More mining jobs under threat

Namdeb's Elizabeth Bay mine could be placed under care and maintenance, if no buyer is found.Production at the mine, which was put up for sale at the beginning of the year, has also stopped, while diamonds are now being mined from tailings.Elizabeth Bay mine has a total staff complement of 250, inclusive of contractors, and produced 200 000 carats last year.Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) president Desley Somseb said workers were informed that the mine could go into care and maintenance.“They have stopped production and are now working on their stockpiles. They might consider care and maintenance for the mine,” said Somseb.He was, however, hopeful that a buyer would be found. Namdeb has said in the past it will close the mine if no buyer is found, citing the high costs of keeping it open.“We are hoping a buyer can be found,” Somseb said.Namdeb spokesperson Pauline Thomas said the mine was still very much active.“Elizabeth Bay mine has not been shut down. As part of a sale process, through Standard Bank, an expression of interest was issued and the sale process is still ongoing,” Thomas said.She did not respond to follow up questions sent to her by Namibian Sun. Bids for the purchase of the mine closed on 13 April. “In the event that there are no takers for Elizabeth Bay mine, we will go ahead and close the mine. We have other mines that we are focusing on and the Elizabeth Bay mine is not a priority at the moment for Namdeb from a cost perspective,” Thomas said previously.The mine was previously placed on care and maintenance in 2009, due to the financial turmoil during that period.However, operations resumed in 2011 through the implementation of the Elizabeth Bay optimisation project.Following the restart, the site was estimated to have a four-year life of mine (LoM), up to 2014. Nevertheless, Namdeb resorted to measures to extend the LoM and will continued to operate with the revised one until 2019.Apart from Elizabeth Bay, Daberas will close at the end of 2019, while Sendelingsdrift reaches its LoM in 2020 and Namdeb's main mine, Southern Coastal, is expected to close its doors in 2022.OGONE TLHAGE

More mining jobs under threat

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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More mining jobs under threat

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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