Farmers stand firm against Uranium One’s Omaheke mining plans

Wonder GuchuThe battle between farmers and mining interests in the Stampriet area has re-emerged, as a group of landowners continues to resist attempts by the Russian-owned Uranium One to drill for uranium beneath one of the country’s most important aquifers.Uranium One, through its Namibian subsidiary Headspring Investments, has for years sought to conduct in-situ recovery (ISR) mining near Leonardville in the Omaheke Region.The company says the method - pumping a leaching solution through uranium-bearing sandstone to dissolve and extract the mineral - is environmentally safe and used successfully in countries such as Kazakhstan and the United States.But local farmers and community leaders are not convinced. They argue that the process would contaminate the Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer System, which supplies water to farms, villages and livestock across Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.According to the Stampriet Aquifer Uranium Mining Association (SAUMA), the group formed by affected landowners, “the aquifer is a source of drinking water and irrigation, not an experimental ground for chemical mining.”SAUMA chairperson and Leonardville farmer Bertus Kruger said the farmers’ position “has never changed and will not change. We cannot allow anything that risks our only clean water source.”Divisions The dispute has also divided government institutions. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) have both issued approvals for certain aspects of Uranium One’s exploration programme.However, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) under Minister Calle Schlettwein withdrew the company’s water permits, citing potential pollution of the underground water system.Schlettwein told the National Assembly in 2023 that “no mining or leaching activity will be permitted in a potable aquifer.” He stressed that ISR mining “poses an unacceptable risk to a finite and strategic water resource,” adding that the precautionary principle must guide national decisions.Above board Uranium One maintains that its project complies with Namibian regulations and that the mining technique can be carried out safely. The company said its proposal “involves continuous groundwater monitoring and containment systems that will ensure there is no migration of leach solution beyond the ore zone.”Exploration activity has been on hold since 2021, when MAWLR revoked the firm’s drilling licences over non-compliance. Uranium One later took the matter to the High Court but withdrew its case in early 2024 after the ministry reinforced its refusal to grant new water permits.Possible enabler Meanwhile, a new generation of Members of Parliament has voiced support for revisiting the project. Lawmakers on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources have argued that uranium development could create jobs and foreign investment in the drought-stricken Omaheke Region. Committee chairperson Tjekero Tweya said during a 2024 oversight visit that the committee “acknowledges the farmers’ fears but also recognises the economic potential of uranium mining if managed responsibly.”Farmers, however, remain unmoved. Former agriculture minister Schlettwein and local leaders continue to insist that the company should never be allowed to mine in the aquifer. They point to international studies showing that once groundwater is contaminated by uranium leaching, it is nearly impossible to restore it to safe levels.Environmental groups have echoed these concerns. Conservationist and hydrogeologist Dr Wolfram Kleyhans warned that “the slow flow of groundwater in the Stampriet Basin means any contamination would stay trapped for generations.”At present, the environment ministry’s limited clearance for a field laboratory at Farm Tripoli does not permit full-scale mining or leaching tests. The agriculture ministry’s withdrawal of water rights continues to block further drilling.Exploration activities Headspring Investments began exploring for uranium in the Omaheke Region in 2008, after acquiring Exclusive Prospecting Licence (EPL) 4355, which covers a wide area south of Leonardville within the Stampriet Artesian Basin. Over the next few years, the company expanded its footprint by adding EPLs 4356, 4357 and 4358, collectively known as the Wings Project.According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the company has invested more than N$700 million in exploration drilling, hydrogeological studies and test facilities between 2010 and 2020, employing around 120 people during peak phases, mostly from local settlements such as Leonardville, Epukiro and Aminuis.Company representatives have said the project could employ up to 300 people during a pilot mining phase and potentially 700 workers once full-scale production begins. Headspring has also pledged to establish local procurement partnerships, including road upgrades and community water infrastructure.However, community responses remain sharply divided. Traditional authorities such as Chief Kambera Tjijombo of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority have spoken against the project, saying that “no one should tamper with a life-giving aquifer for the sake of foreign profit.”By contrast, Leonardville Constituency Councillor Tinus Bouws told NBC News in 2024 that the region “needs investment and jobs,” adding that “the ministries must find a solution that benefits both the environment and the community.”Uranium One Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, Russia’s state nuclear conglomerate. Rosatom acquired Uranium One in 2013 as part of its strategy to secure global uranium resources for its fuel-supply chain.Uranium powerhouse Namibia, which already exports uranium from Husab, Rössing and Langer Heinrich mines, is considered a strategic partner in Russia’s effort to expand its nuclear-energy footprint in Africa. The Headspring project would be Rosatom’s first operational foothold in Namibia’s uranium sector.Government sources say the project still requires further environmental and hydrogeological studies before any pilot-scale operation can be approved. For now, Headspring Investments retains its exploration licences but cannot proceed without new water-use permits from MAWLR.The stand-off has now become a test case for Namibia’s broader debate: whether economic development should take precedence over water security in an arid country where every drop counts.For the farmers, the answer is clear. “You can look for uranium elsewhere,” Kruger said. “But you cannot replace the water once it’s gone.”

Farmers stand firm against Uranium One’s Omaheke mining plans

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