Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Information and Discussions on Mining Issues
User avatar
Richprins
Committee Member
Posts: 75834
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:52 pm
Location: NELSPRUIT
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Richprins »

"Minister of Mineral Resources"... lol


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Lisbeth »

Sure 0*\

Not all countries have a ministery like that ;-)


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Lisbeth »

Obscure company targets coal mining project on Kruger Park doorstep

By Ed Stoddard• 25 June 2019

A little-known company called Manzolwandle Investments wants to start coal mining operations on the doorstep of the Kruger Park’s southern border, near Komatipoort. It has already submitted a scoping report, which is an initial assessment of a mining project’s viability. Local residents are concerned and it is sure to get on the radar screen of conservationists.

On Thursday 27 June a public meeting will be Kambaku Golf Club in Komatipoort to discuss the issue of “mining in Nkomazi”, the Lowveld municipality where the sun rises over Mpumalanga. According to the invitation, which was sent to Business Maverick, the featured speakers are from Mpumalanga Agriculture, the Kruger National Park and the Crocodile River Irrigation Board.

“These speakers will share with us the points of view of organized agriculture, water affairs and the Kruger National Park regarding mining in Nkomazi. This refers to all existing and contemplated mining in Nkomazi, and includes the latest publication of interest in mining by Manzolwandle Investments (Pty) Ltd,” the invitation says.

Attendance is free of charge, but lunch will cost you R120. Given the thorniness of the issue, it might be best if plonk is not served.

“A short briefing regarding the success of the Kruger Park forces against the rhino poaching will be offered too during the meeting,” the invitation says.

The rhino briefing is, of course, a sideshow to the main event: the prospect of coal mining near the Kruger Park, in a sweltering Lowveld region where commercial sugar farmers and other economic players are competing for scarce water resources. Local residents are worried and are gearing up for a scrap.

“I am concerned, where will the water come from?” Warren Carne, a property owner in Marloth Park, a residential development on Kruger’s south side, told Business Maverick.

“Given its close proximity to the country’s pride and joy, namely Kruger National Park, what of the environmental impact? Previous mine applications were turned down in years gone by; are these prospectors simply trying their luck every few years trying to wear down residents? To mine so close to KNP is laughable. Mining in this area is simply not on.”

The story was first reported in August 2018 by the Corridor Gazette, a local Mpumalanga newspaper, which said an application for mining rights had been made for almost 18,000 hectares near Marloth Park. It reported that it was for an open-pit anthracite operation. Anthracite is a hard and rare form of coal valued for its energy intensity and relatively clean burn.

The company in question, Manzolwandle Investments, is about as transparent as a lump of coal. It does not appear to have a website, though a search of the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission’s site shows a company with that name based in Witbank, which is the centre of the coal country. Business Maverick was not able to reach anyone linked to the company to send questions to.

A source at the Department of Mineral Resources said a company by that name had four applications on its system, all for coal. Two were for prospecting, one was a mining right, and the other was a mining permit.

Asked about Manzolwandle Investments and its intentions to mine coal in the area, the DMR said that an application has been accepted and a scoping report had been submitted.

“The department can confirm that an application was received on 19 July 2018 and was accepted on 12 September 2018. The scoping report, received on 31 August 2018, does not indicate that the area is within a protected area. However, it mentions that it is on the immediate eastern side of Komatipoort airport. The applicant will be advised to consult the Mpumalanga Tourism Agency (MPTA) to indicate the buffer between the application and protected area,” the DMR said in an emailed response to queries from Business Maverick.

This means that the mining right and mining application have been accepted as applications, but the company has not been given a green light at this stage to commence mining operations – it does not have the right or permit yet. And the scoping phase is early days. A scoping report lays out the initial assessment of a proposed mining project, including thumbsucks about capital investments and things of that nature. As one mining executive put it, “It is not something that is bankable. You cannot go to a bank and get funding based on a scoping study. More work needs to be done before you get to that stage.”

