As construction of the Vele Colliery near South Africa’s Mapungubwe World Heritage site was approved for the Australian mining company CoAL of Africa Limited, protests have not settled down. However the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) insists that it was science and not emotion that allowed it to make the decision.
The DEA said that the company CoAL of Africa has complied with all the specifications to mine near the World Heritage Site. Deputy Director General Ishaam Abader said that the environmental impact of the mine had already been looked at using various special studies.
He said that there was a heritage impact assessment that was around soil, ground water, surface water,biodiversity and air quality. While the approval allows the company to begin construction they will be keeping a close eye to make sure that they are actually complying with the conditions attached to the authorization.
Environmental groups which have huge concerns over the mining site have threatened legal action against the department. Their argument has been that game and nature reserves, schools, homes and game farms in the sensitive site will be affected from the noise of the mine. They have plans to appeal the decision in the high court.
As per CoAL of Africa, the construction phase at Vele is expected to be completed within six to nine months from the restart date and will ultimately ramp up to an initial production profile of 1 million tonnes per annum. Re-employment of staff and contractors will be phased in line with the production ramp-up.
John Wallington, Chief Executive Officer of CoAL commented, “We welcome the decision by the DEA which acknowledges the Company’s efforts in achieving compliance under NEMA. As stated previously the Colliery has an approved NOMR and Environmental Management Program from the Department of Mineral Resources. This development is a further significant step towards the reopening of the mine. Vele has the potential to bring significant positive benefits to the Limpopo region and to the South African economy as a whole. We are very aware of our broader obligation to the responsible development of our assets, and we are acutely aware of the sensitivity of the area and the significant responsibilities the approval brings. We are committed to engaging continually with all key stakeholders as development resumes and operations commence.”