Mine/UXO Clearance

Impact Summaries

Impact Of Namibia Mine field and Electrical Pylon Clearance

In December 2000, RONCO completed the clearance of 401 transmission pylons running southward from Ruacana Falls Power Station to Etosha National Park. RONCO also provided Mine Detecting Dogs (MDDs) to proof 10 percent of the cleared pylons, seven minefields previously cleared by the Namibia Defense Force (NDF), and to clear and proof seven untouched pylons. In total, RONCO cleared 161 pylons and proofed and cleared 1,990,078 square meters of land, destroying 3,909 mines and 29 items unexploded ordnance (UXO).

In the early 1990’s, the Namibian government contracted a local company to clear the minefields surrounding the pylons. At the conclusion of the contract, the NDF determined that these areas still posed a threat to local inhabitants due to the processes used by the previous contractor. The NDF was concerned about the ease of access, presence of mines in the berms, and possibility of missed mines in the ground surrounding the pylons. The local contractor, due to difficult terrain restricting access, never cleared seven of the pylons. All of the un-touched pylons were marked and fenced.

Soon after the conflict ended, the NDF cleared seven minefields surrounding previous South African military installations and fortifications. Although confident that most of these areas were free of mines no quality assurance was conducted to verify the areas mine safe. In fact, two of the minefields remained fenced to restrict access. Although discouraged from entering the unfenced areas, local villagers began using the land for grazing and pedestrian traffic and even used some areas to build homes and business facilities. As a result, a few mine and UXO related incidents were recorded involving both people and livestock. The most recent incident involved two children playing with UXO.

RONCO Representative conducting Mine Awareness Training to a group of locals. In all, 13,000 people received training.

The real harm caused by mines was not only the possibility of human causalities but the economic hardship caused by their mere existence. The potential threat of landmines was a severe risk to the supply of electrical power needed for consumption and to operate Namibia’s vital industries, since repair and maintenance crews did not have easy access to the pylons. Without a reliable flow of electricity, the few employment and economic opportunities available to the people was threatened. In an area plagued with poverty, the adverse impact of landmines threatening the flow of electricity was enormous.

Namibia’s GNP per capita in 1999 was only $1,890 an indication that the majority of Namibia’s people live in poverty. Namibia’s income distribution is also one of the most unequal in the world. Total expenditures of the richest 7,000 people (0.5 percent of the population) equals the total expenditure of the poorest 800,000 people (57 percent of the population) many of whom lived adjacent to these mined areas. The majority of these 800,000 people live in northern Namibia (the location of the seven minefields), where they depend on subsistence farming and where little employment and economic opportunities exist. The death of even one cow by a landmine or the inability to access prime agricultural and grazing ground can send a family surviving on less than $5/day into deep poverty. The landmines did exactly this based on reports of numerous cattle killed and the fact that land once used for grazing and agriculture could no longer be utilized.

Thanks to the work of RONCO, Namibia is now considered a “Mine Safe Country,” which has boosted the moral of the whole region. These intangibles cannot be measured in dollar figures but can play a key role in the stability and development of a region. With the dangers and risks associated with landmines behind them, Namibia is now able to focus on the needs and livelihood of all its people.