South African National Parks (SANParks) did not respond to requests for comment.

Just east of the Komatipoort airport would place it just west of the town of Komatipoort and the R571 road which leads to the Crocodile Bridge entrance to the Kruger Park. That raises all kinds of questions: where will the water come from? Will tourists be sharing the road with mining trucks? How visible will the operation be? And then there are wider concerns regarding flora and fauna – the wildlife in the area does not begin and end at the Kruger fence.

Mining in close proximity to Kruger is not unprecedented, nor is it pretty. The Palabora Mining Company operates a copper mine and a smelter and refinery complex in the town of Phalaborwa, just to the west of the Kruger. This correspondent viewed it from the air years ago from a SANParks helicopter, and it is a jarring juxtaposition of belching industry on one side and Kruger wilderness on the other.

It also remains to be seen if such a coal project would be “bankable”. As Business Maverick reported earlier in June, banks are increasingly reluctant to fund new coal projects because of the links between fossil fuel emissions and climate change. Throw Kruger Park into the coal mix and you are unlikely to find any bank, at least in South Africa, that would throw cash at such an operation. 3

Expect sparks to fly at this week’s public meeting in Komatipoort.


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
Klipspringer
Global Moderator
Posts: 5862
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 12:34 pm
Country: Germany
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Klipspringer »

https://headtopics.com/za/legal-battle- ... ar-7169137


Saturday Star
Legal battle looms as coal mining project threatens Kruger Park | Saturday Star
Manzolwandle Investments has applied for coal rights on the border of the world-renowned game reserve



A legal fight is brewing over a large proposed coal-mining project on the southern doorstep of the Kruger National Park.

Manzolwandle Investments has applied for coal rights on the border of the world-renowned game reserve

“The area will include Marloth Park, Ngwenya Lodge and all the farms (which include sugar cane, bananas, mangos, oranges, etc) all the way to Komatipoort. Marloth, Ngwenya and these farms form the buffer zone of the KNP,” explains Cindy Benson, of the Marloth Park Ratepayers Association.

Legal action against the proposed project is now on the cards by Marloth Park residents.

“The Crocodile River is under extreme pressure from water abstraction through various forms including industry, domestic use and agriculture. The addition of a coal mine on this already stressed system would have catastrophic consequences, not only to the natural environment, but also to all residents in the region and associated economic activities,” he says.

“The mine aims to produce approximately 20million tons of high-grade coal per year, which means that the mine will use approximately 11.62billion litres of water per year,” she states.

Krige says the MTPA is committed, with Kruger Park and other stakeholders, to ensure due process is followed during the environmental assessment and/or authorisation process.

During the operational phase, the mine will employ about 150 people, but Davies says in all likelihood this is “far fewer than the number of jobs that will be lost”.

Singo’s document says not allowing the mine to proceed “would leave a valuable resource in the ground and would result in no economic benefit, no job creation and no supply of coal to Eskom and exports.

Francois Rossouw, of agricultural interest group Saai, says the quantity of water needed for the planned mine “will significantly lower the water tables of adjacent farms and affect irrigation farmers as far as 300km along the river.

This week, AfriForum sent a legal letter to the firm and its environmental consultants, over alleged flaws in the consultation process. The planned mine, it says, “will devastate the surrounding area, the Crocodile River, nature reserves, the national park, wildlife, natural beauty and agricultural activities AfriForum will launch a process to stop the planned mine”.

“The only people objecting are the white people. Some are not even staying in Marloth Park. They are in Australia, England, Joburg and America. Where we are going to start mining is about 12km away from Marloth Park.

“What he (Zulu) doesn’t say is how the impacts of this mine is going to destroy thousands of jobs in the hospitality, tourism and agricultural sector, which will go to ruin. This the biggest financial and economic source in the Mpumalanga area. Who wants to visit Marloth Park, Ngwenya or the Kruger if there’s a mine there?


