• Pages
  • Editions
01 Cover
02 Welcome Letter / Sections
03 Index & Interview Directory
04 Section 1: Introduction
05 The Road to Recovery
06 ABSA Group Interview
07 PwC Interview
08 Regional Trends
09 Sustainability & ESG Gaining Momentum
10 SRK Consulting Interview
11 Nafasi Water & ZN Geo Services Interviews
12 Section 2: Production, Development and Exploration
13 Precious Metals
14 Gold Fields Interview
15 Harmony & Pan African Resources Interviews
16 Base and Energy Metals
17 Lepidico Interview
18 Trevali Mining Interview
19 Orion Minerals Interview
20 Vedanta Zinc International Interview
21 Kumba Iron Ore Interview
22 Diamonds
23 Lucara Diamond Interview
24 Debswana Interview
25 Section 3: South Africa
26 South Africa
27 Ministry of Mineral Resouces and Energy SA Interview
28 Minerals Council SA Interview
29 Seriti & Exxaro Resources Interviews
30 NSDV & ENSafrica Interviews
31 Insights on South African Mining Industry's Health
32 Section 4: Namibia
33 Namibia
34 Chamber of Mines Namibia Interview
35 RMB & Standard Bank Namibia Interviews
36 Walvis Bay Salt Holdings Interview
37 Insights on Namibia as a Mining Investment Destination
38 Section 5: Equipment and Services
39 The Journey to Modern Mining
40 Murray & Roberts Interview
41 Kal Tire Interview
42 Eazi Access Interview
43 METC Engineering Interview
44 Insights on Digital Mining Revolution in Africa
45 MEMSA Interview
46 Fabchem Mining Interview
47 Insights from Local Manufacturers
48 Energy
49 juwi Interview
50 Engie Impact & Vivo Energy Interviews
51 Howden Interview
52 Section 6: Sponsored Company Profiles
53 Trevali Company Profile
54 Murray & Roberts Company Profile
55 Concluding Remarks
56 Credits

André Snyman, Managing Director,

WALVIS BAY SALT HOLDINGS

"In the long term, it is all about sustainability, and to survive we need to be a low-cost producer with very high levels of efficiency and productivity."

Can you give an overview of Walvis Bay Salt Holdings (Walvis Bay Salt) and the role the company plays in Namibia?

Walvis Bay Salt is a solar salt producer established about 60 years ago. The company owns an operating mining lease which was renewed in 2020 for another 15 years. The process to produce solar sea salt takes approximately 20 months from seawater to salt, and the product is then processed and sorted into various grades. Depending on the evaporation rates, we produce around 1 million mt/y, which is still relatively small compared to other countries like Australia and Brazil. The final product is marketed internationally but also locally into various brands in Namibia and South Africa. Our industry is important because it generates export revenue for the country, as we export around the continent, internationally, and distribute locally.

We are actively looking to diversify our market and client base. Walvis Bay Salt has the vision to become a world-class salt producer. In the long term, it is all about sustainability, and to survive we need to be a low-cost producer with very high levels of efficiency and productivity. We will continue to invest in our people.

Can you elaborate on your production process and how you can minimize costs?

Success in the salt industry is generally based on economies of scales and logistics. Some five years ago, we expanded our salt field by 20% which led to additional volume. As our cost base remained the same, additional volumes resulted in lower unit costs. In 2020, we also commissioned our new salt processing plant. The new facility has flexibility in its design, has enough capacity for future growth, and losses associated with processing are much lower than what we experienced in our old plant, thus increasing our yield, which translates to increased volumes and lower unit costs.

Can you elaborate on Walvis Bay Salt’s ESG initiatives?

Walvis Bay Salt’s central CSR theme focuses on the development of Namibian youth and increasing the standards of education. We recently invested N$1 million in a Namibian math teaching program, and it is the 15th consecutive year the company is involved in this initiative. We are also running an orphanage that currently houses 18 children.

Our business is situated in an environmentally sensitive area, and we prioritize minimizing our footprint, therefore, no chemicals are used. Walvis Bay is fortunate that its raw materials are seawater, sunlight and wind. We only need to add electricity, and we are investigating various renewable options. We are starting to see the impact of global warming in terms of rising sea levels. Our pond walls are impacted, especially during high tide, and we are looking at innovative means to strengthen and better protect these walls moving forward.

How favourable is Namibia as a mining investment destination?

Namibia is sought after as a mining jurisdiction due to its richness in a variety of natural resources, its political stability and well-established infrastructure and road networks.

However, many of Namibia’s strengths are weakened due to improper management fuelled by corruption. The country’s small population leads to a lack of domestic consumption. Unemployment in Namibia is very high, and the pandemic worsened the situation. The education system in the country is problematic, and there is a constant lack of funds within this sector to attract good teachers. There is also a great room for improvement in the health system.

To position itself competitively, the country must focus on attracting foreign investment, especially regarding technology; fostering a sound education system; ensure the availability of cost-effective energy and water supply, and implementing independent power producers on a larger scale; subsidizing the logistical cost to export products; tackling corruption; changing the inflexible labour laws; removing barriers and risk for local manufacturers to enter international markets; allowing tax breaks; facilitating bilateral agreements with foreign countries to secure offtake agreements; and privatizing basic utilities.

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Industry Views: Namibia as a Mining Investment Destination