The fate of one of Africa’s most valuable ecosystems may depend on results from wells being drilled deep into the bedrock beneath the Kalahari of northern Namibia and Botswana in the hunt for a petroleum reservoir. For a distance of some 150km, Canadian company ReconAfrica’s oil and gas prospecting concessions border the Okavango River, a crucial source of water in a … [Read more...]
Conflicting rights to exploit natural resources
Should parliament pass the current proposed amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act No. 28 of 2002 ("MPRDA") without any further regard to the potential conflict which could arise between the mineral provisions and the petroleum provisions thereof during an application process for mineral rights (prospecting and/or mining rights) and petroleum rights … [Read more...]