22 Feb 2015

The MP for Gaborone Bonnington South, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe has urged the government to create a special fund for the mining industry. 

Debating a motion on mining beneficiation on Friday, February 20, Mr Gaolathe said the creation of a special fund for the mining industry would help Batswana to benefit from the sector. 

“We should have a form of government fund dedicated to mineral beneficiation. 

We must have special finance funds dedicated to sectors from which we believe we can derive benefits,” he said. 

The motion by Tati West MP, Mr Biggie Butale asked the government to come up with a comprehensive legislation for the promotion of beneficiation in the mining industry, arguing that such legislation would compel beneficiation from minerals mined in Botswana such as diamonds, coal, iron, copper and uranium. 

Supporting the motion, Mr Gaolathe also said the legislation should specifically define what beneficiation in the mining sector entails and focus explicitly on each sub-sector of the industry. 

He said it must direct how the country could benefit from minerals such as coal, soda ash, gas, diamonds and others. 

“The legislation should define what beneficiation constitutes, and to what extent it is feasible in each sub mineral sector,” he said. 

He also proposed that the legislation should compel carrying out of research and development in mining, saying the issue has been neglected. 

He said research in mining would enable the government to look at areas where the country could develop and make investments. 

Mr Gaolathe also said the policy should make specific prescriptions on the number of foreign experts who could be admitted in Botswana to work in the mineral industry. 

Also supporting the motion, Gaborone Central MP, Mr Phenyo Butale asked the government to do something to protect the mineral industry because some companies involved in diamond beneficiation were in danger of collapse. 

Nata-Gweta MP, Mr Polson Majaga said if the government could get beneficiation right, creating employment in the future would not be a problem. ENDS