Mining application lodged for Schoemanskloof

A community meeting was recently held to discuss a mining permit application for gold and several other minerals on a portion of land in the Schoemanskloof area.

The Schoemanskloof community, including local farmers, the trustees of the land and residents neighbouring it, met at the Mashobotho Community Properties Association (CPA) packhouse on the morning of June 22 to discuss the mining permit, as well as the hopes and concerns surrounding the application. The 5ha of land on which the mining would take place should the application be approved, belongs to the Mashobotho CPA.

The meeting revealed that the mining permit application had been lodged with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy by Glyn Mining, with the permission of the CPA, to mine for platinum group metals, chrome ore, vanadium ore, iron ore, coal and gold ore.

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Heading the meeting was the environmental consultant for Glyn Mining, Vuyani Mafanele of Mafanele Geoenviro Consulting and Projects. He told attendees that although the application stated several different minerals, the main focus was on gold. He said he was still busy with the environmental impact assessment, which takes a detailed look at possible environmental impacts as a result of the mining, and conducts a diversity study.

A brief regarding the scope of the mining, a map of where it would take place, and a letter of acceptance of the application by the department was handed out to those present. The acceptance emphasised that the application was being evaluated and processed, and did not grant permission to start mining on the land.

Mafanele told the attendees that the meeting was the first of many, and that the entire process was still in the beginning stages. He said the mining would be opencast and expected the environmental impact to be minimal, as the land portion was fairly small. He said it was important to have input from affected parties to move the process forward.

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Concerns raised by neighbours and farmers in the area involved access to the mine from the road, how the CPA would benefit, and the alleged ongoing illegal mining and how a legal mining venture could end this. Other concerns were where the mining waste would be dumped, the degradation of the land, the impact on the underground water, the influence on the Komati River Catchment and rehabilitation of the land.

CPA member Elizabeth Siboza said its beneficiaries included more or less 120 households, and therefore the well-being of the land was important to the members.
She said the agreement between Glyn Mining and the CPA is that the people of Mashobotho would be given first choice of jobs, unless there were specialist positions that the CPA members were not qualified for.

She added that the hope was that illegal mining in the area would stop if Glyn Mining started work on the property, as it meant an increase in security, fencing and the protection of the mining company’s investment, being the minerals. She also echoed Mafanele’s sentiments that the meeting was not the final engagement, and that the CPA wanted input from everyone.