mining – The Reporter Lesotho | Fresh News, Daily https://www.thereporter.co.ls Wed, 10 May 2023 12:43:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.9 Kao mine to improve livelihoods https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2023/05/10/kao-mine-to-improve-livelihoods/ https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2023/05/10/kao-mine-to-improve-livelihoods/#respond Wed, 10 May 2023 12:43:46 +0000 https://www.thereporter.co.ls/?p=10011 By Neo Kolane

Storm Mountain Diamonds (PTY) Ltd will tomorrow hand over a health post and five two-roomed houses to Nqoe community council at its Kao mine in Mokhotlong district.

The sustainability coordinator of Storm Mountain Diamonds (PTY) Ltd, Thuso Mosabala, said the mine was supporting Kao and other surrounding villagers through its corporate social responsibility programme.

Mosabala said the post is in support of the United Nations sustainable development goal 3 which seeks to promote good health and wellbeing.

“There is currently no health facility in Kao where villagers walk between 15 and 20km to the nearest health facility at Rampai village for medical help,” he noted.

The houses would help the Nqoe community council to generate income for its operations through rentals, he added.

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Kao Mine recovers 108 carat pink diamond https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2023/04/26/kao-mine-recovers-108-carat-pink-diamond/ https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2023/04/26/kao-mine-recovers-108-carat-pink-diamond/#respond Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:11:17 +0000 https://www.thereporter.co.ls/?p=9947 By Neo Kolane

Storm Mountain Diamonds (PTY) Ltd has recovered a fancy intense pink diamond weighing 108 carat at its Kao mine.

In a recent statement, the company said the exceptionally rare Type lla gemstone is one the largest pink diamonds to have been recovered in the mine’s history.

Storm Mountain Diamonds (PTY) Ltd also noted that it consistently produces large pink diamonds which have resulted in some of the rarest vivid polished outcomes.

“Some of these recent recoveries include “Pink Eternity” (47.81ct) in 2022, the “Pink Dawn” (25.97ct) and “Pink Palesa” (21.68ct) in 2021, and the “Rose of Kao” (29.59ct) in 2018.

“The latest find re-emphasises Kao mine’s position as one of the world’s most important producers of exceptional pink diamonds,” the statement read.

The minister of natural resource, Mohlomi Moleko, said is the latest gem is one of the most significant diamonds to be found in Lesotho to date.

Kao is one of the largest diamond mines in Lesotho and produces about 400, 000 carats of diamonds annually.

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INTERVIEW: Minister addresses thorny mining issues https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2023/02/15/interview-minister-addresses-thorny-mining-issues/ https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2023/02/15/interview-minister-addresses-thorny-mining-issues/#respond Wed, 15 Feb 2023 07:05:44 +0000 https://www.thereporter.co.ls/?p=9643 By Seleoe Nonyane

The minister of mining Mohlomi Moleko attended a three-day Mining Indaba in Cape Town South Africa that ended on Wednesday.  The conference was devoted to the development of mining interests across the continent. Before departing for the indaba, theReporter’s Seleoe Nonyane met up with Moleko who addressed a variety of issues relating to the mining sector in Lesotho.

Seleoe Nonyane: For the sake of ordinary Basotho out there, what is this Mining Indaba?

Mohlomi Moleko: Before we can move into the Mining Indaba Conference firstly, I would love to educate the public about the ministry of natural resources and you will be aware that this ministry can be categorized into three sectors namely the natural resources, water and energy.

This is the sector that was supposed to drive the economy of the country rapidly just like the agricultural sector.

It was my dream to sell Lesotho, other nations should know Lesotho so that when investors want to pitch in and they will already know what to do. So that they know what resources we have. I also want to hold a conference that we will call the Lesotho natural resources conference where we will be showcasing resourcing that we have under water, resources under energy and resources under mining. To do that I realized that there is mining Indaba in Cape Town, this is where I am going to educate myself more about the mining sector and also where I will take the opportunity to attract investors.

I have an understanding that some of the big mining companies will also be attending will be there to show the attendees how they operate. I believe they will present to us how we can work with local investors, communities. So my I will be learning but mostly I want to sell Lesotho.

I will be persuading those people to visit Lesotho so that we can develop the mines in the country.

I also made a plea that I should be given a slot to talk to the investors and to anyone who would be interested.

It will be a learning platform but also I will be there to work. If I just go there to watch and listen to people then then it will not benefit us at all.

The organizers of the mining Indaba are already organizing meetings for me, I will also have a meeting with the ministerial committee which works with issues that affects countries.

Seleoe Nonyane: Which other countries will be taking part in the Mining Indaba Conference?

