Work on ‘super mine dump’ proceeding
Permission has already been granted for the project.
Some farmers in the Fochville area are upset because work on a massive mine tailings facility has started to proceed.
Residents of the area have noticed work starting at a large unmarked site about 11 kilometres outside Fochville on the right side next of the road past Greenspark.
“We heard about the mega mine dump that is going to be built in the area. But then everything went quiet and we heard nothing for about eight years. The fact that the project is now proceeding is certainly going to affect us negatively,” says one of the affected residents, Mrs Ingrid Gietzmann.
Gietzmann and several other concerned residents contacted the well-known environmentalist, Ms Mariette Liefferink, for assistance.
“This is not just a mega mining dump. It is a super dump that is bigger than any other slimes dam that has ever been erected in this area,” says Liefferink.
The Doornfontein storage facility being built by Goldfields is currently the biggest being built in the area and will be about 80 metres high. The colossal new “super dump” being built by Rand West Gold Recoveries will, however, be even three times bigger.
Liefferink says, however, that the new “super dump” is being built with state-of-the art features to limit its effect on the environment.
“It differs a lot from the historical mine dumps in the area as there will be many monitoring systems in place. There are also many drainage systems. It has a “downstream design” which has high costs but a lower risk. According to new legislation the new dump will also have to be lined, which will lower the risk of groundwater being polluted,” Liefferink added.
The affected residents, however, complain that they were not properly notified of the new super and had not been part of the public participation process.
Liefferink is currently following this matter up with Greg Ovens, who is part of the Far West Gold Recoveries project, as the public participation process was already finished in 2017. The company Digby Wells handled the public participation.
The only part of the project that was recently concluded is the new design that includes a lining.
Although there were originally plans to buy the farm Geluksdal for the project, the other land next to the road past Greenspark has since been bought for the project.
“I have asked Greg Ovens to hold a meeting with the affected people to discuss the issues. This will happen in about two weeks,” Liefferink says.
