Commences Legal Action Against Botswana Ministry of Minerals & Energy
TSODILO RESOURCES LIMITED
Commences Legal Action Against Botswana Ministry of Minerals & Energy
November 7, 2022 Trading Symbol: TSXV: TSD #110722
TORONTO, ONTARIO - Tsodilo Resources Limited (TSX Venture Exchange: TSD)
("Tsodilo" or the "Company") (TSX- V: TSD) (OTCQB: TSDRF) (FSE: TZO) wishes to
provide a corporate update with respect to its exploration and evaluation projects in Botswana.
On or about June 30, 2021, the Company's wholly owned Botswana subsidiary, Gcwihaba
Resources (Pty) Ltd. (Gcwihaba) submitted prospecting renewal license applications for its
Xaudum Iron Formation project in northwest Botswana. Of the then current 7 licenses, two
licenses were relinquished in their entirety and 5 were submitted for renewal. Collectively
50% of the combined license area in the 7 licenses was relinquished pursuant to Section(s) 17
and 19 of the Mines and Minerals Act.
Four of the five licenses that contain the vast bulk of the exploration target in the Xaudum Iron
Formation project were renewed as submitted, effective January 1, 2022, while the fifth license,
PL020/2018, continued in renewal.
Despite periodic inquiries as to the license renewal status, Tsodilo was first apprised of a
possible reason for the continued delay on April 26, 2022, when the Minister of Minerals and
Energy (MME) informed Gcwihaba that part of the area included in license PL020/2018 is in
the buffer zone surrounding the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Property, and
that any prospec ting activities in that area would be subject to environmental assessment
measures.
On April 27, 2022, Gcwihaba promptly responded by reminding the MME that
(i) the license in question has existed in its present form since 2008, six years before
the buffer zone was established;
(ii) prior to establishment of the current buffer zone in 2014, significant exploration had
already been conducted in that area and a compliant NI 43 -101 Inferred Mineral
Resource Statement prepared by SRK was submitted to the MME identifying a
mineral resource of 441 Mt grading 29.4% Fe;
(iii) when it was established in 2014, the current buffer zone encroached on a portion
(169 Mt) of the Company’s identified mineral resource; and
(iv) the prospecting license including this area has since that time been renewed
and re-granted multiple times without any controversy.
Gcwihaba also expressed complete agreement that prospecting, and mining activities were
permitted in the buffer zone subject to various environmental standards and practices spelled
out in Botswana law, and further affirmed its commitment to comply with all such requirements
and to develop the Xaudum Iron Formation project in an environmentally friendly manner.
With apparent agreement as to the facts and applicable law, and with renewed and unequivocal
assurance from Gcwihaba that it would be sensitive to environmental issues and would fully
comply with all laws and regulations in this regard, it was expected that any concerns had been
more than addressed and that the PL020/2018 license would now be renewed in short order.
However, in a letter received on June 15, 2022, despite its earlier clear statement s to Tsodilo
that exploration and mining could be conducted in the buffer zone , and a history of similar
statements by the Botswana government in multiple earlier UNESCO filings, the Ministry
advised that the PL020/2018 license would not be renewed if it included any areas located
within the buffer zone.
In an effort to reach a mutually acceptable resolution, the Company filed a revised renewal
application reducing the buffer zone area of the license block to only an area proximate to a
paved airport landing strip, a hospital and a shopping center all established, extended or rebuilt
after 2014 and all within the buffer zone . To date, the Company has received no response to
the revised license application.
For more detailed information on all the above, and in the interest of transparency, the
Company has established a landing page regularly updated to include all records related to this
matter. Please see https://tsodiloresources.com/s/MME.asp.html.
While the bulk of the Company’s Xaudum Iron Formation resource remains free of any dispute,
the area within the buffer zone is of sufficient value that the Company believes further efforts
are appropriate to protect shareholder interest, and further believes that the conduct of the
Botswana government in connection with the license renewal process has left no recourse other
than seeking resolution in the courts. Accordingly, litigation was initiated on October 31, 2022,
see. https://tsodiloresources.com/s/BotswanaLitigation.asp.html.
James M. Bruchs, Chairman and CEO of Tsodilo, stated "there is nothing more important to a
junior mining and exploration c ompany or to a multi -national resource corporation than the
security of the tenure of its licenses. Without the sanctity of one's license, the business rationale
for investing in a country or a project is questionable. Botswana has always differentiated itself
from other countries because of its adherence to the Rule of Law and professes that adherence
to the rule of law remains a cornerstone to its development.”
“We believe this case is unique as both the government and the Company agree that mining
and exploration can exist in the buffer zone. The facts and the law are not in dispute, and yet
the license has not been renewed. We look forward to a speedy resolution of the matter in order
to continue our work of bringing one of the largest if not the largest resource project in the
country to development, creating jobs, opportunities and income for the Batswana. Our project
will be designed at inception to be part of the trend in producing high quality and high value
premium direct reduced iron feed quality products, that can be used to manufacture green steel
with reduced GHG emissions as well as potentially reducing costs and improving steel quality”,
he added.