Klipspringer
Global Moderator
Posts: 5862
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 12:34 pm
Country: Germany
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Klipspringer »

So is it now on the KNP border within the buffer zone or outside :-?


User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Lisbeth »

It will be on the border of the river and less than one hundred meters from the Park. Logic says that it must be inside the buffer zone, if there is a buffer zone when there is a river -O-


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Lisbeth »

Marloth, Ngwenya and these farms form the buffer zone of the KNP,” explains Cindy Benson, of the Marloth Park Ratepayers Association.
So it must be inside the buffer zone!
.....Marloth Park, Ngwenya Lodge and all the farms............
Have they all sold their land to the mining company? If not how is it possible that there will be a mine :-?


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
User avatar
Richprins
Committee Member
Posts: 75834
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:52 pm
Location: NELSPRUIT
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Richprins »

“The only people objecting are the white people."


=O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O:




QED!


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
User avatar
Peter Betts
Posts: 3084
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:28 am
Country: RSA
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Peter Betts »

=O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O: =O:


User avatar
Richprins
Committee Member
Posts: 75834
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:52 pm
Location: NELSPRUIT
Contact:

Re: Mining in or Close to Protected Areas

Post by Richprins »

National and international support for opposition of Marloth mine
Members of parliament, AfriForum, Carte Blanche, Fokus and supporters from Australia have joined the cause.
33 mins ago
Arisa Janse van Rensburg


Image
Afriforum's Lambert de Klerk and Cindy Benson.

MARLOTH PARK – More and more people are pledging their allegiance to the fight against the proposed mine between Komatipoort and Marloth Park. This includes the DA shadow minister for tourism, Manny de Freitas, who visited the site on Monday.

According to the chairman of the Marloth Park Ratepayers Association, Cindy Benson, De Freitas, along with Willie Aucamp and Sonja Boshoff, was taken on a tour of the site as well as Marloth Park and surrounding areas to show the immense negative impact that a mine will have.

The proposed mining area encompasses “Tenbosch 162 JU (excluding portion 46, 74, & 90), all portions (excluding 01) of the farm Vyeboom 414 JU, all portions of the farm Turfbult 593 JU and all portions of the farm Tecklenburg’s Ranch 548 JU”. This stretches from the edge of Marloth Park to the edge of Komatipoort.

This will be an opencast and underground mine of coal, pseudo-coal and torbanite or oil shale resources. The mine is expected to have a lifespan of 30 years.

“To this point nobody has told us who has acquired the mining rights and to date no one has showed us any evidence that there even is coal to be mined.”

The members of parliament, however, are not the only stakeholders who got behind the fight against the mine. Benson confirmed that Ngwenya Lodge would be contributing R50 000 towards legal costs against the mine. AfriForum and SAAI also came on board, as well as national media programmes Carte Blanche and Fokus.

“Yesterday I even received a message that the story has reached as far as Australia, and that we are also getting support from there,”

Benson said.

According to Lambert de Klerk, the Crocodile River will also be affected negatively if the mining process starts.

She added that AfriForum had already received about 3 000 written grievances and she herself also had about 4 000 letters. Meanwhile, Singo Consulting had given Benson and her team, including lawyer Richard Spoor, 15 days to respond to the 500-page environmental impact assessment that was done.

“AfriForum logged a complaint against it and we now have 50 days to work through the assessment and give our comment.”

Lambert de Klerk, AfriForum’s head of environmental affairs, explained that the complaint, in the form of a letter, was necessary “because the parties involved failed to disclose sufficient information about the proposed mine. Furthermore, no proper consultation or public participation process has been followed. Stakeholders did not have the opportunity to register as interest groups and no documents such as an environmental impact study were made available”.

Benson urged anyone who wants to come forward and lodge complaints to send her an email at mpra.cindy@gmail.com.

https://lowvelder.co.za/496529/national ... loth-mine/


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
Post Reply

Return to “Mining and Other Extraction Issues”