Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Banner Left
Banner Right

Mining companies to provide closure plans

Mining companies to provide closure plans

MINING companies will in future have to provide financial guarantees for the rehabilitation of mining sites once all mining activities have ended, while closure plans will have to be part of environmental impact assessments (EIA) in new projects.

Speaking at the second environmental symposium of Nedbank recently in Windhoek, Teo Nghitila, who is the Director for Environment in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, said Government would soon set up the office of an Environment Commission. ‘This Commission will be responsible to enforce compliance with the new Environmental Management Act of 2007.’ The new law would be implemented soon, Nghitila said. The regulations for the new law have been drawn up and are awaiting input from the Attorney General’s Office.Once the regulations are gazetted and the Environment Commission is up and running, mines will have to submit EIAs every three years, and provide a financial guarantee for rehabilitation of the mining area after all activities have ended. ‘Rehabilitation of old, abandoned mining sites in the country has remained a headache for Government,’ Nghitila told the symposium.The mining sector contributes around 9 per cent of the GDP and earns roughly 50 per cent of the country’s export revenue.Mines and Energy Minister Erkki Nghimtina told the symposium that ‘the way in which minerals should be extracted, processed, used and recycled in the context of sustainable development is a key concern’. Zebra Kasete, who is General Manager of Corporate Affairs at Rössing Uranium, said the company managed sustainable and healthy mining. ‘This includes an independent environmental rehabilitation trust fund, which currently has available funds to the tune of N$100 million, and we update closure plans every five years.’ According to Nedbank Chief Economist Robin Sherbourne, economics has a crucial role to play in the debate regarding mining and environmental sustainability. ‘More countries are competing for investment and in many instances quite often lower the environmental requirements and costs to facilitate investment,’ he said.

Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!

Latest News