ASX-listed uranium developer Deep Yellow has appointed Zebra Kasete Namibia MD, effective January 5. 

In this role, he will support the construction of the Tumas project and be accountable for running the Namibian operations post-construction of Tumas. He will also serve as Deep Yellow’s country head for Namibia and be based in Swakopmund.

Kasete is a Namibian mining executive with more than 35 years’ experience, having held senior roles in diverse commodities, including uranium, diamonds, copper and gold. His most recent role was executive VP of Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter in Namibia from 2016 to this year.

He previously also served as MD of Murowa Diamond, in Zimbabwe.

Prior to moving to Zimbabwe, Kasete spent 25 years at Rio Tinto where he joined as a cadet metallurgist at Rössing Uranium. During his tenure with Rӧssing and the wider Rio Tinto Group, he held senior roles in operations, technical, procurement, human resources, business development and external relations.

His global experience spans Namibia, Zimbabwe, Australia and the US.

Kasete is a metallurgist by profession and brings a wealth of experience to this position. He is past president of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia and holds an MBA in General and Strategic Management from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.

“I feel privileged to return in this role to where my professional career began, mining uranium in Namibia.

“Tumas is a very important development for both Deep Yellow and Namibia. For me personally, the opportunity to lead and grow a greenfield uranium project, including building the team that will operate the project, is an exciting one that I’m very much looking forward to,” Kasete comments.

“Zebra’s credentials to be the leader of Tumas are outstanding. We are very pleased to have secured someone with his depth of experience and local knowledge which will be invaluable during the construction of Tumas and into operations.

“His appointment is another important milestone as we put the pieces in place ahead of a final investment decision for Tumas and work toward establishing our flagship project as the fourth uranium mine in Namibia,” adds Deep Yellow CFO and acting CEO Craig Barnes.