As environmental ists and wealthy farmers vehemently oppose its operations and exploration plans,
A carnival atmosphere prevailed in this sleepy village in the Omaheke region the whole day. The community has no doubt that
Patrobas Ngarizemo, a farmer who resides about 30km south of Leonardville, said he has no doubt about the project.
"This company did not come straight from
I stay around these people, and these people are dying of hunger. The reality here is tough. Rejecting the project from far is fine, but people here are of the conclusion that let the water contamination (if there will be any) kill us; there is no difference with today's hunger," observed the emotional farmer.
The chairperson of the
Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate urged Namibians to put emotions and prejudices aside in dealing with
This is in stark contrast to a firm stance taken late last year by agriculture, water and land reform minister
"My presence in Leonardville at the opening of
The village's inhabitants attended the joyful event with the hope that the company will transform the village and help them tackle issues of poverty and unemployment.
Headspring Investments is the Namibian subsidiary of the Russian company
The company's exploration has now been halted for almost a year. It is expected to use ISL, also called in-situ recovery (ISR) or solution mining. ISR is an extraction process used to recover minerals such as copper and uranium through boreholes drilled into a deposit.
The extraction process initially involves the drilling of holes into the ore deposit.
Schlettwein at the time was adamant that
Some farmers in the area do not want the company to continue its exploration activities due to the fear of contaminating the groundwater.
The relief sought by
"Adminis t r at ive bodies and administrative officials shall act fairly and reasonably, and comply with the requirements imposed upon such bodies and officials by common law and any relevant legislation, and persons aggrieved by the exercise of such acts and decisions shall have the right to seek redress before a competent court or tribunal."
Yesterday was the deadline for the ministry to submit arguments.
At the event, Nganate urged those who oppose the company's operations to resolve the issue through dialogue. If that is exhausted, the governor advised them to seek knowledge from the knowledgeable.
"Come around the table, and tackle the issue of 'fear of the unknown'. As a politician with the background of an ordinary history teacher, I can not take the decision whether
At the same occasion,
Egorov-Kirillov added that they are determined to help the community and country at large.
Van Rooyen said the contribution to the government on taxes and royalties will be immense.
"We plan, and actually we started buying from farmers around the village to make sure everyone benefits".
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