Some small-scale miners of blue rocks from Orutumba Village have expressed dissatisfaction with a mining agreement they entered into with Gecko Mining, claiming they feel exploited under the current terms.
Under the agreement, Gecko Mining allows artisanal and small-scale miners to operate within its Exclusive Prospective License area, even without valid mining claims. However, miners are required to pay a fee of one dollar per kilogram as an administrative charge—a condition that many believe is unfair and burdensome.
The headman of Orutumba Village, Simon Petrus, says they have been mining blue sodalite for years in the area.
However, he says over the years they have been struggling with getting buyers for their products.
"We have been struggling to sell our product because the price is set very low. Some are buying a big rock at two dollars per kilogram, and if you make a tonne, you might sell it for 2 thousand 500 dollars only or for 3 thousand dollars. We have not really been getting a good price, and then Gecko came in and started mining for some rare earth minerals for electric cables. We have been crying for help from the government, but they are not helping us. We have even gone to Windhoek to seek help; we went to the ombudsman, but the owners of Gecko are never around for the discussions. So they hear our plight, but they never come to solve our problem. We are in trouble. Even you guys will go and air it, but we won't get help; the ministry of mines won't come, and we will continue starving."
Fillippus Shipanga is one of the miners who didn't enter into the agreement with Gecko, and he explained to the news team how the agreement came about.
He explained that some of the miners sold their mining claims to Gecko Mining, as most of them were struggling with mining equipment to extract the blue sodalite from the earth.
"Gecko came in saying they wanted to mine rare earth minerals, but later when the people sold the claims to Gecko, they decided to call the people who used to operate in the area and distributed mining pits to them. They are the ones who handle all the renewals of the licenses, and in a way they are helping the people because they don't go to the offices to renew the licenses themselves because Gecko pays for it. So Gecko decided that since they pay for the licenses and permits for transporting them, then it's fair to charge the miners a dollar per sale to cover the costs of renewing permits."
However, most of the miners are not happy with the agreement with Gecko Mining, as they feel exploited.
Simon Petrus, the headman of Orutumba Village, also said that "Gecko came to kill us; they came to starve us; we are struggling to survive, and even the customers aren't coming anymore because Gecko asks for a dollar from every sale. Meaning if you sell a kilo for three dollars, then Gecko takes a dollar from you, and this issue is currently a challenge for us."
Karu Shimutue, a small-scale miner in Orutumba Village, spoke on the challenges they face in mining pits. "Gecko offered to pay for my pit in Windhoek; that was the first year. In the second year that Gecko came, I went to pay, but then I was told I had to pay Gecko, as they are now in charge of the claims. I took my documents to Gecko, and they said all is well; they will make some copies of the documents, but they never returned them, and I have been asking for them over the years, but nothing happens. The next thing they told me is that they own the claim to my mining pit, and that is when the one-dollar charges started.
The miners are hopeful that they can receive some support from stakeholders in finding a solution to their situation with Gecko Mining.
The Orutumba community members are calling on government and mining stakeholders to place a special emphasis on small-scale miners to protect them against exploitation and to also maximise the full benefits of this precious rock.