Africa-Press – Namibia. Extensive damage by sand mining at Onatshiku village at Okatana in the Oshana region has prompted residents to appeal to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism not to renew the Uukwambi Traditional Authority’s environmental clearance certificate (ECC).
Village resident Joseph Iipinge says the village had a meeting on 24 May where residents agreed to write a letter to environmental commissioner Timoteus Mufeti, appealing to him not to renew the traditional authority’s ECC.
The village had an agreement with the traditional authority to rehabilitate the mined site.
Currently no such efforts are underway.
“There is no rehabilitation work being done at the site at the moment,” Iipinge says.
The collection of sand at the site will cease on 17 August.
Iipinge says Mufeti has confirmed receiving the letter and has promised to send officials to the site.
Uukwambi Traditional Authority chief Herman Iipumbu last week said he could not understand the residents’ plea as the traditional authority has already told them it would not renew its ECC.
“Who told them we want to renew it? The sand-mining activity at Onatshiku will cease on the 17th of this month and the pit will be closed. The ECC will not be renewed, unless they want it renewed.
“We cannot concentrate on one site, Uukwambi area is big,” Iipumbu said.
He said the mined site would be rehabilitated after activity has ceased.
Mufeti yesterday said the commission has indeed received a letter and calls
from Onatshiku village residents concerned about sand-mining activities at their village.
He said the sand-mining pit is authorised by the ministry but has extended beyond its boundaries.
“We have discussed this with the Uukwambi Traditional Authority and we are in the process to sendinng them a notification that their ECC will expire this month, and they will need to contact us as to whether they want their ECC renewed or not,” he said.
At Onatshiku village, sand has been mined legally for the past few years.
The agreement between the Uukwambi Traditional Authority and Onatshiku village was that each sand collector is registered and pays a certain fee to the authority.
Village residents have opened a village bank account, and the fee paid by sand collectors is then shared equally by the traditional authority and the village.
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