13 Mar 2024

Letlhakeng- Lephephe constituency has been actively prospected for different minerals, says Minister of Minerals and Energy Mr Lefoko Moagi.

He told Parliament on Monday that currently active prospecting licenses included various mineral commodities comprising coal and Coal Bed Methane (CBM), diamonds, industrial minerals (calcrete, clay and shales) and base metals for instance copper, nickel, lithium, manganese.

Mr Moagi, who was responding to a question in Parliament, said Botswana through Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI) was ready to share available information/data with Letlhakeng Lephephe area community and mineral exploration companies interested in the area and other parts of the country.

He said five seams of coal were found with average seam thickness ranging from 1.7m to 8.7m with an estimated amount of 425 million tonnes in Dutlwe-Takatokwane coal field adding that their potential use was power generation, synthetic petroleum based fuels and cement production.

The minister revealed that limestone (calcrete deposit) was also discovered with two blocks identified with average thickness ranging from 7m to 8.4m with an estimated amount of 61.8 million tonnes cement grade adding that its potential use was cement manufacturing, agriculture, water treatment and purification.

As for clays, he said clay layer thickness ranging from 35m to 47m was discovered with an estimated amount of 846 000 tonnes in Letlhakeng noting that its potential use was face bricks, tiles, ceramics, lining of furnaces and reactors.

Mr Moagi pointed out that there was currently no programme that was specifically dedicated to benefit rural communities through partnerships with Mineral development Company Botswana (MDCB) and other investors. 

However, he said within the framework of Botswana Minerals Policy of 2022, his ministry through BGI was currently embarking on the formulation of a national strategy themed; mineral resourced development, exploitation and value chain (beneficiation) strategy. This he said included small scale mining which would benefit rural communities.

Letlhakeng-Lephephe MP, Mr Likat Kablay had asked the minister if there were any mineral deposits found in Letlhakeng- Lephephe constituency and if so whether Botswana Geoscience Institute was ready to share such information with the community so that Botswana Investment Trade Centre could find investors for them as they did for Mmadinare cooperative.

Furthermore, he asked the minister to state the name of the minerals found in the area, the potential size of the deposits and the potential use and by products of these minerals.

Mr Kablay asked if the ministry had any programmes for encouraging rural mineral benefiting by communities through partnerships with MDCB and other investors as seen in neighbouring countries to enable rural transformation as espoused in Vision 2036. ENDs