IPC Files Statutory Appeal to Nullify Environmental Clearance for Marine Phosphate Mining
Dr Panduleni Itula, President of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and Leader of the Official Opposition, has formally lodged a statutory appeal under Section 50 of the Environmental Management Act with the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. The appeal demands the immediate and total nullification of the Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) granted to Namibia Marine Phosphate (Pty) Ltd on 5 August 2026.
The IPC firmly rejects the clearance for offshore bulk seabed dredging under the Sandpiper Marine Phosphate Project (ML 170). This unproven activity poses an existential threat to the Benguela Upwelling Zone, a delicate ecosystem that sustains our national commercial fishing sector, feeds our communities, and supports nearly 300,000 Namibian livelihoods. We cannot allow a renewable, sustainable marine economy to be sacrificed for short-term ecological plunder.
Our formal legal objection outlines key statutory and environmental violations:
Breach of the Precautionary Principle: Proceeding without global precedent or scientific certainty risks irreversible marine collapse.
Destruction of Marine Habitats: Bulk dredging resuspends toxic sediments, depletes oxygen levels, and destroys essential benthic fish breeding grounds.
Procedural Unfairness: The decision relies on developer-funded studies rather than an independent, state-led Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).
We demand that the Minister sustain the appeal, cancel the ECC, and enforce a total moratorium on offshore phosphate mining until independent assessments are completed. We call on all civic organisations, trade unions, and citizens to stand with us in protecting Namibia's marine heritage.
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