A small-scale miner in the Erongo region has called on the government to assist them with mining machinery because a lack of equipment hampers their work.
Sakarias Daniel made the plea during a one-day workshop on environmental governance compliance on small-scale mining held at Karibib last week.
Daniel said while the government asks small-scale miners to adhere to the laws and regulations governing small-scale mining activities, it should also assist them with proper tools to do their work smoothly, and thus contribute to economic development.
He said at the moment, small-scale miners are struggling to do their work without the necessary equipment.
"The government is always asking us to meet them halfway, they should also meet small-scale miners halfway," he said.
His plea followed a presentation by mining economist from the Ministry of Mines and Energy Julia Alfeus, who spoke on reporting requirements for mining claim holders.
Alfeus said small-scale miners need to have an export permit to pay loyalties based on their sales, which have to be done at fair and reasonable prices.
She said when selling semi-precious stones to tourists, small-scale miners need to get passport copies of the tourists, while a destination where the stones are to be taken too also needs to be established.
She said the ministry currently faces a number of challenges such as non-submission of mining reports on time.
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"Some small-scale miners do not report on their production," she said.
Small-scale miner Imaks Areseb said the biggest problem his company faces is a lack of machinery to mine semi-precious stones.
He said mining equipment is very expensive and it would be a good thing if the government can assist with machinery.
"What we have is just tools and the work is very difficult," he said.
Areseb said his company, Daures Investment CC, is prospecting for semi-precious stones in the Erongo region.
Minsozi Sibeso, the director of the ministry's small-scale mining division, says the government previously assisted some small-scale miners with equipment, but there is no agreement compelling it to continue doing so, as mining equipment is very expensive.
She called for collaboration between the small-scale miners and the government.
The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Mines and Energy and funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Namibia under the project, 'Strengthening Environmental Governance and Improving Health and Safety in Critical Small-Scale Mining Hotspots in Namibia'.
The project is embedded in UNDP's Sustainable Environmental Management for Enhanced Resilience portfolio, with focus areas under climate change adaptation, environment and waste management, climate change mitigation and natural resources management and sustainable livelihoods.
