Walvis Bay — An illegal mining operation, being carried out by Xinfeng Investments in the Uis area, has been shut down.
This follows mining commissioner Isabella Chirchir's unannounced visit to the site on 16 November, where she caught them in the act as they were ferrying stockpiles of ore from the mining area, Ringman, about 10 kilometres from Xinfeng's main operations.
Thousands of tonnes illegally mined material is suspected to have been shipped out of the country after being mixed with legally mined ore from the company's main operations. The company, which had established a N$600 million processing plant commissioned earlier this year, reportedly ceased mining in the Uis area three months ago due to a lack of proper equipment.
Former employees told New Era at the weekend that illegal mining at Ringman began as early as last year, with a stockpile from the site, mixed with legally mined material from Xinfeng, which was reportedly exported between April and June this year. The employees claim that more than 15 000 metric
tonnes of mined material from Ringman have been ferried to the Xinfeng mine and processing plant.
Questions sent to Chirchir on Friday remained unanswered by the time of going to print yesterday.
Hilda Basson-Namundjebo, who handles communication on behalf of Xinfeng, told New Era on Sunday they cannot comment on the latest developments yet.
"We will only be able to comment on the matter after meeting the ministry later this week," she said.
Employees, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the open pit at Xinfeng had reached a depth that made further mining impossible without better equipment. As a result, Xinfeng allegedly resorted to illegal mining at Ringman, a site they had been operating at without authorisation, despite an ongoing ownership dispute. "At present, only three Chinese employees remain at Xinfeng, while Ringman is left unguarded following the shutdown of the illegal mining operation there," one employee said. Former Xinfeng employee Hardin Fredericks also confirmed over the weekend that all 180 workers had been laid off, with their salaries paid only until December this year.
"Yes, we were laid off after a visit from the mining commissioner. We don't know what will happen next, but we know it involves mining without proper documentation," he said. He said the last group left the company last Monday.
Another employee stated that mining operations at Xinfeng stopped three months ago when the open pit became too deep to access the ore. The company allegedly does not have the necessary equipment to continue mining.
"As a result, we were illegally mining at Ringman, about 10 kilometres from Xinfeng. The commissioner found employees transporting ore back to Xinfeng," one worker revealed.
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Another employee claimed they did not receive exit medical check-ups from the mine, yet they were paid only N$1 500, while a medical doctor demanded N$2 200 per person for a proper check-up.
"We did not receive any severance packages, and we are uncertain about our future employment," the employee said.
Another employee, Adam Itembu, confirmed they were laid off shortly after Chirchir's visit.
"We were all dismissed. Some of us have contracts expiring next March. They did not pay us up to then. They paid us salaries only until January. They also did not cater for exit medicals. The work environment is not safe; hence, we are worried. Some are waiting at the hospital for their medical check up results as we speak," he revealed.
