Publications
Partners
Residents shocked to discover illegal mining which threatens to destroy their homes as council denies granting company permission to mine there.
About four weeks ago, residents of Wells township in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, woke up to roaring machines digging up a dusty soccer field.
When they enquired, they discovered that it was a new coal mine – on their doorstep.
The mine is barely 100m from some.
When City Press visited the mining site last week, the digging was still going on, with small mounds of earth that will soon make artificial mountains – a signature of the Highveld mining region straddling Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
The machines were digging deep trenches, affirming the fact that the landscape would soon change forever.
The mining company, New Venture Exploration, allegedly did not consult the Emalahleni Local Municipality about its intention to mine in such a critical area in the township.
Although the company’s representatives allegedly met with two councillors of ward 17 and ward 18 and some community members, it did not have the consent of the municipality and the whole community.
The municipality has since gone to court to interdict the mining – a case that will take a while longer to be resolved – while the mining continues.
Emalahleni means a place of coal. There are about 20 mines in the municipal area, where mining started in the late 1800s.
The abundance of the mineral has left parts of the region with smouldering coal underground after mining companies left and did not rehabilitate the land.
There are also the well-documented risks of acid mine water drainage and pollution, which are already affecting Emalahleni and the whole of the Highveld region.
According to academic research, a century from now rivers in the region will be so polluted that aquatic animals will perish and arable soils will not be able to nurture plants, making this area a wasteland.
Bongani Hlophe and George Lukhele, local community activists from the SA National Civic Organisation, said that residents who own proper houses were more concerned about the mine than the squatter camp dwellers.
“People need jobs, but a mine cannot be established so close to homes. We wonder how the department of minerals and energy issued a permit for this mine ... this is completely wrong,” Hlophe said.
The squatter camp dwellers, Lukhele said, had no problem with the mine because they wanted jobs.
“The councillors who are alleged to have met with the company [representatives] know the problems of mining in this town, but they still allowed this to happen. People in KwaGuqa, Lynville and other townships are really concerned that once blasting starts, their houses will be damaged.”
New Venture Exploration could not be reached for comment.
Ayanda Shezi, the spokesperson of the department of mineral resources and energy, said the company was issued with a two-year mining permit on July 10 2019, with stringent health and safety conditions.
Shezi said no mining was permitted within 100m of any residential area, public roads, railways, electricity powerlines, gas pipelines and sewage pipes.
“Once mining commences, we will ensure that health and safety standards are monitored through compliance inspections and audits,” she said.
The municipality tried to apply for an urgent court interdict against New Venture Exploration in the Middelburg High Court on February 18.
The application could not be heard because the sheriff affixed the notice on a wall instead of handing it to an individual on site.
The matter was back in court last Monday but it was postponed to this Wednesday because the municipality must serve an affidavit confirming that there was no council resolution to allow mining.
Municipal spokesperson Lebohang Mofokeng said that the company claimed it was granted permission by the councillors of wards 17 and 18.
“The municipality was requested to rebut those allegations and show that the consent must be given by the municipal manager through a council resolution. Consultation will be done with the department of development planning and environmental affairs and a supplementary affidavit will be served to court before noon on February 28 ... ”
Robby Mokgalaka, the coal campaign manager of the environmental organisation groundWork, said that coal mines always destroyed communities.
“They cause irreparable damage to the environment and people’s livelihoods and health. They deprive people of access to land, clean water and the right to clean air,” he said.
“Where there is coal mining, poor people always suffer the most. In most cases, they are not consulted or engaged with by the consulting agents and government or they are given half-baked information about the potential negative impact of a project. We need to ask ourselves whether poor people have less rights compared to others,” Mokgalaka said.
Similar problem in Limpopo
Villagers living near Burgersfort in the Fetakgomo/Greater Tubatse Local Municipality in Limpopo have the same problem of illegal chrome mining on their doorsteps.
In Mooihoek, miners have chipped away the ground around some homes and vital infrastructure such as electricity substations.
The Sekhukhune area is experiencing a chrome and platinum boon, with the outcrop of chrome- and platinum-bearing ore in the area being about 180km long.
When City Press visited the village two years ago, villagers claimed that those who had opposed the mining were bribed to shut up.
Shezi said the department was addressing the Limpopo matter.
“The department has worked with the police and other law enforcement agencies, resulting in most of the illegal operations being stopped and a considerable number of arrests being made.”
About 100 people have been arrested for illegal mining in the area.
A syndicate is said to be selling chrome to places as far as China.
TALK TO US
Is government doing enough to stop illegal mining that is destroying communities around SA?
SMS us on 35697 using the keyword MINING and tell us what you think. Please include your name and province. SMSes cost R1.50. By participating, you agree to receive occasional marketing material
 |
| ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
