New turn in the Namibian uranium mining saga

The ongoing wrangle over uranium mining in the Stampriet Basin in southern Namibia took a new turn late in January when the Russian company Uranium One announced the withdrawal of its High Court case against the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein.

The company filed an application for a review in the High Court of Namibia early in 2023 of the minister’s decision to not grant company exploration drilling permits, the Namibian newspaper reported.

Uranium One said it has decided to withdraw the case due to the fact that the minister brought the Water Resources Management Act into effect on 29 August 2023, although it has been in existence since 2013.

The company said the act introduced material changes to the previously existing legal landscape, and as such the company had decided to withdraw the case as an illustration of its intent to abide by Namibia’s laws.

The act requires the government to ensure all Namibians have access to water, conforming to the prescribed quality standards from an affordable and reliable water supply that is adequate for basic human requirements.

PUBLIC INTEREST

The act further states that the state can take any action it considers necessary in the public interest to remedy any situation that may affect the health of water users.

The possibility of uranium mining in the Stampriet Artesian Basin (SAB) has become a contentious issue in Namibia. The Stampriet Aquifer Uranium Mining Association (SAUMA) was vehemently opposed to mining and had been lobbying for years to prevent any such activities in the area.

According to SAUMA, the in situ leach mining involves forcing sulphuric acid and other chemicals through boreholes into the uranium orebody located in the drinking-water aquifer, dissolving the uranium into the water and pumping it out again to recover the uranium.

Divan Opperman, SAUMA chairperson, previously told Farmer’s

Weekly the SAB was the only yearround source of good-quality drinking water available to farmers in the area.

“The SAB is one of the most important irrigation areas in that country.

“The basin stretched into the adjacent parts of South Africa and Botswana. The aquifers in the Stampriet Artesian Basin formed the life-blood of the farming, tourism and business communities in the Kalahari area of the south-eastern parts of Namibia,” he told Farmer’s

Weekly at the time. – Annelie Coleman