Namibia used to be the fourth-largest exporter of tin, but its industrial-scale tin mines have since closed.The Uis Tin mine was previously owned by Iscor, a former state-owned South African company, which closed the mine in 1989.

AfriTin shipped the first ore from its Uis Tin mine in namibia to its factory on Wednesday, setting the company on the path to its goal of rebuilding the country as a major player in the industry.Wednesday marked the start of the first phase of a pilot plant and the re-commissioning of the mine's tin production.

Iscor has mined more than a dozen different mines, and AfriTin is working in a pegmatite mine that stretches for several kilometres and has room for further development.AfriTin carried out an explosion in the mine, hoping to extract tin ore from Iscor's tailshaft.

Anthony Viljoen, AfriTin's chief executive, said it was a 'significant' moment as the company would meet its investment and operational goals, which it had promised namibian entities and shareholders, to turn the region into one of the world's richest tin mines.