Proposed Coal Mine and Power Station for World Heritage Site

Life is seldom black and white, right and wrong. Take for example the proposed creation of an open cast coal mine and new power station (“half the size of Koeberg”) that is according to some, in ‘advanced planning stages’ – location: a mere 7 km from Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site, Limpopo.

 

 

 

 

Arguably South Africa’s ‘most sacred’ place could become the next Witbank (SA’s largest coal mining town).

 

Imagine the stillness, now punctuated by birdsong, shattered by the noise from the mining. Or the pristine, endless views interrupted by unsightly mine structures. This is not the ambiance one would want when visiting such a place.

 

 

 

 

My guess is that most people''s immediate reaction will be negative - strongly so. But is it all a bad idea?

 

 

 

Pros….

 

• On the one hand, the coal stream in the area is reportedly valued at R3 trillion – surely this rich resource can’t be left un-tapped just because it happens to be on the doorstep of a world heritage site?

 

• The area is in desperate need of more electricity – not to mention more foreign investment that would be a direct result of the developments going ahead.

 

• And what about the 600 + jobs it would create for those living in the area? In these unhappy economic times job creation is a big deal. People who might otherwise be unable to feed their families could have steady employment that helps them put food on the table for years to come.

 

And cons….

 

• On the other hand, environmentalists are up in arms at this proposed development, stating that the region will become a heavy industrial zone and that the natural and cultural heritage will be sacrificed on the altar of commerce and development.The mine’s own report states that it will have “14 different kinds of negative environmental impacts, including the disruption of legally protected plant species”.

 

• And then there is the very real threat to tourism in the area – tourism that currently brings thousands from all over the world to this special place annually to experience the natural beauty of the national park and the rich history of the world heritage site.

 

According to local tourism news siteTravelHub,

 

The area where the coal mine and power station are to be established is part of the proposed TransFrontier Conservation Area covering Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa.  The Treaty to establish Phase 1 of the Mapungubwe TransFrontier Conservation Area, as it is to be called, is ready to be sent to the Ministers concerned.

 Even with the best environmental controls, the environmental degradation caused by coal mining, similar to that around Witbank, will kill any hopes of growing tourism and protecting our heritage in this prime pristine area of Africa.

 

SANParks has publically opposed the proposed mine, siting concerns over the water and minerals in the area as chief concerns.

 

Conflicting reports…

 

According to a recent report in the Sunday Times (12 April 09) a spokesman for the minister of minerals and energy (Buyelwa Sonjica) said that at that stage there had been no mining licenses issued and that all they had received to date was “an application”. However this seems to contradict the fact that the Australian company behind the mine is reported to have already purchased land making up half of the required 8 600 ha needed.

 

Meanwhile the minister of environmental affairs and tourism (Marthinus van Schalkwyk) has spoken out against the proposed projects, calling them ‘undesirable’.

 

Government will have the final word on whether this development happens or not – so it seems these two departments need to sit down and have a serious talk! A case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing?

 

Your views wanted..

 

We would be interested to know your opinions on the proposed projects.

 

Is it more important to protect a world heritage site which is located in a place of natural beauty and is a centre for tourism, or to create much needed jobs and electricity for the community in a place that is rich in resources to fuel such a development?

 

Comments below…

 

 (Images: Zypresse. Creative Commons License)

 

1 Response to Proposed Coal Mine and Power Station for World Heritage Site

The Tourism and Conservation Lobby here in South Africa, and in Australia where the mining capital funding will come from and to where the profits will return, needs to mobilize and mobilze rapidly. This is a serious threat to South African cultural and environmental integrity internationally and needs to be approached with the same vigour as Dune Mining in the Cape Vidal Eastern Shores region.
Next thing the ever present threat of coal and other mineral mining inside Kruger will again rear its head if Mapungubwe is lost!
SANParks Board is commended for speaking out about the mining permit but the public needs to know that the new cabinet arrangement seems to have put the San Parks Board under a former Minister of Minerals and Energy so the Board could find itself as a lone voice in the wilderness of political intrigue and vested interests as has been the history of wildlife and heritage development in most southern African Countries right throughout colonial and post colonial eras!
In spite of a sensible constitutional provision regarding the environment, nature, wild places and heritage sites have not yet achieved the status they require in the people''s minds to ensure that our children''s children and thereafter visit places of beauty and environmental diversity as is our duty to hand down to generations to come!
Pamberi ne Conservation! -Pansi! ne coal mining close to Mapungubwe

John Davison
Wildlife Experiences
Registered Nature Guide KZN 0414
FGASA Member No 4856
Pinetown - South Africa


By John Davison (5 years ago)

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