The Government of Australia asked that I have a meeting with their investors. I also have a session with the minister of energy in South Africa as well as the minister of mining. We will be discussing on how can we develop this region.

Seleoe Nonyane: What can you say is the importance of this Conference and what can be learn about the mines in the country?

It is important because we have to bring together people with prospective licenses and people with funds and resources to develop the mines.

And also bring them together with the regulators which is us the government that ensure that the miners protect the environment, make sure that the miners do not pollute water and make sure they abide by good practices, labour laws, working permits and many others.

The government want to also ensure that they pay their taxes in a proper manner.

The importance is that they share information with other mines and benchmark in terms of work. For example, they must benchmark how they sell their diamonds o how much dollar per current.

They can look at the pollution levels at rivers so that there is no excess pollution and observe the type of technologies those companies use.

As regulators, we do not tolerate pollution at all. We do not want a situation where the water becomes polluted and then no action is taken. As we speak we are in the process of learning as the ministry to make sure that these mines are not polluting.

Therefore, if it happens that they are polluting we will make sure that there are mitigating factors that are done. Therefore, when a miner has his or her own private secretary, it is advisable that they share the information on how they can enhance their work. This makes work more efficient and new technologies used to make mines efficient to the environment all the while being protective towards economic development.

Seleoe Nonyane: Still on the issue of pollution there are mines that are already on the spotlight about pollution, so, what is the take of the ministry on his issue?

We will come up with investors but my concern is that, the same people that report these allegations of pollution some of them have not even went to the mines and approached the management of those mines to put them on the spot and find out what is really happening and find out what the management is saying regarding the pollution issue.

Fortunately, I visited some of these mines some three days ago as to get first-hand what is happening reason being that I was also concerned that if there are truly cases of pollution. I need to make sure that it does not happen at all.

They took me to places they were testing the river waters and we are still waiting for the results. But, they are adamant that pollution is under control. They told me that the limits of nitrates at the rivers are below the norm however, I instructed water affairs to do independent tests as well. The Lesotho Highlands Water Development Authority are also conducting tests because their concern is that the nitrates can go into the dams that are being constructed.

I want make sure that they use independent labs to test the water. It should not just be internal, this will us comfortable when different stakeholders are in agreement because if there is evidence of pollution we will not take it lightly.

They will have to address the issue and I believe they have the capabilities to do so therefore, I do not see pollution as a major concern.

I also looked into the suspicions that there could be the risk of the dam walls collapsing, I wanted to know how is this risk being monitored and they showed me machines they have installed in case of a shift and the width of the walls.

I observed all these issues and I am satisfied but what I need in order to be more satisfied is to have on going tests.

We will issue a press release in the next month and a proper statement of what is really occurring but I am confident that they did not take the pollution issue for granted. They are not dismissing anything as they are aware of the negative impacts of pollution in the country.

Seleoe Nonyane: In your knowledge will this be the first time that Lesotho taking part in the conference?

It is not the first time Lesotho being part of the of the mining Indaba however, I am not aware of the impacts or the rewards the country got from the previous trips but I am hopeful that we will benefit a lot from this trip.

I was not going to attend if I was not to engage with anyone so, the organizers made proper arrangements of who I will be meeting and I have a tight schedule.

Seleoe Nonyane: In regards to artisanal mining, how is it progressing and what are the challenges it has been encountering? What is being done to address those challenges?

I am still learning about artisanal mining as I do not know much about it and I was in talks with miners to find out what is the importance of artisanal mining. So, they told me that there are areas that they are unable to mine which are commercially arable but they believe that artisanal miners can be able to do so.

I therefore, want to see if we can give artisanal miners to make use of those areas. The only challenge is security, what happens when one of the artisanal miners discover a diamond in the presence of others what if they get attacked and secondly, what if the diamond criminals bring a diamond to us claiming that the diamond is from those areas.

Artisanal mining is a good programme that we can pursue I will make more g=finding about it so that we can see how to it can be implemented going forward.

Seleoe Nonyane: There is a policy that states that 95 percent of mining related works have to be done by Basotho entrepreneurs. However, Letṧeng and Kao mines have only accomplished 65 percent, with only two businessmen contracted. So, what are the ministry plans to ensure as many Basotho contractors as possible benefit from the mines?

I am aware of allegations that in the past employment was done by politicians and so one of my mandates is to visit the mines in order to find out what happened because my understanding is that when there is employment the public surrounding the mines need to be first priority and not someone who is a member of a certain party.

They must follow the right procedures and be hired according to their skills and maybe on a first come first serve basis.

So, I will look into it because I have received a lot of complaints and I have to observe before taking any actions. I made it clear we cannot work in that manner at all. I told them that Basotho are going to be given first preference on everything even procurement and they must be sure that I am going to stand firm on that.

