Rosh Pinah mine

Rosh Pinah mine
	Aerial view of Rosh Pinah town and zinc mine
Location
	Rosh Pinah mine
Location	Rosh Pinah
Region	ǁKaras Region
Country	Namibia
Coordinates	27°57′18″S 16°45′50″E / 27.955°S 16.764°E
Production
Products	Lead; Zinc; Silver
History
Opened	1969
Owner
Company	Appian Capital Advisory LLP (90%)
Website	www.roshpinahzinc.com

The Rosh Pinah mine is a mine near Rosh Pinah in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is one of the largest and most important lead and zinc mines in Namibia. The mine is located in the extreme southwest, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the Orange River and 50 kilometers east of the Atlantic.^[1] The mine is owned by Appian Capital Advisory LLP since 2023.

History

German-born Jew Mose Kohan discovered zinc in the nearby Hunz Mountains in 1963. He also coined the name "Rosh Pinah" which is a Hebrew term for "cornerstone".^[2] The mine has been in continuous operation since 1969.^[3]

Glencore acquired 50.04% ownership of the mine in 2011 and increased its stake shortly thereafter to 80.08%. The remainder of the shares were owned by Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) actors PE Minerals, owned by Aaron Mushimba, Jaguar Investments Four, and a trust representing mine employees.^[4] In June 2014, Glencore announced laying off 124 employees from the Rosh Pinah mine.^[5]

In 2017 Glencore sold its majority stake along with other zinc assets to Trevali Mining Corporation for $400 million.^[6]^[7] In May 2018, Trevali increased its ownership to 90%.^[8] In 2020, Trevali Mining Corporation launched a drilling study to consider the expansion of the mining reserve,^[9] a project forecasted to cost $93 million.^[10] In June 2023, private equity company Appian Capital Advisory acquired the company.^[11]

Minerals

The mine has reserves amounting to 14 million tonnes of ore grading 2% lead and 8% zinc thus resulting 280,000 tonnes of lead and 1.12 million tonnes of zinc.^[1] The mine also produces copper, silver and gold as byproducts.

Environmental impact

Decades of mining lead and zinc in this mine have led to chronic lead exposure of Rosh Pinah's inhabitants. In 2020, a report was compiled by the company medical practitioner of the zinc mine, confirming chronic lead exposure of all 30 children that were tested. The report was not published, and the doctor was dismissed. When the lead poisoning came to light in 2023, accounts from local doctors hint at hundreds of cases over several years.^[12]^[13]