Coal of Africa’s preparations for its planned mining operations in the heritage-rich and ecologically sensitive area of Mapungubwe are illegal, environmentalists say.
The Australian-owned company received a permit earlier this year for its Vele Colliery project next to the Mapungubwe National Park, where the world-famous 800-year-old gold rhino statuette was unearthed in 1933. Coal of Africa has been clearing bush that includes baobab trees.
The colliery is 7km from the park’s boundaries and the coal-processing infrastructure would be 27km from Mapungubwe Hill, a World Heritage Site.
According to the environmentalists fighting the mine tooth and nail, Coal of Africa should wait until legal challenges against its planned operations have run their course. They also say the mine does not have a water licence.
“The mine is jumping the gun,” said Nick Hilterman, the president of the Mapungubwe Action Group. “There is a really good chance that they can lose the appeal for the mine to go ahead as well as the legal battle, and then what?”
But Iris Pilane, the spokesperson for Coal of Africa, said the company understood the legal position to be that it required no further authorisation for any of its current preÂparations. She confirmed the mine was clearing bush as part of the development of the mine.
“We are entitled to undertake these activities,” she said, because Coal of Africa had all the necessary permits.
“Following a thorough survey of the areas that have been disturbed and the identification of all legally protected flora species, Coal of Africa has begun clearing some mopane veld,” Pilane said.
Mining at the Vele Colliery would begin when the company received the necessary water permit, she said — probably in the third quarter of 2010.
But the Mail & Guardian understands that the Environmental Affairs Department has refused to approve the environmental-impact assessments on roads and fuel-storage sites for the mine.
Pilane said Coal of Africa had sought permission from the department to construct an access road to the site, but that it was denied.
“While we have other ways of accessing the site, these are less direct and efficient, and potentially more harmful from an environmental perspective than the access road for which permission was refused,” she said. “We are appealing the refusal.”
She said the mine had started construction of internal access roads for which it had permission.
Buyelwa Sonjica, the Environment Minister, has thrown her weight behind opposition to the mine but has not yet met Susan Shabangu, the minister of mineral resources — as Sonjica undertook to do when her department became aware of the mining rights.
Eight organisations, including NGOs and conservation groups, are gearing up for battle against the mine and, under the umbrella of the Mapungubwe Action Group, have launched legal action.
Because of the deforestation and building activities around the mine, the group is considering seeking an interdict to stop the mine’s activities until the pending legal battles have been finalised.
The group argues in legal papers that, if the mine goes ahead, this would mean the start of industrialisation in the Limpopo River valley.
Coal of Africa has signed a letter of intent to supply up to 5-million tons of coal annually from Vele and its sister project, Makhado, to steel giant ArcelorMittal.
Opponents of the mining claim that the coal will be used to power a power station, Mulilo, that is planned for the region.
Anglo Coal is also prospecting on farms in the region and is expected to apply for a prospecting licence in the near future.
Pilane said Coal of Africa was satisfied that it had followed the necessary procedures required by mining law “with respect to obtaining our mining licence and environmental approval for its acÂtivities”.
“We would defend any interdict proceedings brought and believe we would have good prospects of doing so,”she said.