Susan Shabangu, the minister of mineral resources, agrees that mining should not take place in ecologically sensitive areas.
She responded this week to a recent proposal by 10 mainstream environmental organisations that, in addition to areas where prospecting and mining are prohibited by law, ecosystems of vital importance should be declared no-go zones.
“We are not an irresponsible department. Our new system of granting prospecting licences will interface with the departments of water affairs and environmental affairs. Our minister has undertaken not to allow mining in ecologically sensitive areas,” said the minister’s spokesperson, Musa Zondi.
At the Mining Indaba in Cape Town recently the minister announced that a six-month moratorium on prospecting licences would be lifted in March but not in Mpumalanga because much of the province was ecologically sensitive, Zondi said.
“We must examine prospecting licences granted in ecologically sensitive areas because we should not mine in such areas.”
The moratorium was declared in September last year to allow the department to examine its systems. An audit of prospecting licences was conducted countrywide.
“It is unclear when this will be completed or made public,” he said. “Senior people went to the provinces to examine who has applied for what licences, if work had begun and whether commitments around prospecting had been kept. The current legislation is ambiguous around ecologically sensitive areas and this could be an area that requires change.”
The 10 environmental NGOs said declaring no-go mining zones would be in compliance with many legislative imperatives, including the Constitution.
“Our proposal is a formal application by civil society organisations to the minister to exercise her discretion under the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act, having regard to the national interest and the need to promote the sustainable development of the nation’s mineral resources, to prohibit or restrict granting reconnaissance, prospecting and mining rights and permits,” they said.
Protecting critical natural environments would help South Africa mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The 10 NGOs include the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the Centre for Environmental Rights, Earthlife Africa, the Federation for a Sustainable Environment and the Worldwide Fund for Nature.
The areas they propose be declared no-go mining zones are world heritage areas, special nature reserves, national parks or nature reserves, marine protected areas, mountain catchment areas, Ramsar sites, recognised endangered and critically endangered ecosystems and specially protected forest areas.