RE: Copper and tin take centre stage in bank's bullish metals outlook.8 Oct 2025 18:37
This article from the is about the most balanced I've seen:
The large-scale blasting at the Goantagab mine in the Sorris Sorris conservancy near Khorixas last Friday has reignited debate over the potential threat to desert-adapted rhinos, tourism and the interests of traditional leaders. On Tuesday, Dâure Daman Traditional Authority chief Zacharias Seibeb threatened to relocate three rhinos from the area to Etosha National Park to make way for tin exploration.
"If Ultimate Safaris and all others are not willing to co-exist with mining, I will request the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to relocate these alleged three black rhinos to Etosha Pan in the interest of generating 300 jobs for my people," he told one of the critics of the mining activities in the conservancy.
Seibeb, who has publicly backed mining in the conservancy, is himself facing possible removal by urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa.
The mining exploration is being led by Timoteus Mashuna, a rare earth mineral explorer who allegedly profited from a controversial N$50-million deal near Uis, where a mining licence was sold to Chinese company Xinfeng. Now, he has set eyes on finding tin at Goantagab near Khorixas for a possible future sale deal with Andrada. But his ambition is opposed by tourism and wildlife operators who fear conservation will be damaged by ongoing blasting, which could chase wildlife away in north-west Namibia. Chief among conservationists' complaints is that the mining proponents are allegedly violating their environmental clearance certificate (ECC), the permit allowing companies to explore for minerals. They argue that the current scale of operations constitutes large-scale mining, which by law cannot be conducted under the pretext of mining claims.
Mining claims, they say, are intended for small-scale, artisanal operations and are subject to only minimal environmental oversight. In contrast, they believe large-scale mining operations require a mining licence, which comes with a completely different regulatory framework and far more stringent environmental, social and economic requirements, including public consultation and full-scale assessments.
According to Doro !Nawas conservancy manager Laurencia Naobes, last Friday's blasting at the mine generated noise and dust which made the animals scurry in all directions.
"The mine is in part of the joint management area (JMA) which incorporates parts of Sorris Sorris, Doro !Nawas and Uibasen Twyfelfontein conservancies and as part of the JMA, we are concerned with what is happening at the mine," she says.
BLAST AFTER BLAST
The blasting took place after High Court judge Boas Usiku dismissed an urgent application by Ultimate Safaris, Doro !Nawas and Uibasen Twyfelfontein conservancies, as well as the #Aodaman Traditional Authority on Friday last week to halt the blasting. 1/2