Kazera Global plc is awaiting a Windhoek High Court decision on an appeal by Hebei Construction CC, following its failure to complete a US$13 million acquisition of its affiliate, African Tantalum (Aftan).
The Aftan owns the Tantalite Valley Mine in //Karas region, which hosts both tantalum and lithium mineralisation, and remains a strategically positioned asset within Namibia’s growing critical minerals sector, with its next phase likely to depend on the outcome of the court ruling.
The dispute stems from a December 2022 sale agreement in which Kazera agreed to dispose of its 100% interest in African Tantalum (Aftan) to Hebei for about US$13 million, plus a 2.5% life-of-mine debenture on lithium and tantalum sales.
Hebei paid only about US$4.1 million before defaulting on the balance, triggering legal action and arbitration proceedings initiated in September 2024.
An arbitration tribunal ruled in May 2025 that Hebei had breached the agreement and ordered it to pay US$11.9 million plus interest and legal costs, a decision Kazera has been enforcing.
Hebei has since challenged the award, escalating the matter through Namibia’s courts, with judgment now pending.
Despite the legal uncertainty, African Tantalum said engagement with potential investors has continued, with multiple third parties assessing development or commercialisation opportunities for the project, including advanced technical reviews and site assessments.
Kazera Global plc built its position in African Tantalum (Aftan) in phases, beginning in 2014 when it acquired a 75% stake for £0.66 million, giving it exposure to the Tantalite Valley Mine in south-eastern Namibia.
At the time, Aftan did not fully control the underlying asset, but this was consolidated in 2015 when the company secured 100% ownership of the mine.
Kazera completed the process in 2020 by acquiring the remaining 25% stake in Aftan for £0.22 million, resulting in full ownership of both the subsidiary and the Tantalite Valley operation.
Through Aftan, Kazera controls the Tantalite Valley Mine, a pegmatite-hosted tantalum and lithium project comprising deposits including White City, Homestead, and Purple Haze.
The company has reported a Phase 1 JORC-compliant resource of about 622,200 tonnes of combined lithium and tantalite mineralisation, including the White City deposit at an average grade of roughly 105 ppm Ta₂O₅. The project has previously produced tantalum concentrate using gravity and magnetic separation, with initial commercial exports prepared in 2022, while lithium potential remains under evaluation.
