In arguing against Atha-Africa and its BEE partner being given a mining right in a formally protected area, a civil society coalition said the proposed 15-year coal mine would cause “unacceptable pollution and degradation of the environment”. But their main point to the court was that a “poor decision-making process” had led to the granting of the right.
The mining industry accounts for about 20% of all investment in South Africa and generates R 441 billion in expenditure annually, of which R 407 billion is spent locally.
Despite its importance, the mining industry is facing severe pressure on various fronts, including costs, environmental liability, and the lack of a cohesive strategy in terms of minerals demanded by the future green economy.
Never-before-seen data shows a fortune has been set aside for mine rehabilitation in South Africa. But large mines are not being properly closed, and the money cannot be touched. Mark Olalde investigates
The closure of the mine at Blyvooruitzicht, which sat on one of South Africa's richest gold deposits, threw all 1,700 workers out of a job.
WITH hands covered with liver spots, Stan Madden points out the expanse of Aston Lake glimmering in the distance Fields of near-ripened mealies and clusters of soya beans stretch across this fertile, wetland-sodden landscape on the outskirts of Springs
South African mining veteran Peter Skeat is pressing ahead with plans to squeeze more gold out of an 80-year-old ransacked gold mine west of Johannesburg after settling a dispute with three former partners.
Oxpeckers publishes never-before-seen data exposing the lack of mine closures, despite R45-billion being held in financial provisions for rehabilitation in 2015. Investigation by Mark Olalde
The FSE conducts regular tours with interested and affected parties, of the West Rand gold fields and Sibanye Gold’s operations.
Eighty-two shafts without warning signs. Twenty-two open shafts. Three waterlogged holings. And of the reported closed mine shafts, 64 had collapsed or needed refilling.
These are among the main findings of a Department of Mineral Resources’ “Risk Area Status” report spanning the Witwatersrand’s mining belt from November 2011.
Blyvooruitzicht, a once prosperous mine town, has become a haven for criminals. Residents fear for their lives following the closure of the town's gold mine in 2013.
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has been accused of “authorising pollution”, after its water quality tests for its acid mine drainage (AMD) plants in the Witwatersrand surpassed the government’s own water resource quality objectives.
Fifteen years ago, the cost to fill South Africa’s sinkholes exceeded R1 billion. That number has risen, and the effects are more than disastrous, writes Mark Olalde
"Various organisations have done critical work on understanding the impacts on mining in 2016. The Centre for Environmental Rights has exposed the brutal reality of poor governance and its entrenched nature. The Centre for Applied Legal Studies has clearly shown that the Social Labour Plans, promising a new life for those whose lands are destroyed, has failed to deliver. The writing is on the wall. Mining does not work for people."
Download the full report:www.groundwork.org.za
A new hard-hitting report from Harvard Law School details how South Africa has failed to meet its human rights obligations concerning gold mining in and around Joburg. Bonnie Docherty, who led the research, spoke to Sheree Bega
Johannesburg - Great riches and high risks. That’s the story of gold mining on the Witwatersrand, where the sparkle of the gold rush led to a boom that would give rise to Joburg, turning it into one of the most powerful cities on the continent. But the hunt for gold would also irrevocably alter our socio-political and natural landscape.
MINING Re-discovering Water Roots: the Consequences of Nickel Mine Prospecting in the Groot Marico River Region, South AfricaResearch project attached for download. |
Sisulu: Third of Audited Mines Violate Conditions of Water Use LicenceArticle written by Sheree Bega | 5 January 2021Costly cleanup: Mine waste water ... |
SA NEWS FSE - DONATION OF TREES AND TREE PLANTING IN SIMUNYE, WEST RAND IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOUTH DEEP MINEThe FSE, in association with Gold Fields’ South Deep Mine, donated 40 white Karee Trees (Searsia penduline) during Arbor Week to the mining affected community of Simunye in the West Rand and participated in the tree planting ceremony with the community of Simunye, the local Municipality and officials from South Deep Mine. The FSE also delivered a presentation during the ceremony. |
"Varkies" gou op hok, maar als nie pluis | BeeldArticle also available for download as an attachment. |
Radon Alert - Carte BlancheMillions of South Africans are exposed to radioactive radon gas in their homes and workplaces every day, as the naturally occurring gas escapes through cracks in the earth. The second leading cause of lung cancer in several countries, radon breaks down and when inhaled, decaying atoms emit alpha radiation that can damage the DNA. There are no safe levels of radon concentration. The United States Environmental Protection Agency emphasises any radon exposure has some risk of causing lung cancer. Carte Blanche investigates why South Africa has no regulations to protect against radon accumulation in the home and what you can do to test your home and prevent lung cancer. Watch the video here. |
WITS Economics & Finance Courses: Mining for Development: The Taxation LinkageEconomics & Finance Courses at the University of the Witwatersrand. Mining for Development: The Taxation Linkage - Understand taxation for development and sustainability in mining. View the course here. Enrolment starts on the 7th of October 2019. |
WATER FSE’s presentation to the Water and Sanitation Sector Leadership Group’s (WSSLG)* Sustainable Development Goal 6 Task Team on Thursday, the 26th of November 2020.*The Water and Sanitation Sector Leadership Group (WSSLG) is the highest non-statutory strategic sector partnership forum for the South African water sector. The WSSLG serves as a think tank for the water sector and prepares an overarching national action agenda for implementing the National Water and Sanitation Resource Strategy 2 (NWSRS2) and ensures that sound policies, laws, strategies, programmes and institutions are developed to achieve the goals outlined in the NWRS2. The WSSLG also actively facilitates dialogue between the Department of Water and Sanitation, government departments, civil society and the private sector for input, support and contributions to joint strategic and coordinated actions to improve the implementation of water sector policies, strategies and programmes. In its advisory role, the WSSLG provides recommendations on policies, legislation, programmes and strategies and serves as credible forum for stakeholder consultation and involvement in the development of sector policies, legislation, programmes and strategies. Presentation attached for download. |
How Relevant are the Vaal Barrage's Catchment ForumsArticle in North Star - Vereeniging & Midvaal.Author: Johann Tempelhoff Art... |
UNPACKING THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN WATERPDF article attached for download.... |