SPYL calls for phosphate mining clearance to be reviewed
By: Envaalde Matheus
SWAPO Party Youth League Secretary Ephraim Nekongo is calling for the urgent review and subsequent setting aside of the Environmental Clearance Certificate issued for phosphate mining.
SPYL issued a press statement on Friday following Environmental Commissioner Timoteus Mufeti’s decision to issue Namibian Marine Phosphate with an environmental clearance certificate on 6 August, valid until 2029.
The decision has sparked concerns among environmental groups and stakeholders in the fishing industry.
“The Swapo Party Youth League equally wishes to urge the Cabinet of the Republic of Namibia to ensure that the granting of Environmental Clearance Certificates is not left solely at the mercy of administrative functionaries who bear no direct political responsibility towards the citizens for the preservation of Namibia’s natural resources,” said Nekongo.
He said protecting marine resources and the fishing industry must take precedence over short-term economic interests.
“Environmental experts continue to argue that phosphate mining poses major environmental and health dangers. The extraction and processing of phosphate generate radioactive waste, toxic water pollution and severe habitat loss,” he said.
Nekongo said both land-based strip mining and the proposed marine dredging activities pose significant threats to the environment and the livelihoods of communities that rely on healthy marine ecosystems for their survival.
He argued that ministers have a constitutional responsibility to direct, coordinate and supervise their ministries.
The proposed phosphate mining has faced opposition from politicians and members of the public.
In 2013, phosphate mining was placed under a moratorium over insufficient scientific evidence, but former environment minister Pohamba Shifeta says a subsequent study may have influenced Mufeti’s latest clearance decision.
The Namibia Chamber of Environment said the country’s phosphate deposits occur in sand particles, meaning mining would involve dredging rather than conventional excavation.
The organisation said experience from Namibia’s diamond-mining sector suggests disturbed seabed areas could recover within six to ten years.
Meanwhile, the latest Environmental and Social Impact Assessment by Environmental Compliance Consultancy identifies potential impacts on the seabed, marine life and fishing, but generally rates them as low, localised and manageable through monitoring and mitigation measures.
The mining project is expected to create jobs, grow the economy, generate government revenue and reduce Namibia’s reliance on imported fertiliser.
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