Kombat Mine
Kombat, Otavi Constituency, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia
The Kombat Mine is an active copper, lead and silver mine which has been worked since around 1900.
The Kombat mine is one of the most important copper mines in the whole of Namibia, but is also known for lead and silver – it also produces several rare minerals.
Mindat lists nearly 130 minerals from the site, including 16 for which it is the type locality – no particularly well known species, but this site is certain to be of interest to systematic collectors for the uncommon minerals.
The name Kombat also refers to an associated village which once had nearly a thousand inhabitants, but has shrank considerably since then.
The mine has been owned by several entities over the years although the history I found is missing some times.
Minerals were originally discovered 1850, and the mine was opened in around 1900.
The site was operated by Tsumeb Corporation Limited from an unknown time until the 1970s.
Between 1999 and 2006, the mine was operated by Ongopolo Mining, and Ongopolo Mining was then taken over by Weatherly International PLC, who flooded and abandoned the mine in 2007 or 2008.
Sometime between then, the site seemed to have bounced between several owners, with various brokers and disputes involved.
The mine was then bought in 2015 by Knowledge Katti. In 2021, Trigon metals, Inc announced they were to reopen the mine.
Open pit production recommenced in 2023 for 1% copper ore, and underground mining began again in 2024, which was profitable enough that the open pit operations were paused in late 2024.
Trigons website suggests estimated reserves of 13.56 million tons of 1.92% Cu, 0.73% Pb, 14g/t Ag ore.
The Trigon website is actually well worth a look and is rather detailed; it does have a writeup of the geology of the site too.
Further reading
- https://www.mindat.org/loc-2427.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombat
- https://trigonmetals.com/kombat-mine/
We do have some more information, and sometimes specimens from specific Namibian locales.
Namibian locales
- Aris Quarries, Aris, Windhoek Rural, Khomas Region, Namibia
- Berg Aukas Mine, Grootfontein Constituency, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia
- Goanikontes Claim, Goanikontes, Arandis Constituency, Erongo Region, Namibia
- Kombat Mine, Kombat, Otavi Constituency, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia
- Mile 72, Cape Cross area, Arandis Constituency, Erongo Region, Namibia
- Molopo Mine, Strathmore pegmatites, Cape Cross area, Arandis Constituency, Erongo Region, Namibia
- Okenwasi Mine, Kaokoveld Plateau, Kunene Region, Namibia
- Okorusu Mine, Otjiwarongo Constituency, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia
- Orange River area, Namibia
- Otuani pit, Opuwo Rural, Kunene Region, Namibia
- Sandamap Farm, Dâures Constituency, Erongo Region, Namibia
- Sodalite mine, Orotumba, Swartbooisdrif Dikes, Epupa, Kunene Region, Namibia
- Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Oshikoto Region, Namibia
- Van der Plas Mine, Opuwo Rural, Kunene Region, Namibia
We may have some other specimens from Namibia, check the links below.
Namibia
Minerals from Namibia