“It is an exciting time to be developing projects in Botswana, as shown by the African Import
and Export Bank (Afreximbank) recently announced plans for a $1.5 billion economic project
package for Botswana to support key economic sectors such as mining, manufacturing,
transport and agriculture. This would be the first maj or funding facility for Botswana by the
Cairo-based multilateral lender, which last year was part of a group of banks that arranged a
$220 million facility to fund the expansion of Lucara's Karowe mine", he concluded.
XAUDUM IRON FORMATION (XIF)
About the XIF Project
• The project is located in the North -West District of Botswana and is proximate to the
Namibian border and lies twenty-two (22) miles from the town of Divundu in Namibia.
The Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Development Corridor (previously known as the
Trans-Caprivi) line linking Zambia and Namibia is planned to pass through Divundu ,
providing access to Walvis Bay, Namibia’s deep-sea port. The project is also located
within forty-three (43) miles of the proposed Mucusso line to Angola’s Namibe Port.
• Preliminary work on the Xaudum Iron project has defined a CIM compliant Inferred
Mineral Resource Estimate of 441 million tonnes (Mt) with an average grade of 29.4%
Fe, 41.0% SiO2, 6.1% Al2O3 and 0.3% P for the Block 1 magnetite XIF.
• Block 1 is a fraction of the potential XIF magnetite resource. An extrapolated
exploration target has defined the XIF to be in the order of 5 to 7 billion tonnes at 15 -
40% Fe. This exploration target was generated by inversion modelling of ground
magnetic geophysical data which was compared and moderated to volumes from
drilling data within Block 1 and its potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature.
To date, there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource other than
in Block 1 and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being
delineated as a mineral resource. See Press Release o f 9/14/2014 on the Company’s
website for further details.
• Metallurgical magnetic separation results (Davis Tube Recovery) show that an average
concentrate of 67.2% Fe, 4.2% SiO2, 0.5% Al2O3, 0.07% P is obtained at P80 grind
size of 80 microns, although hi gher grades are possible at finer P80’s. See Press
Release of 12/17/2013 on the Company’s website.
• Further exploration will be focused on Block 2a where the Company expects an
increase in the resource.
An informational presentation of the project outlini ng more information can be found on the
Company’s website at www.tsodiloresources.com/i/pdf/Tsodilo-Iron-Project-Overview_May-
2021_Website.pdf.
More technical information can be found in a report prepared by SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd.
for Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Ltd. titled “Mineral Resource Estimate for the Xaudum Iron
Project (Block 1), Republic of Botswana” with an effective date of August 29, 2014 and filed
on SEDAR under the Company’s profile at www.sedar.com.
About Tsodilo Resources Limited
Tsodilo Resources Limited is an international diamond and metals exploration company
engaged in the search for economic diamond, metal deposits and industrial stone at its Bosoto
(Pty) Limited ("Bosoto"), Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Limited ("Gcwihaba") and Newdico (Pty)
Ltd. ("Newdico) projects in Botswana . The Company has a 100% stake in Bosoto (Pty) Ltd.
which holds the BK16 kimberlite project in the Orapa Kimberlite Field (OKF) in Botswana
and the PL216/2017 diamond prospection license also in the OKF. The Company has a 100%
stake in its Gcwihaba project area consisting of five metal (base, precious, platinum group, and
rare earth) prospecting licenses all located in the North -West district of Botswana. The
Company has a 100% interest in its Newdico industrial stone project located in Botswana’s
Central Di strict. Tsodilo manages the exploration of the Newdico, Gcwihaba, and Bosoto
projects. Overall supervision of the Company's exploration program is the responsibility of
McDonald Kahari (Pr. Sci. Nat.) a "qualified person" as such term is defined in Nation al
Instrument 43-101.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
James M. Bruchs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer [email protected]
Telephone +1 416 800 2124 Facsimile + 1 416 987 4369
Website www.TsodiloResources.com
This press release may contain forward -looking statements. All statements, other than
statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company
believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation,
statements pertaining to the use of proceeds, the impact of strategic partnerships and
statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals) are forward- looking
statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the
Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward - looking
statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results
of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking
statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be
no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company.
Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations
include, among other things, cha nges in equity markets, changes in general economic
conditions, market volatility, political developments in Botswana and surrounding countries,
changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, uncertainties relating to the
availability and costs of financing needed in the future, exploration and development risks, the
uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration results and the other risks involved in the
mineral exploration business. Any forward -looking statement speaks only as of the date on
which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company
disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result
of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that
the assumptions inherent in the forward -looking statements are reasonable, forward -looking
statements are not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should
not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause
the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward -
looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there
can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the
Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current
expectations include, among other things, uncertainties relating to availability and cost of
funds, timing and content of work programs, results of exploration activities, interpretation of
drilling results and other geological data, risks relating to variations in the diamond grade
and kimberlite lithologies; variations in rates of recovery and breakage; estimates of grade
and quality of diamonds, variations in diamond valuations and future diamond prices; the state
of world diamond markets, reliability of mineral property tit les, changes to regulations
affecting the Company's activities, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required project
approvals, operational and infrastructure risk and other risks involved in the diamond
exploration and development business. Any forwa rd-looking statement speaks only as of the
date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the
Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether
as a result of new information , future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company
believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward - looking statements are reasonable,
forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue
reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term
is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this news release. This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward -
looking statements regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent
risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are b eyond the Company's
control, which may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those
currently anticipated in such statements.