More than 100 years of mining, processing and smelter activities in Tsumeb have left their traces in the soils of the area. Sources of contaminations are solid and gaseous emissions from the smelter complex and particle emissions from processing facilities, tailings dumps as well as slag deposits. Easterly winds are prevailing in the Tsumeb area causing air borne pollution mainly to the west of the smelter complex. Geochemical studies on groundwater and soil, complimented by medical tests and studies on freshwater fish as well as agricultural products were carried out by the Geological Survey of Namibia (GSN) and its partner institutions to assess the environmental situation and to guide urban and regional land use planning. The analytical results of more than 550 soil samples taken around the smelter complex show critical concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper and lead which partly exceed international guideline values for residential and agricultural land uses. The heavy metal concentrations of most of the fruits and vegetables generally correlate with the heavy metal concentrations of the underlying soil. However, root and leaf vegetables showed comparably high concentrations of the heavy metals while stem vegetables and fruits are less affected. It was recommended to restrict land use in an inner buffer zone adjacent to the smelter complex to industrial activities. A planned major town extension of Tsumeb had to be stopped but alternative future residential areas could be delineated to the south and east of the town based on the soil surveys. In an intermediate zone, agricultural land use has to be limited to growing of fruits and stem vegetables. The current owner of the Tsumeb Smelter, Weatherly International, is highly supportive in implementing land use recommendations by GSN. An intensive coordination with the smelter management, the Ministry for Regional and Local Government, the town planners and other affected Ministries guarantees the outcome-oriented integration of the recommendations of our studies into future town and regional land use planning.