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DEA says it is satisfied that CoAL have met all “legal and procedural requirements of the NEMA”
DEA defends its decision
CoAL pushes ahead with its Vele colliery, while Mapungubwe could lose status By Isabel Venter In a press briefing last week, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) defended the authorization it had given to Coal of Africa Limited’s (CoAL) Vele Colliery close to the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site. The briefing was held in Pretoria last Wednesday. According to DEA spokesperson Mr Albi Modise, the department was satisfied that all “legal and procedural requirements of the NEMA have been met ... Furthermore, the need for the project has been clearly and sufficiently demonstrated. There has also been sufficient consultation with the interested and affected parties,” said Modise. Modise also provided the Zoutpansberger with a copy of CoAL’s wholly owned subsidiary Limpopo Coal Company’s authorization. At the time of an earlier request for clarification, both CoAL and the DEA were mute about the “specific conditions” contained in this document. The document was approved by the DEA’s Deputy Director-General of Environmental Quality and Protection, Mr Ishaam Abader. According to this document, “the authorisation is for the resumption and continuation of listed activities”, which include the completion of the slurry dam, the upgrade and widening of the haul road network, as well as the upgrading and refurbishment of eight boreholes in an existing borehole field. The document further stipulates that mine process water “will be abstracted from the boreholes and stored in HDPE plastic-lined temporary transfer and storage dams … before being transported through a bulk water supply pipeline to the modular processing plant.” As part of the special conditions of the authoriza-
tion, CoAL will have to enter into and implement a memorandum of agreement with the DEA’s biodiversity and conservation branch to ensure the integrity of the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site. This must be done in six months’ time. CoAL will also have to appoint a qualified wastemanagement contractor before the operational phases of the project are to start. Additionally, a qualified expert will have to be appointed to undertake an impact assessment on the Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS)-listed species and adhere to any recommendations made in such a report. CoAL will also have to ensure that the required licenses are obtained before cutting down protected trees. In the meantime, while CoAL is gearing up to restart its Vele Colliery, NGOs are adamant to put a stop to the mine in its entirety. Work on the R500-million mine was stopped after a coalition of NGOs raised concerns about environmental transgressions in the construction phase of Vele. In August last year, the Green Scorpions issued CoAL with a compliance notice in terms of section 24G of the South African National Environmental Management Act (NEMA). Two weeks ago, however, CoAL received the go-ahead from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) following a payment of R9,25 million in administration fines towards the DEA. Nick Hilterman from the Mapungubwe Action Group, part of the coalition of NGOs, confirmed on Tuesday that the coalition has given notice of its appeal to the DEA. According to Hilterman, they signed off “on what appears to be a very hard-hitting appeal against the issuing of the water The picturesque Mapungubwe ... During the World Heritage Committee’s 35th session held in licence.” A copy of this appeal will be released as Paris at the end of June, the committee reaffirmed its concerns about the “potential adverse impact soon as it becomes available. of the approved mining site” will have on this World Heritage Site. (See article on P3)
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