15 Jun 2026

Residents of Komana have been informed that there is no law mandating mining companies to hire 100 per cent local workforce.

Instead, the government pushes that the companies give preference to citizens at all phases of operation and utilisation of local contractors, services and supply chain rather than relying on foreign labour. 

Member of Parliament for Maun West, Mr Caterpillar Hikuama, explained when responding to concerns raised by residents who decried low numbers of local employees hired at Khoemacau Copper Mine.

They accused the mine of failing to hire young people from nearby communities, arguing that the mine hired mostly from outside the Ngamiland region.

Residents noted that when the mine commenced operations, they were hopeful that the youth especially, would be employed but that did not happen.

However, the area MP, Mr Hikuama acknowledged their concerns and that they view direct employment as the primary indicator of a mine’s commitment to the area, but reminded them that they should understand that the mine was a private entity.

As such, it has its own rules and regulations to maximise profitability hence often recruits outside the immediate host communities, to ensure operational efficiency. The mine, he said also hired based on qualifications for specific roles. 

While he appreciated that hiring locals was more than just filling open positions but promoting economic development and improving household stability, Mr Hikuama warned that hiring could not restrict itself to hiring the host communities but should rather include all Batswana.

He advised them to appreciate the number of local residents hired at the mine because the company could not hire all of them once.  

 “This issue is a hot potato because we once engaged mine’s management to look into it and they justified that they have hired many local residents from the nearby areas with the highest quota from Toteng village.  

Unfortunately, they realised that some employees claimed to be from the host communities while they are from outside the region and surprisingly, they had proof of residence as evidence signed by some tribal leaders,” he added. To address the issue, Mr Hikuama said management has promised to conduct kgotla meetings and present the names as that would also help to clean their data and clear the accusations labelled against them.

Meanwhile, currently the mine has a total of 1947 employees and it has acquired four mining and prospecting licence in the region to unlock the full potential of the Kalahari Copper Belt as part of its expansion. 

The expansion phase of the copper mine project is expected to create 3000 new jobs by 2027. 

Last year, the mine’s operation manager, Mr Weiquan Xia revealed that job opportunities would increase yearly as they commit to increase production to deliver 130 kilo-tonnes payable copper metal in concentrate respectively across a 20-year mine life.

“We expect international employees to be less and ensure they transfer skills to locals and we have a new mining contractor starting July and we have made an agreement with management to prioritise hiring of locals,” he added. ends