Tour operator slams police over mining dispute Managing director of tourism company Ultimate Safaris Tristan Cowley has criticised law enforcement failing to stop the removal of ore from the Goantagab Mine in the Sorris Sorris Conservancy in the Kunene region, “in violation of a court interdict”. On Saturday, Cowley told The Namibian that Timoteus Mashuna and Ottilie Ndimulunde, who have mining claims in the area – supported by Nexus, Sinco Holdings and Birca Mining – went to the mining site with heavy machinery last Thursday and removed mined ore on Friday afternoon and evening, despite police visiting the site on Friday morning. This was confirmed by Pieter Hougaard, who said he has applied for a new mining licence after his Goantagab licence was cancelled. He also said the stockpile, worth N$5 million, belonged to him. ‘CONTEMPT OF COURT’ Cowley claimed Mashuna and Ndimulunde were in contempt of a court order, and lamented what he described as “little respect even for the rule of law”. The police regional commander for Kunene, commissioner James Nderura, confirmed police received the report and went to the site where they found no mining activity taking place. However, they could not intervene in any operations because they lacked a written court order related to mining violations. Mashuna said moving the ore aligned with the terms of the court interdict. “Tristan Cowley is interpreting the court order selectively to suit his narrative,” said Mashuna on Saturday. Ultimate Safaris, as well as the Doro !Nawas and Uibasen Twyfelfontein conservancies under the Aodaman Traditional Authority are opposed to mining at Goantagab. Their legal representatives have threatened contempt of court proceedings against Mashuna, with Cowley arguing that heavy mining machinery will drive away the rhino on which his business is based. The case has spilled into the High Court, where both Mashuna and Ndimulunde were interdicted from any mining in the area. Additionally, judge Esi Schimming-Chase ordered on 16 October 2024 that Ndimulunde (or anyone employed by her) was interdicted from using heavy machinery to construct a new road to the mining claims, and from conducting any mining on the claims. A similar order was made against Mashuna by justice AJ Miller on 24 August 2024. However, Mashuna says the interdicts are conditional to the decision of the environment commissioner or the minister. “The environmental commissioner did not call for stoppage on mining,” Mashuna argued. In a report compiled after an inspection of the site on 5 and 6 October 2024, following complaints by the conservancies and Ultimate Safaris, environmental commissioner Timoteus Mufeti said that the activities on the mining claims was “generally compliant” with the conditions set out in the Environment Clearance Certificate. Mufeti also said the non-compliant aspects – such as those related to road upgrades – were insignificant and did not warrant suspension of cancellation of the clearance certificate. CO-EXIST Chief Sakarias Seibeb of the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority also expressed concern that Ultimate Safaris were motivated by a desire to control “27 hectares” (about 27 football fields) of land. This was in reference to the joint management area the conservancies applied to establish on a 99-year leasehold, over which opponents believe Ultimate Safaris would have had exclusive rights. The Kunene Land Board rejected to the conservancies’ application. “When Hougaard mined there, Ultimate Safaris did not mind,” said Seibeb, who called for co-existence between tourism and mining. However, Cowley rejected the proposition of co-existence, claiming that rhino-focused tourism does not co-exist anywhere in the world. “A study at the Huab Conservancy showed that mining displaced rhinos and operations dependant on them,” he said. However, Mashuna disputed this, citing the B2Gold Mine near Otjiwarongo as an example of large scale open pit mining that has not driven away rhino populations. – email: matthew@namibian.com.na The post Tour operator slams police over mining dispute appeared first on The Namibian.

