06 Jul 2021

Parliament has learnt that Debswana’s Cut 9, Cut 3 and the Karowe underground mining have not been budgeted for in the NDP 11 and that any projects outside the plan cannot be implemented.

Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Mr Lefoko Moagi said this in response to a question in Parliament on Monday. 

Mr Moagi said the Ministry, had, however, engaged line ministries regarding the said projects, adding, ‘Debswana and Karowe mines do hold meetings, workshops and briefing updates with the relevant ministries to discuss current and future requirements of their projects.” 

Education, health, labour and police departments were represented in the meetings and updates were taken as input for future planning. 

Mr Moagi also said Debswana’s Cut 3 project in Orapa was currently at Extended Pre-Feasibility-B stage and would see various mining sequences and production schedules being explored with the objective of delivering the most optimal business case for its implementation. 

“It is Debswana’s vision that, through the Cut 3 project, Orapa Mine will be transformed to become a renewed source for further economic growth in the Boteti region,” he said. 

Mr Moagi further stated that apart from the delivery of the Orapa Today, Boteti Tomorrow programme, Orapa would continue to deliver through its Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and legacy projects, even for the Cut 3 project.

 He also told Parliament that the Cut 9 project in Jwaneng was still at waste stripping and had successfully transitioned to a hybrid mining model which was an owner-mining operation with some of the key services being provided to Jwaneng Mine by contractors or service providers. 

Already, he said, transition had birthed outsourcing opportunities for the local business community covering various essential services, which included, among others, leasing agreement for equipment, short-term and long-term small drilling contracts as well as other contracts for crushed rock, bussing of employees, onsite catering and Camp Clinic. 

On the other hand he indicated that Karowe Mine had commenced the process to start underground mining, a project he said was envisaged to benefit local communities and the country through creation of employment and citizen wealth creation throughout its entirety. 

Currently, he said the project employed about 450 people and the mine updated the Boteti Sub Council on a quarterly basis. 

On how the Kanye North and Boteti districts were being prepared to support the anticipated economic growth and increase in local population, he said the budgetary process and financial constraints hampered government’s ability to prepare for such economic activity. 

“In the context of what the impact of Cut 9 and Cut 3 will be on the aforesaid communities, Debswana continues to contribute immensely to both infrastructure development as well as uplifting livelihoods of the Jwaneng-Mabutsane and Boteti districts mining communities,” he said. 

Furthermore, he said major Cut 9 Citizen Economic Empowerment (CEE) initiatives were ongoing, which included establishment of an Apprentice and Artisan Training Centre. 

Other projects included a Component Rebuild Centre, which was expected to have matured into a self-sustaining business within three years from the launch of the project. 

Mr Moagi said additional local business development initiatives included the Fixed Term Contracts (FTC) process and Debswana Jwaneng Mine had a complement of 475 positions of which 440 had been filled while recruitment was ongoing for the remaining positions. 

Again, he said an additional complement of 398 people were employed by contractors thus the overall employment complement through FTCs, OEMs while contractors stood at 873 employees. 

Mr Moagi said previously, Majwe Mining had 617 employees inclusive of expatriates. 

He said Kanye North would benefit by providing both skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour to some of the projects in Jwaneng. 

The minister also indicated that there were considerations for only projects that had been budgeted for which included some of the projects enquired about. 

“Therefore, it would be difficult to allocate financial resources for any projects outside the NDP 11 for fast tracking of refurbishing Kanye Public Hospital, Letlhakane Hospital, schools upgrades, internal roads construction and upgrades and sewage reticulation. 

However, the sewerage reticulation project in Kanye is ongoing,” he said. 

However, he said Debswana continued to deliver development focused projects through their Corporate CSI under strategic themes in healthcare, livelihoods, gender equality and education. 

Regarding healthcare, he stated that the two hospitals, in Jwaneng and Orapa provided services to over 160 000 community members per annum. 

He said there was delivery of COVID-19 response programmes in collaboration with the District Health Management Teams (DHMTs), provision of PPE to 24 clinics in Jwaneng-Mabutsane and Boteti districts in 2020. 

Furthermore, he said that building and upgrading of clinics and hospitals around the mines was carried out and Debswana recently handed over Letlhakane Maternity Wing expansion, adding conclusion of the construction of a clinic in Maboane was on course. 

He also stated that there was provision of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) to over 30 000 community members in Jwaneng-Mabutsane and Boteti districts. 

On education, Mr Moagi said Debswana had been assisting government schools in Jwaneng-Mabutshane and Boteti districts through government schools’ development programme by training teachers in Science, Mathematics and English. 

That, he said was meant to improve performance in the subjects as well as upgrade educational facilities around the mines noting the recent handover of classroom blocks in Sese and Machana in Jwaneng-Mabutsane as part of such developments. 

On livelihoods, Mr Moagi said there was continued support for the delivery of Tokafala Entrepreneurship Development Programme targeting SMMEs and youth, collaborative partnership on the delivery of Debswana CEE programme and development in improving uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) among female learners to address challenges they faced. 

Mr Moagi stated that with Karowe Mine undertaking open pit operations, there was need for skills to fit the new envisaged underground operations. 

He noted the work required a manpower skills transition plan which was currently being developed as the project progressed. 

He stated that a comprehensive plan would be completed as mine design became available, adding some of the CSI projects carried out by Lucara Botswana included refurbishment of Letlhakane Abattoir, Mokubilo Integrated Farm and Khwee Integrated Farm (small stock and fodder production). 

Other projects included financial sponsorship for the Boteti Regional Football League, donation of bus shelters in Makalamabedi, Motopi, Khumaga, Moreomaoto villages in Boteti West, sponsorship for Ghanzi Horticultural Association which was aimed at providing an educational platform for farmers and expose them to financial and insurance institutions. 

In Ramotswa, he stated that Lucara’s CSI project was the Ramotswa Milling, a maize planting, grain storage and milling project in partnership with Canada Africa Chamber of Business and Gamalete Development Trust. 

 

Mr Moagi was responding to questions asked by Kanye North MP, Mr Thapelo Letsholo, who wanted to know how the ministry was guiding line ministries in light of Debswana Cut 9, Cut 3 and the Karowe underground mining.  He also wanted to establish, among others, how Kanye North and Boteti districts were being prepared to support the anticipated economic growth and increase in local population. ends