Erongo mines’ operations under magnifying glass

A series of meetings and oversight visits are underway in the Erongo region to address multiple concerns including labour, value addition and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the mining sector.

These meetings by the parliamentary standing committee on natural resources, led by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, aims to assess both big and small mining operations.

During the committee’s first visit to Erongo governor Neville Andre and Erongo Regional Council chairperson Benitha Imbamba at Swakopmund on Monday, chairman of the standing committee Tjekero Tweya described the conditions at one mine as “shocking and horrible” and he called out the sub-par toilet and bathroom facilities.

He said the situation “needed to be addressed immediately and could not wait for parliament to decide on it”.

He noted that while facilities for foreign workers were in good condition, Namibians had to tolerate “horrible facilities”.

Andre said he was “disappointed” by the labour conditions he observed during certain visits to some of the smaller mines in the region and called for a stakeholder approach to address the challenges and bring about immediate improvement.

Imbamba addressed the challenge of high unemployment among Namibians and said foreigners being employed at the mines instead of Namibians is a “very serious” issue.

“Namibia is small, and we have a few people but a lot of resources; our youth are crying for jobs. They should not be in this situation,” she said.

Imbamba questioned the legality of some foreign workers’ contracts and noted that the influx of mining operations, especially smaller ones, has not sufficiently translated into employment opportunities for locals.
Andre said Erongo’s abundant natural resources, including marble, gold, granite, salt, uranium, rare earth metals and precious stones, are being exported as raw material.

“More needs to be done to have processing facilities to add value to the resources before they leave Namibia,” he said, adding that local companies should also participate in value addition. We need to introduce laws to protect and capacitate these companies to have maximum input in local value addition.”

Andre emphasised the need for local skills development, especially from smaller mines.

“While the big mines are engaging with institutions for skills development, the smaller mines are not,” he said.

Tweya said the committee will inquire about government shareholding and local ownership of mines.

He noted that while Namibia is the second-largest uranium producer in the world, the country itself faces an energy deficit.

“We have a 60% energy deficit but we supply others with uranium to address their energy needs. That can’t be normal,” Tweya said.

He highlighted that America and Europe were not the only markets to consider when it comes to resource trade.

“What about the 1,3 billion people in Africa?”

Andre noted that while CSR efforts are substantial, there needs to be more focus on how these activities genuinely impact communities.

“It is important that we engage with the local and regional authorities who can help the mines identify meaningful contributions, not only temporary donations but contributions that make a difference and remain with the community when the mines are no longer there,” said Andre.

He stressed the need for laws to ensure that CSR initiatives are not temporary or superficial but have a lasting impact.

He highlighted the need for community upliftment in the form of road maintenance, housing, local authority services and facilities like schools and education, which local authorities themselves cannot afford.

Tweya emphasised the need for policies surrounding CSR: “In the past, mines did not need policies for CSR, but now there are more mines and we need policies.”

He said the lack of policies should not be an excuse to stop CSR activities, but they should be implemented to ensure more structured and meaningful contributions.

Walvis Bay Rural constituency councillor Florian Donatus argued that Namibia, despite being a major producer of uranium, still faces significant inequalities.

He said the mining sector’s contributions should be more than just superficial handouts “like sanitary pads and stationery”.

“We need a mineral resources fund and not handouts. The fund must be managed and benefit those who need schools, clinics, hospitals, houses, services, etc,” he said.

The committee will visit several mines in the region and meet with stakeholders and take its findings and recommendations to the National Assembly.

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