Annalise Tauros (60) sits on the roadside outside Uis in the Erongo region. She’s hoping for a passing tourist to buy one of the beautiful but cheap gemstones she scraped from the earth nearby.
That rarely happens any more. Instead she watches large trucks carrying hauls from mines now enmeshed in the global scramble for minerals that power the green energy revolution.
“I have run out of hope,” she says.
“We see trucks of mining companies carrying lithium, but we have not seen any jobs,” she says.
Lithium is an essential mineral for the batteries that power electric cars. Switching to electric vehicles is one way the world is trying to limit climate change.
Surging demand has created a scramble for lithium across the planet, creating new interest in the mines around Uis.
United Kingdom(UK)-based Andrada Mine and China’s operate around the town, but some residents say these operations haven’t led to jobs for small-scale miners like Tauros.
The company has denied this allegation.
According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, between 5 000 to 10 000 small-scale miners survive through mining in Namibia.
Every day, Tauros and her grandchild sit under a tree opposite the only service station at the settlement.
“I am suffering … I have diabetes and high blood pressure, but l don’t have a choice,” she says.
“My grandchild is here with me because we cannot afford to buy food for him to take to school. My daughter is studying, but she calls me every day asking for taxi money, l have nowhere to get the money. l depend on the stones,” she says.
On her best days, she leaves with a mere N$50.
On her worst days, Tauros leaves with nothing.
HARRASSMENT
Vendors gave been banned from interacting with the service station’s customers.
“We are left with no option but to sit under the tree, or else we will be arrested,” Tauros says.
The owner of the service station and supermarket at Uis, Paul Loots, says the small-scale miners are harassing his customers.
“Tourists are very scared to get out of their cars, use the toilet, or buy anything in the supermarket. They can sell their precious stones, I don’t have a problem with that, but not on my premises,” he says.
“If they get drunk on the premises, they harass my customers and tourists. I cannot allow that. We talked to them in the presence of the police, but it didn’t help. So, the only option I had left was to put up a notice board.
“As long as they stay on their side, I’ll stay on my side. I’ve taken down the boards and now it’s going quite well, only a few of them don’t want to listen,” Loots says.
Ministry of Mines and Energy spokesperson Eshioshange Hasheela says the government is doing its best to assist small-scale miners.
“The ministry is doing its utmost to assist these small-scale miners in the best way possible. The ministry supports these miners by providing information on the requirements of mineral rights, helping with applications and offering support in pegging and registering claims,” she says.
Hasheela says the ministry conducts training and workshops for small-scale miners.
“Recently we trained 15 small-scale miners on the basics of business. We are in the process of implementing two projects, the first one is the setting up of processing facilities for cutting and polishing dimension and semi-precious stones at Khorixas in the Kunene region and the other one is processing slate stones for building materials at Noordoewer in the //Kharas region,” she says.
Hasheela says plans are underway to establish offices in the Erongo, Kunene, and //Kharas regions.
UNEMPLOYMENT WOES
Small-scale miner McDonald Gaweseb (24) finds himself trapped in unemployment.
“As a young person, this illegal mining in our constituency has affected us in a bad way and has put us in a corner.
“Some of us are even depressed. Most of us were raised from the mine, and now we cannot benefit from our resources.
“They are controlling our resources and we, as young people, have nowhere else to go,” he says.
PLEA FOR GOVT INTERVENTION
“This is our ancestral land. We were raised from the gemstones. We want the government to intervene, because we seriously need help,” Gawaseb says.
“We also want the government to bring the mining board for us to sit and talk about how they can accommodate the small-scale miners.”
Andrew John Kelly (48), a small-scale miner and community activist says local resources are increasingly slipping away and falling into foreign hands.
“More people from here can do the same work that the other big mining companies are doing if they get trained accordingly by the government. We have quality people who are being disregarded and overlooked.
“The government is only focusing on investors, and everything we own naturally does not belong to us any more,” he says.
ANDRADA RESPONDS
According to statistics provided by Andrada Mining, the company has contributed N$690 million to the Namibian national economy through procurement, royalties and taxes since its inception.
In this financial year, the company says it issued tenders of around N$203 million with 225 Namibian suppliers, 107 of which were from the Erongo region, where Uis is located.
The company says it contributed N$45 million in royalties and taxes this year.
Andrada Mining executive Adam Baynes says 99% of the permanent employees at Uis mine are Namibian, with 31% from Uis and the rest from the Erongo region.
He says Uis Tin Mining Company (UTMC) has prioritised Uis residents for employment, while ensuring competency in personnel selection.
“UTMC has extensively trained approximately 80% of its employees in the past 12 months to enhance their skills and ensure compliance with safety requirements.
“Furthermore, Andrada is a member of the settlement development committee, aiming to promote sustainable development through partnerships among various stakeholders at Uis,” he says.
Baynes details the company’s community initiatives.
“The company has collaborated with a non-profit organisation to implement feeding schemes for vulnerable children and the elderly at the Tatamutsi informal settlement at Uis.
“Other development initiatives at Uis include road refurbishments and the donation of sport equipment and gardening implements to local schools,” he says.
Regarding Kelly’s allegations of no employment opportunities, Baynes says the small-scale miner and youth activist provides UTMC with plumbing services on a contractual basis as needed.
“We are perplexed by his accusations that the local community has not benefited from the mining companies.
“Andrada recognises that local communities and employees are integral parts of our business. Therefore, we work to foster and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with all our stakeholders,” he says.
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