By ‘Majirata Latela
The ministry of mines says it is confident that the newly opened diamond mine at Thaba Telle in Mokhotlong district will not contaminate the Khubelu River or compromise the deposits of alluvial diamonds found in there.
According to the ministry of mining, alluvial diamond mining is an above ground form of mining which concentrates on gathering diamonds on the surface. In this sort of mining, millions of tonnes of sand are removed from river beds and the coastline.
The ministry’s principal secretary, Advocate Tšokolo Maina has told theReporter newspaper that Thaba Telle mine is only four kilometres from Letšeng diamond mine and also not very far from Khubelu River. He said the environmental impact assessment report that the company has compiled, the river will not be contaminated.
He said the mining company was first given a prospecting licence for two years and another year as they applied for extension. The mine is currently operating through a mining lease as it has met all the requirements of holding the document.
The law on mines and minerals allows the minister to approve and issue a mining lease only if he is satisfied that the proposed work programme ensures the efficient beneficial and timely use of the mineral resources in question.
The legislation says the proposed mining area should not be within or does not overlap with an existing mining area unless the holder of the mining lease consents to the grand of the mining lease, by completing a deed of transfer regarding the over lapping area;
The Act says the applicant should have secured access to adequate financial resources, technical competence and experience to carry out effective mining operations, the proposed financing plan is in accordance with good financial practice, the applicant is not in default and that he has obtained environmental impact assessment licence from the Authority.
According to Maina, the company has met all these requirements.
Maina further said that with the alluvial stones which are found in the Khubelu Rriver, after the construction of Polihali dam, “Basotho will still be allowed to mine them as they will not have any effect or damage to the water system.”
He opined: “Since alluvial mining does not have any negative effects to the water because there are no chemicals used when mining, just like before the construction of the dam when there were three people who were allowed to mine there, people will still be allowed to mine those minerals along the Khubelu River.
“Unlike in other forms of mining where there is blasting that is done to break the stones, in alluvial mining there is no form of chemicals or big machines used as miners only sift through the sand to obtain available diamonds which may have been washed away from the mines or places where diamonds are found.
“That means there will not be any form of pollution of the water or any chemicals that may affect the lives of animals in that water. It is however through the ministry of mining that one can be allowed to this kind of mining,” Maina said.
He added that an advantage to having Basotho owned “mines is that they are always available for communicating with them whenever there is misunderstanding or they are not following the guidelines of their leases.”
During the launch of the mine on Friday last week, Chief Executive Officer of Thaba Telle mining company, Lehlohonolo Nthontho expressed gratitude for being given the mining licence to extract kimberlite in Mokhotlong.
He said now that there is one Mokhotlong citizen holding a license unlike before when mining licences were in the hands of foreigners, he would like to witness diamond auctions being held in that district.
Minister of mining Serialong Qoo for his part said the ministry is satisfied with the opening of the new mine adding that it was high time Mokhotlong people reap the fruits of their districts. He asked the company to engage the residents of the district when starting operations.
He said the mine would the second in size after the Letšeng mine. Three other mines, he promised are to be opened soon. But he could not locate the areas to be mined.
“In a space of two months from now we will be launching another mine and another two mines before the end of this year. We are happy that Basotho are now taking the lead in owning the mines in Lesotho while on the other hand the ministry is working hard to ensure that the locals benefit from small mining holdings.
“We are done with amending the Act regulating mining and that will enable Basotho to also enjoy the minerals of their country. The Act is now waiting to be passed in parliament when the House resumes,” Qoo said.
In his remarks deputy prime minister Mathibeli Mokhothu saw the opening as a pathway to creation of much needed jobs for Basotho. He said it the district residents would highly be pleased that their diamonds are mined by the locals and “stop complaining that such opportunities are availed to the foreign nationals.”
He believed that the mine would be operational in the next 50 years as he was told.
“That shows that the mine is going to benefit Basotho and the country for a very long time,” Mokhothu concluded.
