The complexiTy of resource governance in a conTexT of sTaTe ... - Ipis

The complexity of resource governance in a context of state fragility: An analysis of the mining sector in the Kivu hinterlands
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Chapter 1: Northern Katanga
(Steven Spittaels & Elisabeth Caesens)
1.1 Minerals in Northern Katanga
The international mining community has been interested in the copper and cobalt reserves in
the south of the province of Katanga for decades. More recently, the north is rumoured to be as
much of a “geological scandal” as the south, albeit for minerals more closely related to those of
the Kivus, such as coltan, cassiterite and gold. The soil also contains high levels of other minerals,
such as silver. 2 The paragraphs below describe what is currently being extracted.
Cassiterite
Central Katangan territories, such as Manono, Malemba Nkulu and Mitwaba, have significant
deposits of cassiterite (tin ore) and coltan, a byproduct. Manono hosted one of the few industrial
companies operating north of the copper belt, the colonial tin company Géomines, later renamed
Zaire-Etain (and Congo Etain after the downfall of former President Mobutu). Since the Second
Congo War (1998–2003), artisanal miners have taken over former industrial sites and begun
exploiting newly discovered deposits. 3 Official cassiterite production in 2009 from Manono,
Malemba Nkulu and Mitwaba combined amounted to approximately 1,368 tonnes. 4
Coltan
Coltan has always been the principal mineral mined in Nyunzu and Kalemie territories, but it has
also gained in popularity in Manono and Malemba Nkulu. Coltan deposits attract more and more
miners, 5 especially in the north of Manono. This heightened interest might reflect the evolution of
the world market price, which has been better for coltan than cassiterite in the last two years (see the
graphs of the evolution of world market prices 2008–10, and table of export prices in Annexe 2).
An additional explanation for coltan’s popularity is a new provincial tax on Katangese minerals
travelling through other provinces. While its impact on the coltan trade was limited, it has
considerably disrupted the cassiterite trade. The provincial tax and its impact on the mineral
trade are discussed below.
Table 1: Coltan production at the four most important coltan mines in Tanganyika
district (in kg)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct
Kisengo 5,314 3,459 13,501 8,978 5,601 9,094 5,590 9,355 6,356 7,413 74,661
Mayi
Baridi
1,750 690 2,250 1,700 4,050 3,250 5,674 19,364
Malemba 1,246 650 3,094
Katonge 2,500 1,700 4,450 2,950 7,541 1,500 3,300 23,941
TOTAL 181,062
Source: Division des mines, Kalemie
2 Interview, EITI representative, Lubumbashi, July 2010.
3 Part of production at the Congo-Etain sites has always been artisanal, even at the peak of industrialisation. The difference today is that
the industrial component has entirely disappeared. New cassiterite miner Mining Mineral Resources (MMR) claims it wants to revive the
production chain from extraction to transformation into tin in Katanga province over the next few years.
4 In comparison, Géomines produced about seven times as much on a yearly basis during World War II. Interview by IPIS, former Géomines
employee, Manono, June 2010.
5 Interview, SAESSCAM staff, Lubumbashi, May 2010.