The Roads Authority and Namibia’s mining industry have signed a C28 Road Safety Charter, committing themselves to work together to improve safety along one of the country’s fastest-growing mining corridors as expanding uranium and other mining projects are expected to place thousands of additional mining-related vehicle movements on the route each day.
The charter was signed during the inaugural Chamber of Mines Health and Safety Conference after mining companies collectively projected a substantial increase in daily traffic along the C28 between Windhoek and Swakopmund, prompting industry leaders to warn that road safety has become one of the sector’s most significant operational risks.
Launching the initiative, Zebra Kasete, managing director of Deep Yellow Namibia, said the C28 has evolved from a scenic tourist route into one of Namibia’s most strategically important mining corridors, serving existing mines while supporting several projects that are expanding or moving towards production.
“Interestingly, it is also becoming one of Namibia’s most important mining corridors, where several mining projects are either operating, expanding or advancing towards production. We know that traffic volume on C28 will increase considerably over the coming years,” Kasete said.
To quantify the challenge, participating mining companies were asked to estimate how many vehicles their operations would place on the road each day.
The projections indicate daily mining-related traffic could include 2,033 quantum buses, 37 large buses, 124 light-duty vehicles and 114 heavy-duty trucks, with the same vehicles making return journeys along the corridor every day.
“Collectively, we have asked all the mines who are using that road how many vehicles are going to be travelling on that road. If you listen to this number, it is scary. Two thousand and thirty-three quantum buses, 37 large buses, 124 light-duty vehicles and 114 heavy-duty trucks along this road. This is one way going. All those vehicles must go back on a single day,” Kasete said.
Kasete said the projected traffic volumes have elevated the C28 into one of the mining industry’s highest strategic risks.
“For all mining companies, I would agree with you that this is one of the highest risks that boards are worried about — how are we going to manage that road?”
He said the corridor presents additional hazards because of its mountainous terrain, gravel sections, strong south-easterly winds, coastal fog and the mix of mining vehicles, tourists and international visitors unfamiliar with Namibian driving conditions.
“It is a very, very dangerous road. If you can imagine, we talk about tourists, people who drive on the different side of the road. Even the trucks going there and collecting material will include people who are foreign to Namibia. Add the strong south-east winds, the morning mist and reduced visibility, and it’s really a death trap, if you can put it that way,” Kasete said.
He said the campaign was launched to ensure that increased mining activity does not result in more road crashes and fatalities.
According to Motor Vehicle Accident Fund statistics presented during the launch, Namibia recorded 1,637 road crashes, 2,807 injuries and 229 fatalities between 1 January and 26 July 2026.
“These are not just statistics. Behind every number is a family. These figures remind us that road safety is not simply the responsibility of government or law enforcement. As an industry that depends on the national road network every single day, we have a duty to be part of the solution,” Kasete said.
Roads Authority chief executive Mbahupu (Hippy) Tjivikua, who signed the C28 Road Safety Charter on behalf of the authority, said traffic volumes along the corridor will continue to increase as mining activity expands, making proactive planning and road safety interventions essential.
“That number is not going down any time soon. It is increasing and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we plan appropriately for that road infrastructure and to have better interventions in terms of safety,” Tjivikua said.
Tjivikua said the Roads Authority’s board had instructed management to engage with the mining industry regarding the growing demands placed on the road network. While discussions initially centred on infrastructure requirements, he said both parties agreed that improving road safety was the immediate priority.
He said improvements to the C28, including the possibility of a dual carriageway, form part of the Roads Authority’s medium- to long-term planning, subject to funding, but stressed that engineering solutions alone would not eliminate road crashes without safer road-user behaviour.
Kasete said the charter represents a commitment by both the mining industry and the Roads Authority to ensure the C28 becomes a model for collaboration and one of Namibia’s safest mining corridors.
“Let’s work towards the future where C28 is recognised not only as a corridor supporting a growing mining industry, but as a model for collaboration and one of the safest roads in the country. Because at the end of every shift, every holiday, every business trip and every journey, the destination that matters most is to go home safely,” Kasete said
