Powerlines from Matimba powerstation pass over Marapong village. Residents are affected by the poor air quality and many do not have electricity even though they live in the shadow of the power station. (James Puttick)
Residents of Lephalale in Limpopo are unhappy about a decision to allow an environmental authorisation assessment for a new coal mine in the Waterberg area, which has a shortage of water and has previously been declared a high pollution zone.
The decision was made by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy.
The new mine, which will be named the Lephalale Coal Mine, will be built in Ga-Shongwana village, which is about 90km from Medupi Power Station.
Emmanuel Mokgawa, a member of the ANC’s Waterberg region, lamented the decision. “The problems with the mines that are built in the area are that they do not think about the environmental effects and do not employ people in the area. They bring their people from other regions to come and work and, as a result, the locals stand to lose on both ends, because we sacrifice our health by drinking unclean water and we can’t afford to buy clean water because we don’t work.”
Last week, residents held a march, led by the regional ANC Women League, against the Exxaro Grootegeluk coal mine in the region, where they complained about the increased pollution which has compromised air quality. They also claim the mine’s owners have not afforded them equal employment opportunities.
The Waterberg Municipality said it would work with the mine to provide a viable solution for the residents.
“We have found the prospective mine to be economically viable. We will work together with the mine to provide residents with clean water and address their concerns,” it said.
What’s behind the residents’ complaints
Residents called for the mine to reduce its carbon emissions and to stop polluting water supplies. They also asked for more local people to be employed.
“Mining activities have harmed the rights of communities across our province in various ways. Such activities have depleted water supplies, polluted the air, soil, and water, and destroyed arable land and ecosystems but we are not benefiting from that facility only the non-locals and the whites,” their demands read.
They also called for the mine’s general manager to be removed from his position. They accused the manager of intimidating people who spoke out about the mine’s problems.
“The DMRE and the government have not been able to address our concerns with the environmental impact of coal in our communities. Eskom and the DMRE would have known these problems had they communicated with us, the residents of Lephalale, before approving the assessment.
“We have Medupi in the nearby area, which is polluting the air, we also have Grootegeluk in the same area. Now they want to add another coal mine, this is going to kill our people,” the statement read.
Lerato Ntobeng, a local activist, echoed these sentiments. “A coal mine will not benefit us in the community because it will bring bad smells into the area. We already have Medupi power station in the area. Another coal mine is an insult to us by the government, because they are trying to tell us that they can afford a mine but cannot afford to give us enough water to sustain us, let alone clean water,” she said.
Speaking to M&G, the DMRE said that several studies were done during the environmental impact assessment process and the mitigation methods were approved by the environmental authority and would provide a solution to the water scarcity when mining resumes in the area.
“The department will always cooperate to ensure collaboration between mining companies and the communities through the municipality. The mining company through the Social and Labour Plan will support the municipality to ensure the supply of water.”
Earthlife taking up the fight
Early this month, environmental group Earthlife Africa filed papers against stakeholders of the Lephalale coal mine for a judicial review of the development of a new mine, which disregarded residents’ concerns.
Earthlife had previously lodged an internal appeal to Creecy for granting the environmental authorisation of the development of the coal mine.
According to court papers, the organisation says the minister’s refusal to appeal against the development necessitated the court review.
The organisation said it was also concerned that Creecy did not consider whether a new coal mine was the best use of water in the area, which was water-stressed.
“The coal mining experts found that the villages surrounding the proposed mine would bear adverse health, social and economic impacts; it failed to consult those communities,” Earthlife wrote.
The court papers, filed at the North Gauteng high court, also state that the proposed site of the mine in the Lephalale area falls in the Waterberg-Bojanala Priority Area, which is designated as an air pollution hotspot as of 2012 under the National Environment Management: Air Quality Act.
Creecy said “the DMRE granted the Lephalale Coal Mine an environmental authorization for listed activities pertaining to the proposed mining of coal. The minister considered all the relevant information relating to the various grounds of appeals that were lodged against the decision taken by the DMRE to grant the EA to Lephalale Coal Mine and on 16 November 2021, the minister issued her appeal decision thereon.” she said.
In 2012, the then minister of water and environmental affairs, Edna Molewa, declared the Waterberg area as a pollution area.
“I am satisfied that the ambient air quality within the Waterberg district municipality in the Limpopo province may exceed the national ambient air quality standards in the near future and that a transboundary situation exists between the Waterberg district municipality and the Bojanala Platinum district municipality in the North West province, which may cause a significant negative impact on air quality in both areas,” she said at the time.
Earthlife Africa’s director, Makoma Lekalakala, said for another coal mine to be considered in an area in which residents already suffer the effects of poor air quality caused by mining and burning of coal is irrational and makes a mockery of the Waterberg-Bojanala Priority Area declaration.
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