunene, as some licences have subsequently been renewed, transferred or had renewal issues.

That distinction is now important because communities are questioning who is responsible for policing mining activities where different interests overlap.

Communities fear contamination

Epupa constituency councillor Tjimutambo Kuuoko told the committee that mining was expanding towards communities and that some residents had moved because of noise disturbances affecting their livestock.

Kuuoko also raised concerns about drilling near homesteads and alleged that water from borehole activity had turned a dark colour before flowing into a river used by children looking after livestock.

Kuuoko said the complaints had reached his office but that he was struggling to determine where affected residents should go for assistance.

The allegations about the water have not been independently verified and would require testing to establish whether it is contaminated and, if so, what caused the contamination, committee members said.

Compliance concerns

For parliamentarian Willem Amutenya, the complaints pointed to a broader regulatory problem.

He said the committee had found serious concerns around the recognition and support of small-scale miners and questioned whether mining operations comply with the rules governing environmental, health and community issues.

“We need to ensure that we really establish proper compliance bodies that are on the ground,” Amutenya said.

He said these structures should ensure that companies and individuals given the right to mine operate within the regulations.

Amutenya also said communities feel excluded from mining activities even though they live in the mineral-rich areas.

The parliamentary committee wants small-scale miners to be formalised, registered, equipped and connected to markets so they can benefit from the minerals they extract.

Furthermore, Amutenya said there must first be stronger oversight of mining activities and clearer community involvement.

The committee is continuing its inspections of mining operations in Opuwo Rural before travelling to Erongo.

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