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Tin Mining vs Namibians Benefiting from Conservancies Over the past weeks, Timoteus Mashuna has launched a misleading attack on me and the company I represent, Ultimate Safaris, a Namibian conservation travel company.  While we are confident in our credentials and our positive impact in Namibia, it is unfortunate that Mashuna failed to disclose his personal stake in the matter. Mashuna – who also operates through Ottilie Ndimulunde and other proxies – works for the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs, a salaried public servant funded by Namibian taxpayers.  While in public service, he has engaged in lucrative side ventures, including the controversial Uis Xinfeng ‘lithium heist’, which, according to The Namibian (11 April 2023), earned him and his associates N$50 million.  This matter is under investigation by both the prosecutor general and the Anti-Corruption Commission, as reported by The Namibian on 16 December 2024.  Mashuna has direct mining interests in Goantagab and is the complainant in a case lodged with the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC), aiming to nullify Ministry of Environment and Tourism approved tourism contracts between Ultimate Safaris and three communal conservancies.  The objective? To clear the path for his mining operations.  His Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was weak and failed to mention the near-endemic black rhino population and the region’s high-value tourism potential. It also did not meet requirements for consultation with relevant stakeholders.  The area was previously withdrawn from mining because of environmental sensitivity, yet the environmental commissioner reversed this decision seemingly to facilitate Mashuna’s mining claims registration and also approved Mashuna’s mining Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC), and then issued a compliance order when Mashuna violated his ECC which then legitimised everything the EIA and ECC did not.  These matters are now under judicial review in the High Court. FACTUALLY SPEAKING Mashuna accuses us of exploiting black rhinos and communities for personal gain, falsely asserting that my family has benefited from tourism since the 1980s.  None of my family benefited from tourism until I became involved in tourism in 2003 as a Polytechnic of Namibia graduate.  Ultimate Safaris was founded in 2008, well after Namibia’s independence, as an inclusive and opportunity-driven enterprise.  We employ nearly 150 Namibians, with employees as shareholders and have invested over N$31 million in conservation and rural development in the last five years via our Conservation Travel Foundation – far exceeding any profits taken by shareholders.  In addition, our contractual obligations with conservancies generated N$10.5 million in direct benefits in 2024 alone in the area where Mashuna seeks to mine.  We wonder if Mashuna aims to profit by selling his mining interests once he circumvents current legal barriers, as he did with Xinfeng, as he continues to draw a taxpayer-funded salary. WHO BENEFITS? Mr Mashuna’s frustration appears to stem from our efforts – alongside communal conservancies and a traditional authority – to challenge the processes that facilitated his mining claims.  He has resorted to politicisation, racialisation and apparent intimidation. Recently, he laid complaints about matters in which he has a conflict of interest, with the NaCC and the directorate of environmental affairs. The intention appears to be to damage both the affected conservancies and Ultimate Safaris – as well as ultimately threatening joint venture agreements involving other conservancies.   Mashuna’s claims that mining previously took place in the area ignores the fact that the expired mining licence predates high-value tourism operations and the government’s subsequent decision to withdraw the area from mining.  Research by Save the Rhino Trust, on behalf of the environment ministry, showed that open-cast mining, involving heavy machinery and blasting, displaces black rhinos and, consequently, the tourism activities dependent on them.  The claim that desert-adapted black rhino-focused tourism and open cast mining can coexist in the same area is self-serving and ignores global evidence to the contrary, as well as the sobering reality of what happened in the //Huab Conservancy a few years ago. Mashuna attempts to undermine Namibia’s globally recognised, award-winning Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) programme by citing a discredited academic paper.  In reality, this programme directly benefits 240 000 rural Namibians, generating N$180 million in 2023. His attacks on Ultimate Safaris are, in reality, attacks on the 240 000 rural Namibians benefiting from CBNRM.  Why else would he seek to nullify valid tourism contracts that provide over 3 000 Kunene residents with annual community benefits exceeding N$10 million in 2024 from our operations?  Why is he attempting to close legal and environmentally compliant conservancy joint ventures?  Why make empty promises without any commitment to communities who have heard similar unfulfilled promises from certain mining interests before? STARK CONTRASTS Community-based tourism is highly regulated, ensuring that conservancies are not exploited.  Non-governmental organisations, the environment ministry and other stakeholders oversee tourism-related negotiations and contracting, guaranteeing long-term, sustainable benefits.  The same cannot be said for the mining sector, where, as recently reported by The Namibian (2 March): ‘Parliament clears lithium mining at Uis’, a mining company linked to Mashuna pays a mere N$10 000 a month to a traditional authority while offering substandard metal sheet buildings and chairs instead of meaningful compensation to affected conservancies. In contrast, tourism operators share revenue – not profits but top-line revenue – with conservancies contributing 8% to 16% of total revenue.  Imagine if the mining sector paid similar margins to communities – Namibia’s rural landscape would be transformed.  Moreover, tourism operators are legally bound to employ local residents, implement substantive empowerment programmes, and leave behind valuable infrastructure at the end of their tenure.  We have invested nearly N$70 million in the region and planned to invest an additional N$30 million before Mashuna’s mining attempts – a N$100 million legacy that would belong to conservancies after our contracts expire.  What will Mashuna’s mining leave behind? PRIORITIES AND PROMISES Despite claiming to bring economic value, Mr Mashuna has signed no legally binding agreements guaranteeing revenue sharing, employment or compensation for tourism losses.  Your promised “mass employment” is unrealistic as open-cast mining requires highly specialised operators, a skill set in short supply locally – meaning most jobs will go to outsiders.  Tourism prioritises local capacity building.  Mashuna, your mining activities threaten not only the environment but also the livelihood of thousands who depend on sustainable tourism and a 30-year track record of the successful implementation of a CBNRM programme. Not only do your actions undermine conservation and sustainable development, they also show disregard for the very people you claim to represent, never mind the disrepute you cast on the ethical mining sector which contributes significantly to Namibia’s economy and society. Namibia must stand firm against those who prioritise gain over national well-being.  * Tristan Cowley is a born Namibian, co-founder and managing director of Ultimate Safaris, a Namibian conservation travel company. * He serves on a number of tourism and conservation-related boards and aims to ensure that these efforts have a positive generational impact. – This article is in response to an opinion piece by Timoteus Mashuna published on 25 February. The post Tin Mining vs Namibians Benefiting from Conservancies appeared first on The Namibian.

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