Residents to keep up fight against coal company
The document received by residents states that the department is satisfied, on the basis of information available to it and subject compliance with the conditions of this environmental authorisation, that the applicant is authorised to undertake the prospecting of coal in the area of 6 108.9 hectares.
Following years of angst over coal-mining prospecting rights being granted in the greater Bapsfontein, Tweefontein, Rietfontein and Varkfonetein region, residents were informed between September 4 and 6, via emails, that the applicants, Bheka Masinga Global, have been given the green light.
Bheka Masinga Global is a 100 per cent black-owned and controlled private investment company that “creates, moulds and executes projects within the agriculture, defence, manufacturing, mining, management consulting and maritime sectors”.
Hillrise Agricultural Holdings resident and member of the Stop Eastern Gauteng Coal Mine Committee (SEGCMC) Denico Brand has since sent an appeal to the minister of environmental affairs on the judgement granted by the Department of Mineral Resources.
Denico said on behalf of the residents, farmers, workers and property owners of Hillrise Agricultural Holdings, she would like to formally appeal the authorisation given to Bheka Masinga Global.
ALSO READ:
“We contend that the public participation process was totally inadequate and does not comply with legislation, let alone its intent,” Brand said.
“The process failed to provide adequate notification of the intended prospecting and did not facilitate meaningful consultation and
participation with the community.
“Due to the ecological sensitivity of the area and the socio-economic and environmental problems resulting from prospecting or mining, this will affect those within the prospecting area and surrounds.”
She added that her objection is strengthened by the fact that she has received the documents detailing the application, as well as the supporting documents relating to the application, and it appears neither the Department of Mineral Resources nor the Environmental Assessment practitioner, Kemu Holdings, took all the objections into account.
“The documents received by myself regarding the application do not show the 223 online objections (which equates to roughly 440 objections) which were submitted via the www.stopeasterngautengcoalmine.co.za website nor the 1 157 online petitions signatures collected through www.gopetition.com,” she said.
Ward 25 councillor Pieter Henning said that while he has been involved in the appeal process on behalf of residents, in light of the latest development “all we have to do is follow the process”.
He added that he received a response from the Department of Environmental Affairs which stated: “In terms of Regulation 4(1) (a) of the National Appeal Regulations, an appellant must submit the appeal to the appeal administrator, and a copy of the appeal to the applicant, any registered interested and affected party and any organ of state with interest in the matter within 20 days from the date that the notification of the decision for an application for an environmental authorisation or a waste management licence was sent to the registered interested and affected parties by the applicant.”
“In light thereof, the appeal period only starts from the date on which you were notified of the decision to grant an Environmental Assessment (in this case, between September 4 and 6).
“Therefore, the due date for the submission of the appeal is around September 25,” Henning said.
SEGCMC encourages residents to appeal before the due date at appeals@environment.gov.za
