Africa-Press – Namibia. FOLLOWING reports of community dissatisfaction with the mining operation by Xinfeng Investments’ lithium mine at Dâures, minister of mines and energy Tom Alweendo scheduled a town hall meeting with relevant stakeholders at Uis and Omatjete for Friday and Saturday.
This also comes after ministry officials were dispatched to investigate the complaints, with their findings are expected to be shared at the meetings.
Earlier this month, hundreds of Dâures community members, farmers, and small miners protested against the mining activities of Xinfeng, claiming the lithium mine was illegal.
They delivered a petition for the mine to stop its operations immediately until their concerns have been addressed.
The mine, however, says it has followed all procedures as per Namibian laws and is therefore operating legally.
Alweendo acknowledges the importance of mining companies being good corporate citizens, emphasising the need for effective communication strategies to engage with communities.
He says mining companies, like other sectors, must prioritise environmental, social, and governance principles.
“The law requires licence holders to engage and obtain permission from landowners before any prospecting or mining activities take place,” he says, adding that other matters pertaining to minerals prospecting and mining operations originating from the constituency will be addressed at the meetings.
Uis community activist Jimmy Areseb, who also led the last protest and handed over the petition, says the Daures community has been waiting eagerly for Alweendo.
“We thought mining activities are supposed to benifit us, but the current trend of activities we are seeing shows us we are not benefiting,” he says.
He says he hopes concrete evidence on the operations of Xinfeng would be provided at the meeting, “and if there are no such evidence, the company should be closed, and its operations stopped immediately”.
Additionally, the meeting is expected to resolve the conflict between farmers and the mines, Areseb says.
“We hope the minister is really prepared to come and respond to our questions. We want answers to questions with evidence,” he says, adding he hopes the visit would not just involve rhetoric.
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