Under the warm Erongo sun, the quiet town of Arandis is beginning to stir with new life.
For years, its once-bustling community hall stood tired and silent, the echoes of laughter and song long faded. But now, a fresh coat of hope is being brushed across its walls — thanks to an unexpected reunion between the town and the mine that built it.
Rössing Uranium Limited, Namibia’s oldest uranium producer, has pledged N$1.3 million to restore the Arandis Community Hall and nearby sports stadium.
The town council has added N$500,000 of its own, making the N$1.8 million facelift a shared project of pride and memory.
“This is not just about walls and paint,” said Rössing’s general manager for Human Capital, Safety and Sustainability, Liezl Davies, smiling as she spoke to residents gathered outside the ageing hall.
“These places are where communities meet, laugh, and grow together. Bringing them back to life is part of our responsibility to the people who’ve supported this mine for generations.”
The town hall, first opened in 1979, has long been the beating heart of Arandis — the site of weddings, cultural festivals, and local meetings.
But years of neglect left it worn and unsafe, and the neighbouring sports stadium became too damaged to host games. When the council approached Rössing for help earlier this year, the mine didn’t hesitate.
“Once we saw the state of the building, we needed no further motivation,” said Davies. “We decided to act before it was too late.”
In a fitting twist of history, the restoration will be carried out by artisans and trainees from the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) — the same institution that Rössing helped establish in Arandis decades ago.
“It’s like coming full circle,” Davies said. “NIMT has trained so many skilled Namibians — some who work at our mine today. Who better to restore the hall than the very hands shaped by this town?”
The renovation work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
For residents, the project means far more than just construction. It’s a revival of community spirit.
“These buildings hold our stories,” said Cecilie //Hoabes, chairperson of the Arandis Town Council management committee.
“It’s where we celebrate, where we mourn, where we teach our children about who we are. When the doors open again, it won’t just be a building — it will be home.”
She said the hall will once again host local performances, leadership workshops and cultural events, while the stadium will give young people a safe space to play football and train. “When people play together, they come together,” she said.
The initiative comes as the government urges Namibia’s mining companies to go beyond profit and invest in communities — particularly through sports and youth development. In many small towns, sports facilities have fallen into disrepair, leaving children with nowhere to play and communities without gathering spaces.
Rössing’s contribution is part of a growing wave of support.
Debmarine Namibia continues to fund the Namibia Premier Football League, while B2Gold and Swakop Uranium have sponsored local youth sports and wellness programmes.
“We can’t all be footballers,” said Arandis councillor Rita Hoeses, “but we can all play our part in building a country that gives its young people something to look forward to. This project shows what’s possible when business and community work hand in hand.”
As the sun dipped behind the desert hills, a few children kicked a ball near the dusty stadium fence — a quiet sign of what’s to come.
Soon, the laughter that once filled Arandis’s community spaces will return, carried on the wind between the hills and the mine that made them possible.
