Mining and development company Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) recently announced that it had increased its stake in the Vele project in South Africa to 100%, following the grant of unconditional new-order mining rights for the project by the country’s Department of Mineral Resources last month.
The announcement came a day after fresh concerns were raised about the project, which is situated next to the Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site in Limpopo.
South Africa’s Water and Environmental Affairs Minister, Buyelwa Sonjica, </strongsand washer equipment in europe for sle>announced that she would engage with Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu on mining activities around not just the Mapungubwe World Heritage landscape, but also all environmentally sensitive areas.
The Kingdom of Mapufree download concrete technology book pdgngubwe is still under exploration by archaeologists and carries the history of more than 50 000 years of human settlement.
A stakeholder group consisting of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the Mapungubwe Action Group, the Office of the Interjaw crusher price in philippinesnational Coordinator for the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area and Peace Parks Foundation last week objected to all industrial activity in the area without an approved integrated regional development plan.
The group said that the mining rights were issued despite the fact that the environ-mental-impact assessment (EIA) process on access and fuel storage for Vele was still under way and a water licence for the project had not been approved.
Also, South Africa had signed a binding document, with Botswana and Zimbabwe, whereby it agreed to be a partner in a trilateral conservation development. “By allowing the same conservation area to become part of an industrial area, it is not adhering to the spirit of that agreement,” the group said.
CoAL said that it followed a compre-hensive EIA and environmental manage-ment programme process, and adhered to all the national requirements and international best practice, and added that impacts and mitigation measures were all studied and presented as part of the process.
The antimining group claimed that an independent review and assessment of the EIA had identified problem areas and flaws, which were pointed out to the different State departments, but that it had not received any feedback on the issues raised.
The Australia-based company plans to develop a mine, which would eventually pro- duce five-million tons a year of coking coal.
It would spend R3,2-billion on the project, which would produce one-million tons a year of coking coal in the first phase.