Seleoe Nonyane: When we talk about mines, people also assume diamond mining. There has been evidence that there are deposits of uranium and oil in Lesotho; so how soon can we see the government opening exploration of these two minerals?

It has always been my concern that, why should we concentrate on diamonds when there is potential of these other minerals. This is one of my other reason why I will be attending the mining Indaba is to meet with exploration companies that may have an interest in exploring oil and other minerals.

We need to have a digitized database with the resources that are available. I talked to the miners that we must have a project that will survey the areas and I asked that the mines should finance this project.

The survey will help us identify what minerals we have and where before handing out the exploration licenses.

Even with sand stone anyone can apply for the license but we have to look at the environment considerations so that we can make a decision on which areas because we do not want them to be displaced where everyone else can see and find ourselves tainting our beautiful country due to a lack of a proper system.

It is not supposed to be an eye saw we have to find places that are hidden but the law allows the mining of sand stone.

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New diamond mine in Butha-Buthe https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2022/10/13/new-diamond-mine-in-butha-buthe/ https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2022/10/13/new-diamond-mine-in-butha-buthe/#respond Thu, 13 Oct 2022 06:32:25 +0000 https://www.thereporter.co.ls/?p=9266 By ‘Majirata Latela

An open cast new diamond mine company Motete Diamond Mine (Pty) Ltd wholly owned by Basotho is soon to begin operations in Motete in Botha-Bothe district.

The company has already been awarded a 10-year mining lease and is now involved in setting up plant machinery for construction of infrastructure in the area.

Currently the company has secured an investor with paper work already nearing completion with the funder.

According to the chief executive officer of Motete Diamond Mine (Pty) Ltd, Lenepa Ratalane the mine is currently setting up offices and setting up machinery as a signing of contracts with the investor on course.

The lease was issued to the company after it applied for it in 2019. This followed a liquidation of another company in 2016 paving way for seeking of tenders for the Motete mining.

Ratalane observed that mining industry in Lesotho faced some challenges that directly affect the communities adjacent to the mine precinct.

But he vowed his company will work hard to curb address such challenges in collaboration with the affected communities.

This was reminiscent to a glaring complaint by the Kolo community who harshly criticised the Kolo Mine for failing to address a string of grievances.

They claimed that Reskol Mine reneged from fulfilling their expectations and its promises. They vowed not to allow any further operations at the mine situated at Ha Petlane in Mafeteng district.

The irate community members accused the mine of failing to fulfil its promises to implement infrastructure developments such as road construction and relocation of some houses damaged by blasting activities.

During a visit to the village, where the mine is located, the Ha Petlane area chief, ‘Materai Petlane, said the community chose a liaison committee that tabled development demands to the mining ministry and the company when the operations began.

According to her, the demands included construction of tarred road and supply of electricity in and the relocation of some houses which were affected by the blasting. She said the houses had cracked while blasting was being carried out.

She lamented that the seven houses have neither been repaired nor relocated for a period spanning 10 years.

“We do not want this company anymore. It makes promises which it never fulfils. The committee that presented our concerns to the company was very optimistic that our community was going to be developed as the company had promised. But until now we have not seen even a single development.

“We do not even have a road that leads to the village. During rainy days the vehicles cannot reach the village and that forces the villagers to walk home for about two km from the main road.

 “The mine has not been operating for many years now and we are not going to allow them to start operating before addressing our concerns. We plead with the ministry to also play its part. It should not allow the company to continue operating without giving us what we want,” chief Petlane said

But for Motete Mine, Ratalane is confident challenges of similar nature will be overcome saying the company has already involved the affected communities.

According to him the residents in the area have identified the key priority needs being road infrastructure.

 He said the company in collaboration with the residents will set up a committee to be constituted with local leaders.

The grouping is to liaise with the company to address development issues while enabling smooth communication.

 “In curbing unemployment rate in the villages surrounding the mine, we will ensure that at least 80 percent of our unskilled and skilled labour comes from the nearby villages. We are going to make sure that of the five people that we will need from a certain field of work, three of them who will be given the jobs will be from the communities. This will be to make sure that the community enjoys the minerals from their land.

“Also, there is going to be skills transfer to unskilled community members in that skilled workers from outside the communities will teach some unskilled labourers from the community how to operate the machinery. We also have a plan on the table to improve agriculture in the communities by supporting them with seedlings and knowledge from agricultural experts.

“Before the end of October, our machines will be seen on the road making sure that the road is accessible by both the community and the workers in the mine. Thereafter some of the community projects will follow,” he said.

