Governor steps into Goantagab Mine dispute Kunene governor Vipuakuje Muharukua says he is not taking the Goantagab mine dispute about jobs versus the environment lightly. He says he is consulting all stakeholders, including ministers to find a solution to the dispute around the mine in the Dâures constituency near Khorixas. He said this on Monday after undertaking a fact-finding visit to Goantagab Mine on Friday. The governor was accompanied by the secretary of the Swapo Party Youth League, Ephraim Nekongo. “We convened a ministerial meeting last night, and you can rest assured, we policymakers have conservation at heart, as well as the prospects that any commercial activity in the country and in the region might have. We are not taking it lightly. It’s not business as usual,” he said, although he declined to disclose more information. The reopening of the mine is at the centre of a dispute between tourism company Ultimate Safaris, the Doro Nawas and Uibasen Twyfelfontein conservancies on one hand, and Timoteus Mashuna, Ottilie Ndimulunde and the Sorris Sorris conservancy on the other. The dispute is currently before the courts. The governor’s tour follows a petition by Herman Naruseb, the senior councillor of the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority, for Muharukua to intervene in the dispute so that the community can benefit through job creation. Sinco Holdings chief operations officer for mining operations David Tomas says the company plans to employ up to 150 young people from the local community in developing the Goantagab Mine in partnership with South African mining firm Birca Mining. Managing director of Ultimate Safaris Tristan Cowley, however, strongly opposes the reopening of the mine. “Mining displaces desert-adapted black rhino, and if rhino are displaced, the economy that relies on them would be affected too,” he says. In addition, he argues the reopening of the mine, located in the Sorris Sorris conservancy under the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority, will increase the risks of poaching, further endangering the rhino population in the area. The governor said he was still waiting for Ultimate Safaris to give their view of the dispute before he proposes a solution. Last week Cowley acknowledged receipt of the governor’s request, but said the three conservancies – Sorris Sorris, Doro Nawas, and Uibasen Twyfelfontein – would write a joint response to the governor’s letter. He said he did not think the governor’s intervention would help resolve a dispute that is already subject to court proceedings. Muharukua played down claims that there are only four rhinos – three adults and a calf – in the area, covering 98 000ha. “Well, I have not seen a rhino . . . so that could be hearsay,” the governor said. Cowley said: “Rhino numbers are with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Save the Rhino Trust, and are not shared for security reasons. Maybe check with them. “Regardless, the rhino in that area are the cornerstone of the nature-based wildlife economy in that area.” Mashuna welcomed the governor’s visit and said his company would be willing to sponsor installing tracking devices on all the rhinos in the area to contribute to conservation efforts. “In addition we could utilise their lodges to accommodate visitors and consultants visiting the mine,” he said. Cowley said he was not aware of the governor’s visit to the mine and that conservancies had written in response to Muharukua. – email:matthew@namibian.com.na The post Governor steps into Goantagab Mine dispute appeared first on The Namibian.

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Kunene governor intervenes in mine dispute Kunene governor Vipuakuje Muharukua has asked parties to a dispute over the reopening of Goantagab Mine near Khorixas to make presentations on the issue to his office. This comes after Dâure Daman Traditional Authority senior councillor Herman Naruseb petitioned the governor to intervene in the dispute, which has spilled into the courts. “The suspension of the mining activities has had a direct and adverse impact on our community, particularly on those members who were temporarily employed during the mine’s brief operational period. The resultant income loss continues to affect livelihoods, and uncertainty around the future of the project is a growing concern,” Naruseb says in the petition. Goantagab Mine is located in the Sorris Sorris conservancy, under the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority.” “I am aware of the petition sent to me by the Dâure Daman community and my office has asked the stakeholders to make presentations, and I await responses from them,” the governor said on Monday. On 16 May, the governor’s office wrote to Timoteus Mashuna, who owns mining claims at Goantagab, and Ultimate Safaris, a tourism company operating in the area. “Our office notes with interest that Ultimate Safaris and Timoteus Mashuna are engaged in a dispute over mining activities in the Dâures constituency and requires dispute resolution measures. The governor emphasises the importance of tourism, conservation and mining in our nation and region … and cordially invites your representation on the matter,” reads the letter. Muharukua said this will enable him to have more insight into this issue and thus determine the course ahead.” “I don’t want to have preconceived ideas, but I trust we can bring the two companies together. “We want to conserve, we want tourism, we also want to create jobs, we want to mine, and I don’t think these two interests are mutually exclusive,” the governor said.Mashuna welcomes Muharukua’s intervention as progressive.” My claims cover only a small area of about four square kilometres hidden in the mountains and the rest of more than 2 000 hectares is there for tourism activities,” he says. Mashuna says he had written to former governor Marius Sheya over the dispute because “the situation is impeding the progress of a project that holds substantial promise for the Kunene region”. Ultimate Safaris managing director Tristan Cowley acknowledges receipt of the governor’s letter but says the three conservancies – Sorris Sorris, Doro Nawas, and Uibasen Twyfelfontein – will write a joint response to the governor. “This is a matter between the conservancies, Ultimate Safaris, Mashuna, and Ottilie (Ndimulunde).” He says he does not think the governor’s intervention would help resolve a dispute that is already subject to court proceedings. The governor, however, said he was aware of the court proceedings on the matter. “I don’t think it prevents us as a government to address the dispute, because the petition talks about potential employment creation, and people who are now without jobs, and that is high on the agenda of Swapo, so we want to strike a balance between the two entities, depending on the nature, and extent of the dispute,” he said. The governor said he will be visiting the mine soon. – matthew@namibian.com.na The post Kunene governor intervenes in mine dispute appeared first on The Namibian.

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