No security measures at Skeleton Coast Park

• By Veronica Amaral

Tourists are accessing the Skeleton coast in Kunene Regions despite it being an environmentally sensitive area.  This is one of the findings made by the Parliamentary Committee on Economics and Public Administration during their site visit last year.

According to the report, the site is accessible to tourists because the area is not fenced off, and there are no security measures.

Deputy mines minister Kornelia Shilunga highlighted that companies explored this area back then and are considering renewing the licenses because the whole area is not covered.  “Companies have been exploring diamonds in this area since 1950. Ya Otto Mining and Exploration Pty Ltd is the third company to be awarded two licenses and has been exploring since last November 2022 until March 2023, when the licenses expired.

The Ministry is considering renewing the licenses because Ya Otto Mining and Exploration Pty Ltd did not cover the whole area—only a ten-kilometre distance—because the activity is capital intensive,” said Shilunga. 

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