By Benjamin Wickham
WINDHOEK, March 13 — Namibia’s High Court has made a decision on the court case brought by Deep-South Resources, a copper explorer and developer, seeking to renew its licence to explore the Haib copper project. The court has reviewed the case and set aside the decision of the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Namibia not to renew the licence.
As a result, the court has instructed Namibia Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo to restart Deep-South’s EPL 3140 licence renewal application procedure and arrive at a new decision. In addition, the Ministry has been ordered to pay the legal costs of Deep-South subsidiary Haib Minerals.
Deep-South President and CEO, Pierre Leveille, has hailed the ruling as “very positive,” adding that the company is confident it will be able to create a new positive working relationship with the Namibia Mines and Energy Minister and Mining Commissioner.
The court’s judgment highlighted that the Ministry did not consider the significant investments made by Deep-South to develop a low-grade deposit, nor did it take into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the exploration program.
Following the ruling, Deep-South will seek legal advice to pursue the licence renewal procedure. While the Ministry has the right to appeal the judgment in the Supreme Court of Namibia, it will need to file such a request within 21 court days from the date of the judgment.
Leveille stated that the judgment is an important decision for Namibia as it shows that the rule of law prevails in the country. The Deep-South Board of Directors thanked their shareholders for their strong support during the difficult period. – Namibia Daily News
