Abandoned in the 1970s, the manganese deposits in Otse are set for a recovery that could lift economic activity in a village that has been living in Gaborone’s shadow. The global electric vehicle movement has reignited interest in the metal and one company hopes to build an economic ecosystem around Botswana’s manganese. Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI reports
A year before the now famous discovery of the ‘three shiny stones’ in Motloutse River that eventually led to the explosion of diamond mining activities in the 1970s, a less high profile mineral had been found in the country’s south east.
Available records indicate that as early as 1957, the abundant presence of manganese in the area west of the Otse hills had not only been proven, but mining had actually taken place. Various mineral research articles indicate that manganese mining took place in Otse and at least two other sites in Botswana between 1957 and 1973, before activities were abandoned.
Using methods that today are viewed as rudimentary, manganese mining in 1973 produced 43,000 tonnes but rising production costs and low prices for the metal forced miners to pack their bags.
The closure, however, did not mean the resources were depleted. A Mmegi news crew that hiked the scrubland behind Otse hills this week found naturally occurring manganese quite literally littered all over the area. From small rocks, to large boulders, the metal is scattered on the surface nearly everywhere that one looks, giving an enticing...
Read Full Story: https://www.mmegi.bw/features/electric-vehicle-wave-triggers-revival-of-otse-manganese-mines/news
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