A top Eastern Cape legal expert has been appointed as chairman of a committee to oversee the environmental impact of the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) near Port Elizabeth, the National Ports Authority (NPA) announced on Monday.
NPA representative Donald Kau said in a statement Prof Rob Midgley of Rhodes University would chair the Ngqura/Coega environmental monitoring committee.
”Professor Midgley has a critical, independent mind and that is crucial in managing the diverse interests represented in the committee,” he said.
The committee was established in November last year to monitor the compliance with environmental conditions for the development of the R2,6-billion Coega IDZ.
The committee comprises representatives from developers, the NPA, the Coega Development Corporation, local and national authorities, the SA National Parks, the local business community, civil society, environmental non-governmental organisations and the affected community.
Kau said Midgley taught negotiation, mediation and arbitration at the university’s faculty of law. He was an experienced facilitator, mediator and conciliator in labour, community and environmental disputes.
He said the newly elected chairman’s role was to ensure that all parties participated effectively in the committee so that permit conditions were complied with. ”Parties should hear and accommodate each other’s views in the development process. While such a major development is important, we have to ensure that it takes place in conformity with international environmental standards,” Kau said. – Sapa