The World's Largest ...
Tin Mine
The world's largest tin-bearing pegmatite deposit is at Namibia's Uis tin mine.
The tiny mining town of Uis can not be missed due to huge white hills in the background. Its name means Bitter Water, and tin was discovered here in 1911 by Dr Paul of the German Colonial company.
Uis can be reached by road C35 from the coast towards Khorixas, or by C36 from Omaruru. Tin-bearing pegmatite at Uis lies in a 32km wide schist belt stretching to Cape Cross, over 130km.
In 1923, August Stauch, who discovered diamonds at Kolmanskop, bought known tin deposits in the Usakos, Karibib, Omaruru and Uis districts. These deposits were mined by Namib Tin Mines.
Three delays and a boom
In the depression from 1930 to 1933, no tin was produced, and in 1938 the mine was acquired by Krupp of Germany.
Plans were laid to mine Uis pegmatite on a large scale, but World War 2 brought a halt to this development.
After the war the Allied custodian of enemy property sold the mine to Angus Munro, who died in an aircraft crash. In 1958 Imkor Tin bought Uis and other properties of former Namib Tin Mines. Imkor installed an extraction plant for tin ore producing 35 tons per hour.
In 1966 the company enlarged this plant to handle 100 tons per hour and started building Uis town, with a non-profit supermarket for employees. Imkor also built a clinic and arranged weekly visits by doctors from Omarurum, with a full time nursing sister.
Bank of Windhoek visited weekly, and a school followed, with a 25m long swimming pool.
Around the clock
In 1980 the plant was again enlarged to process 140 tons per hour around the clock, producing 100 to 120 tons of cassiterite, a tin ore or tin oxide, per month.
Imkor allowed local Damara people to take ore from open pits and extract by 'skotteling' or vanning, selling concentrate to the mine. In tin mines in England this operation was named vanning.
Much ore was produced by local people in numerous small pits in and around mining property, contributing 100 tons per year to mine output.
Swedish aid
Closure of the mine in November 1990 all but closed down the town. In 1994 the group introduced a small mining project with aid from Sweden Raw Materials group. A small plant was installed to resume production at three kg of tin ore per hour.
The project uses drilling, blasting, hand sorting, crushing and refining. Private operators now run town facilities. The old mine recreation club, single quarters and some houses form a tourist camp.
Several mine houses are for sale, some owned by retired newcomers.
* Visit http://www.namibweb.com/uis.htm
