Die emosiebelaaide gevoelens oor die omstrede Elandsfontein/Kropz-fosfaatmyn buite Hopefield is te verstane as ‘n mens kyk wat sedert die Marikana-slagting in 2012 in die SA mynbedryf aangaan.
Dis duidelik dat die Departement van Minerale Hulpbronne (DMH) wat sedert 2014 die mynsepter swaai, nie die nodige bevoegdheid, kennis of politieke wil het om die bedryf te reguleer en te beheer nie.
Sommer hier neffens Saldanhabaai het die omstrede Australiese mynmaatskappy Mineral Resources Commodities (MRC) se Tonmin-myn soveel skade aan die kuslyn naby Vredendal aangerig dat die Departement van Omgewingsake einde Oktober ‘n klopjag op die myn uitgevoer het. Dit het gevolg ná volgehoue klagtes van ongerymdhede sedert Tonmin se mynbedrywighede in Maart 2014 begin het. Klagtes is ontvang van onwettige mynstrukture wat op die strandgebied opgerig is; dat daar in verbode bewaringsgebiede gemyn word tot die massa-ineenstorting van rotskranse onder die mynverwerkingsaanleg.
“These beaches are famous for their pink sands, tinted by high proportions of garnet, a super-hard and therefore commercially useful mineral. Other minerals – zircon, ilmenite, rutile and leucoxene – were further treasures hidden within the pink sands. These minerals collectively make up almost half of the beach by volume, a veritable bonanza. Tormin declared a profit of $12.9 million on a turnover of $48 million in 2015, its first full year of operation.
From the outset Tormin only had environmental clearance to extract around 5% of the minerals, specifically the zircon and rutile. This would have had only limited environmental impact. However the mine unilaterally began to extract the full range of minerals from the sand, a move that placed the environment of the mine at serious risk through extraction of half of the beach sand by volume.” (Lees volle berig):
http://www.groundup.org.za/article/authorities-finally-move-against-australian-mining-company/
Dieselfde MRC moes in Julie vanjaar ook sy titaanmynbedrywighede in Xolobeni aan die Oos-Kaapse Wildekus staak ná die gemeenskap in opstand gekom het oor die raaiselagtige moord op die groepleier van ‘n teenmyn-aksiegroep, Sikhosiphi “Bazooka” Rhadebe, in Maart vanjaar. (Lees volle berig hier):
Bogenoemde onreëlmatighede in die mynbedryf bewys die gebrekkige beheer en omgewingsbestuur, asook die skuiwergate in huidige wetgewing wat dit vir gesoute mynmaatskappye maklik maak om prosedures en noodsaaklike impakstudies te systap – presies waarvan KROPZ aangekla word.
Die Weskus-Omgewingsbewaringsassosiasie WOBA moes ná maande se gesoebat uiteindelik deur wetgewing ‘n afskrif van Kropz se aansoek om ‘n waterlisensie bekom en het kenners aangestel om dit te fynkam. Hulle is veral ontsteld oor bewoording in die aansoek wat daarop dui dat die myn wel van die water in die akwifers vir mynbedrywighede gaan gebruik – nadat daar herhaaldelik verseker is dat die water in die akwifers deur pypleidings na die lagoon herlei gaan word.
Hier is WOBA se emosionele reaksie op KROPZ se gewraakte aansoek om ‘n waterlisensie – wat tot op hede nog nie toegestaan is nie:
“Recharging the aquifer, they say, is not going to touch the aquifers’ water, they say, simply bypass the mining area and pump the water in lower down, they say to the public. Yet what does the water license application say? The water license application say that they will pump 650 720 000 litres of water out of the aquifer per year and then the dreaded term “water will be consumed” . In their geohydrological report they indicate that water flows at a maximum of 5l per second, 26 boreholes will be utilised to pump 375l/s for the first year 220l/s for the second year and at a rate of 175l/s till the mine closes! Boreholes will terminate in the pliable peat clay layer, which separates the two aquifers. The aquifer functions under extreme pressure. The mining operation will remove 90 million tonnes of pressure from the aquifer. No EIA was done to determine the probability of impact on the groundwater. The offset study written by an independent consultant shows that it does not include an offset on groundwater as the consultant had to use an offset study which was written by 2 directors of the mine – Michelle Laurenson and Phillip le Roux (le Roux has subsequently resigned as Director) and Martin Carstens.”
Here is a link to the court papers and an extract from EEM’s Water Use License Application.