He also added that the company will be using new technology to address some of the challenges in the mining industry. For instance, when conducting a research, the company realised that during extraction in some mines, diamonds get cut mistakenly in the process. He therefore said the company is going to use new technology to address such challenges.

Ratalane further pointed out that to make sure that the ownership of the mine remains in the hands of Basotho, even when selling shares they will ensure that Basotho remain majority shareholders.

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No EIA for small scale mining https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2022/09/14/no-eia-for-small-scale-mining/ https://www.thereporter.co.ls/2022/09/14/no-eia-for-small-scale-mining/#respond Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:25:09 +0000 https://www.thereporter.co.ls/?p=9132 By ‘Majirata Latela

The National Environment Secretariat (NES) is worried over the ministry of mining’s delay to develop an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for all the places which the ministry of mining has identified for small holder mining projects.

This publication has it on good authority that the NES has not yet received any EIA reports from the mining ministry. NES is worried that the EIA reports will come very late to its offices thereby forcing them to work under pressure and end up missing critical points in the reports.

One of the sources who wished to remain anonymous told the publication that the delay in bringing the report sometimes comes with political interference and pressure. The source said politicians sometimes influence NES officers to work under pressure for their own personal gains.  

An EIA is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.

Last month the publication reported that more than 600 people are to be employed at a kimberlite mine at Koalabata on the outskirts of Maseru after at least 110 people were awarded small scale mining licences by the ministry of mining.

Addressing a public gathering at Koalabata in Maseru last month, mining ministry’s commissioner of mines, Pheello Tjatja told the gathering that EIA reports are yet to be done. He vowed that the ministry is going to involve NES in making sure that the EIA reports are well informed.

The ministry of mining has this week announced that people who would like to acquire licenses can start applying at the office of the chief of Koalabata. The announcement also shows that applicants should bring a certified copy of their national identification cards and a letter showing proof of residence.

In October last year Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2021 was read in the National Assembly by the tourism, environment and culture minister, Ntlhoi Motsamai, who suggested the regulations were meant to ensure decision-making on projects is well-informed.

The reading of the regulations was part of enforcing the legislation Environment Act 2008. The regulations were read on September 15.

After such tabling, the committee indicated members were aware of the objectives of the regulations.

“We are aware that the regulations are intended to ensure that development activities consider the inter-independence between the biophysical environment and the social environment in their formulation and also implementation and decommissioning stages.  

“Also we are aware that the Regulations cover the following areas; fostering sustainable development ideals in socio-economic development policies, programmes and the potential negative and positive impacts of the project on the biophysical and social environments. They ensure that they are assessed well ahead of approval and that necessary mitigation measures are taken.

 “it is a development of collective decision-making in order to avoid conflict of mandates among line ministries and private sector in implementation of national development programmes.  They address policy conflicts on both the biophysical and social environments and human health,

“They instil appropriate ethics among EIA consultants so that investment in Lesotho flourishes. They allow for preparation and approval of the project brief and application by environmental assessments practitioners to conduct environmental assessments. Participation of affected and interested parties including both private and public sectors also features,” natural resources portfolio committee chairperson, Kimetso Mathaba, said.

He added that the regulations further covered the decisions of the director and management of the EIA process and strategic environmental impact assessment of policies, programmes and plans.

According to the Environmental Act of 2008, the courts may order that any licence permit or other authorisation given under the Act and to which the offence relates be cancelled. The Act also stipulates that if the permit is not cancelled, the court may also issue an environmental restoration order against the accused.

The Act shows that every person living in Lesotho has a right to scenic, clean and healthy environment and has a duty to protect and also inform the NES of all activities that are prone to affect the environment.

Moreover, every person may, where the right referred to is threatened as a result of an activity or omission which is causing or likely to cause harm to human health or environment, bring action against the person whose activity or omission is causing or is likely to cause harm to human health or the environment.  

NES, through senior environment officer, ‘Mammeli Makhate, has observed that all projects that are subject to clearance are listed in the Environmental Act First Schedule. Therefore, it is mandatory for them to get an EIA clearance certificate before commencement of any operations.

“The implications of someone not doing a clearance certificate amount to the owner of the project being sued. Again if we receive a tip off that someone has commenced a project without being cleared, we may start investigations to get reasons why an EIA was not done or why a clearance certificate was not issued.

“In a case where there are compelling and convincing reasons why an EIA was not done, we may suspend or stop the project works without cancelling the license, and allow the person to follow on right path to obtain a clearance certificate before resuming.

“Yes, there have been cases where people start a development project without the EIA and we have made them aware that it is compulsory to obtain a certificate,” Makhate said.

She said the process of obtaining a clearance certificate takes less than two months depending on the kind of report the company or consultant will have provided to the secretariat.

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