Mining & Trade News

ASX-listed Lotus Resources, which is advancing preparations to resume mining at Kayelekera Uranium Mine in Karonga, has reported a number of initiatives that it has implemented in 2024 to support the local community in the Kayelekera area as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

    In its Sustainability Report for 2024, Lotus Non-Executive Director and Environmental, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) Committee Chair Dixie Marshall explains that Lotus remains committed to continual improvement of its sustainability performance to ensure that it minimises environmental impacts, supports local communities, and increases the efficiency and safety of its operations.

    Marshall says: “People are our priority. We have focused on supporting the local communities surrounding the Kayelekera mine with health, education, and reforestation. Some of our initiatives at Kayelekera included infrastructure maintenance and repairs to the Sere Bridge, Juma Village access road, Kayelekera football pitch, and walls and floors of the Kayelekera Health Centre and medical staff accommodation.”

   “Supporting our local communities with work and business opportunities is a priority for Lotus. During the reporting period, we are pleased to report that we engaged 369 local contractors to undertake short term contract work at Kayelekera. This is a significant increase compared to Financial Year 2023.”

Community Investment in Kayelekera   

  • Spraying mosquito habitat to reduce the spread of Malaria

The report reads that in order to reduce the number of malaria cases, Lotus performed an annual mosquito abatement program, which involved two spraying campaigns covering Kayelekera, Simfukwe, Juma, and Chiteka villages. The first campaign took place from April 16th to 24th 2024, and encompassed 180 households, helping to improve the wellbeing of the community surrounding Kayelekera Mine.

• Sere Bridge Maintenance

Lotus conducted repairs and maintenance work on the Sere Bridge, which was damaged due to large volumes of rainwater during the wet season. The bridge provides the community and Lotus safe passage across the perennial Sere River.   Lotus engaged two contractors and 17 locals to perform maintenance work, which included reinforcing the concrete on damaged parts of the bridge and erecting gabion baskets to strengthen the bridge against erosion.

Guest of Honour to the Kayelekera Secondary School 2024 Graduation ceremony

 Lotus has been supporting Kayelekera Secondary School through the provision of laboratory materials, teaching aids and facilitating site tours.

  To show their appreciation of the support, Lotus was invited as a Guest of Honour to the Kayelekera Secondary School 2024 Graduation ceremony for the final year students to present the certificates to the best female and male students. Kayelekera community infrastructure maintenance and repairs

The report explains that the Kayelekera team supports the community by using its heavy machinery to repair damaged roads following the wet season rains. In 2024, Lotus graded the roads into Juma and Chiteka to restore access to the schools. Lotus also used its machinery to resurface the Kayelekera Village football pitch to improve the playing surface for local competitions. The Company conducted maintenance at the Kayelekera Health Centre and at the homes of the medical staff, which involved repairing cracks in floors and walls, replacing windows and painting.

 Job opportunities for local community

In August 2024, Lotus engaged 53 people from Kayelekera surrounding communities to undertake a maintenance and stability program at Kayelekera. The work involved pulling down old administration and ablution buildings and leveling and compacting the site, maintenance of the western drain, maintenance of RWP2-sluice drain road and installing gabion baskets on a section affected by ground movement. 

 Marshall explains: “This is one of the largest works programmes Lotus has been able to offer the community since it took ownership of the Project. The work programme went for two months.”

“We actively encouraged women to come work on the project and we successfully employed 10 women. Work opportunities are limited around Kayelekera.”

She reports that Senior Group Village Headman Kayelekera and Mwenechilanga Village Development Committee (for Kayelekera, Simfukwe and Juma) visited Kayelekera mine site to show their appreciation for the jobs created by the project.

In 2024, Lotus also continued to support the community development programs at Kayelekera which it started in the Financial Year 2023:

Health In the health sector the Company undertook the following initiatives:

• Maintained potable water using a solar-powered pump for the Kayelekera Health Centre, Kayuni Primary School, and surrounding communities

• Provided solar power and ongoing maintenance to the Kayelekera Health Centre

• Provided an ambulance to care and transport emergency patients to the Kayelekera Health Centre or Karonga District Hospital and

• Maintained the water supply and power supply at the Wiliro Health Clinic

Education

In education, Lotus

• Provided financial support for tuition fees, school uniforms, and books for 10 students from the St Monica Secondary School in Wiliro

• Continued to sponsor eaght teachers at Kayuni and Juma Primary Schools and

• Provided mock exams and laboratory equipment for Kayuni Primary School students sitting their high school entrance exam

“Lotus aspires to be a responsible uranium producer, building strong local communities, a safe and healthy work environment and making a positive contribution to a carbon free future,” Marshall sums up all.

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