Christof Maletsky
28 April 2008
Windhoek — Namibia could have a second opencast gold mine within the next 18 months.
Motivating his Ministry's budget in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Mines Minister Erkki Nghimtina said the feasibility study on the gold mine between Otavi and Otjiwarongo was now at pre-feasibility stage and expected to be completed by next year.
He said production could start by 2010. Nghimtina said Namibia had attracted high levels of mineral exploration in the past financial year, with over N$500 million invested in the process - an amount that surpassed any exploration expenditure recorded since Independence 18 years ago.
"Diamond exploration in the Kavango Region continues as companies search for diamondiferous kimberlite bodies. To date a total of over 60 exploration licences stretching from Katwitwi in the Kavango to Kongola in the Caprivi Region have been granted," Nghimtina said. However, there were also setbacks over the past 12 months.
Nghimtina said although Weatherly Mining Namibia had increased production at its Otjihase, Matchless, Tsumeb and Tschudi mines, two successive power failures in December last year had damaged the underground water pumping stations at Kombat.
It led to the indefinite closure of the mine. Nghimtina said he had instructed Weatherly, NamPower and NamWater to propose solutions that would lead to the reopening of the mine. In the meantime, Weatherly was also undertaking a study to reopen the Berg Aukas zinc, lead and vanadium mine, with the development expected to start in the third quarter of 2009.
Nghimtina said uranium prices continued to be favourable with the demand exceeding supply. "This situation has created good opportunities for Namibia to become a major producer of primary uranium in Africa. Due to the rush in the acquisition of nuclear fuel mineral licences, and in order to realign the Ministry's administrative functions with the developments, I suspended the application and subsequent issuing of new uranium licences with the concurrence of the Cabinet," Nghimtina said.
He said the Ministry was working on a policy to ensure that rights were only issued to those who deserved them.
One key aspect will be to ensure that the minerals benefit the country and the draft policy was being discussed within the Ministry of Mines before being presented to the Minister in the next few months.
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