... We have the honour to address you in our capacities as Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes; Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises; Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 54/10, 53/3, 55/2 and 51/19.

...

In this connection, we would like to bring to the attention of your company information we have received concerning alleged human rights violations and abuses against workers and community members in the context of the activities of the Tsumeb Smelter (“Smelter”) in Tsumeb, Namibia. In September 2024, Sinomine Resource Group Co., Ltd. became the owner of the Smelter. Previously, through its subsidiary in Namibia, Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb (Pty) Limited, the Canadian company Dundee Precious Metals Inc. owned the Smelter from 2010 until 2024, after purchasing it from Weatherly International Plc (based in the United Kingdom).

...

Environmental Degradation caused by the Tsumeb Smelter

…

Adverse Impact on Air Quality

…

Waste Disposal Practices and Adverse Impact on Soil Quality

…

Adverse Impact on Water Quality

…

Adverse Impacts on Human Health caused by the Tsumeb Smelter

…

Health Symptoms

…

Barriers to Medical Information and Care

…

Apartheid legacy

…

Impeding Access to Information

…

Inaccessibility of Environmental Information

…

Access to Justice

…

The letters were also sent to those business enterprises that are or have been involved in operating the Tsumeb Smelter, as well as their home states, i.e. Canada, China, Namibia, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.