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Mining impacting N$12-million injection from tourism in Kunene, safari company claims

A tourism company claims mining activities have impacted a “high-value” wildlife and tourism project in the Kunene region, and could deprive local conservancies and their residents of income amounting to N$12 million.

Ultimate Safaris spokesperson David Bishop says a project for the development of a four-suite rhino activity focused camp with a projected investment of N$30 million and 25 new jobs has had to be put on hold due to the threat of mining in the area.

“Funding, designs, water surveys and associated drilling and environmental clearance are all in place, and projections were that this additional operation would contribute a further N$1.5 million in cash payments to the conservancies, with additional investment in employment and conservation in 2024,” Bishop says in a media statement.

Bishop adds that in 2024 Ultimate Safaris paid conservancies and two traditional authorities N$3 million, while more than N$6 million in salaries was paid to full-time employees and N$1.6 million was invested in community development in 2024 in the area where the company has a tourism concession.

Costs associated with rhino conservation in the area were also covered by the company.

Ultimate Safaris, the Ûibasen Twyfelfontein and Doro !Nawas conservancies as well as the Aodaman Traditional Authority have been involved in legal disputes with mining claims holders intending to carry out mining activities in the Sorris Sorris conservancy, falling under the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority.

Namibian Competition Commission chief executive Vitalis Ndalikokule said in a letter to the chairperson of the Sorris Sorris Conservancy on 24 January that an agreement signed by Ultimate Safaris and the three conservancies give the company exclusivity and must be terminated.

The commission said the agreement closed out competitors who might want to establish tourism ventures in the three conservancies.

The letter followed on a complaint that mining claims holder Timoteus Mashuna made with the commission in September.

In his statement, Bishop says Ultimate Safaris in 2024 invested in the drilling and solar fitting of three conservancy boreholes, the drilling of a further borehole and the refurbishing of a wildlife water point.

According to Ultimate Safaris chief executive Tristan Cowley, “2024 was an incredibly strong year for tourism in Namibia, and despite massive risks and challenges to our joint conservancy operations stemming from a mining threat, the positive impact we can continue contributing to the people of Namibia is extremely pleasing”.

MINING IMPACT

Ultimate Safaris, the Ûibasen Twyfelfontein and Doro !Nawas conservancies and the Aodaman Traditional Authority were granted an interdict by a High Court judge in December last year to stop mining activities of a mining claims holder in their area, which is part of black rhinoceros habitat in the Kunene region.

That was after the environmental commissioner in October turned down a request to cancel an environmental clearance certificate allowing the same mining claims holder to carry out mining activities in the area.

Bishop adds that the loan for the company’s new project is only awarded to businesses that have a positive impact on conservation and community. It is funded by the Africa Conservation and Communities Tourism Fund, backed by Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, the Nature Conservancy and USAID.

Investment also went into the development of tourist self-drive routes in the area, which included track sign posting and track rehabilitation.

Bishop also notes that a traditional authority that directly benefits from tourism operations in the area has threatened to close down some of these tourism operations that benefit conservancies and communities.

“Complaints have been laid with the Namibian Competition Commission and other institutions by the mining proponent, all with the intention of intimidating and exhausting the efforts to ensure an established high-value wildlife and tourism area, generating sustainable income for rural Namibian community benefiting organisations and communities,” Bishop says.

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