Casting an Inverstment Net to the 2017 Africa Down Under Magnitudes

  By Rorisang David Mahlo

In his very first international attempt of duty calling activities in the Mining sector, Honourable Keketso Sello – the Minister of Mining made his first cut and unforgettable mark to open all business doors for the potential and interested investors in  Lesotho`s Mining sector. 

The Honourable Minister Sello, recently threw a net to attract potential international investors in the 2017 Australian Africa Down Under (ADU) Conference, to come to his Mother land for unexplored and untapped mining opportunities.  This year`s conference stretched from the 6^th to the 8^th of September 2017 in Perth - Western Australia. 

In his address, Hon. Sello assured the conference that it is not by mistake that Lesotho is profiled as one of the top ten (10) high quality diamond producing countries in the entire world. “It is by virtue of value and the quality gem stones the country is producing” said the Minister. Specifically, the diamond sub sector is known to have “a total of 405 bodies of Kimberlite pipes, and dykes, of which a very few of them have already acquired mining investors,” said the Minister. 

In addition to that, Minister Sello went on to showcase Lesotho as a dynamically gifted country by uttering to the conference delegates that besides the diamond sub sector; currently Lesotho is mining a variety of different kinds of industrial minerals like Dolerite, Sand tone, and Clay, whose byproducts attract regional and international markets.

On top of that, the Minister told the conference about the ongoing different methods of national exploration activities aimed at discovering even more minerals available in the country. To mention but a few, the Minister reported that, there is a Geo-Chemical Mapping project and a Remote sensing technique: in exploration for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Platinum Group Elements (PGEs).

Most interestingly and as an important part of diversification, Hon. Sello indicated that the country has recently signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with two Mining Companies for the exploration of two kinds of mineral deposits: 

      Firstly, MOA has been signed with Mansimanzi Mining (PTY) Ltd to explore for coal around Qhalasi and Matebeleng in Mohale’s Hoek district on Southern Side of the country and evaluate the potential for commercial exploitation.

   The subsequent MOA was signed with Thaba Naledi Energy to explore the existence and the magnitude of Shale Gas between Peka and Mokhotlong on the northern side of the Country.

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The Hon. Minister`s closing remarks to the conference was that “I am sincerely standing on this podium today, to firstly call every one interested and capable of doing mining business in Lesotho to come on board and secondly to invite you all to share in the development of Lesotho`s vast mineral resources as some companies like Lucapa can attest to what I have just said here,” said Hon. Sello.

Consecutively after that, the Chief Executive Officer for Lucapa (Mothae Mine) Mr. Stephen Wetherall also mounted the podium to shed light on his little tasteful experience of how things are done in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho.

In his words as everybody was listening very attentively, Wetherall could not hesitate but publicly thanked the government of Lesotho through Hon. Keketso Sello for considering Lupapa as one of the potential Mining companies to do Mining business in Lesotho. “We are not going to let you down Hon. Minister” Wetheral emphasised. 

Secondly, he promised and publicly committed his company to run mining operations by Lesotho’s Mining Code, being the Mines and Mineral Act of 2005 and bearing in mind the international standards governing the Mining Sector as their company is one of the Australian Listed Companies.

In a similar manner, in his speech to Africa Down Under delegates, he seconded what the Hon. Minister had said about Lesotho`s mineral Potential and attested that; “Lucapa`s decision to jump all these countries between Lesotho and Australia was solely for the interest of uncovering the potential that Mothae has underground- you are just yet about to witness this in practice,” said Wetherall. 

He also strongly demonstrated that Lucapa heard it and seen it happening with the first three giant mining companies that came before Mothae, making their strides in Lesotho`s mining sector and “so why not Lucapa then, we must follow the trend if not to set a new one” said Wetherall.

He also concluded his speech by announcing in the forum that his company- Lucapa is scheduled to commence its operations in June 2018. Adding that Lucapa cannot wait and waste these scarce opportunities found in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. 

Finally, the 2017 Africa Down Under Conference was the 15^th annually held conference in Perth, Western Australia and is organised by Paydirt Media - Australian based company. This event is the second largest after the Cape Town`s biggest Mining Indaba where all the world’s Mining Companies, Investors, Government Mining Ministries and Promoters come together for networking sharing their respective sector`s experience and hooking up with new investors.