Brickmaker Corobrik has been the subject of a petition since the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy approved an environmental plan for the company’s quarry on Delmas Road, south of Tshwane.
A Greenpeace petition started earlier this year calling for the immediate halt of any assessments and proposals for the “Corobrick coal mine” garnered over 50 000 supporters.
However, the brickmaker wants to set the record straight, saying that it is interested in removing a coal layer to continue with its clay mining.
“Bearing in mind that there is already an established coal mining operation in the area, we have operated our Rietvlei quarry sustainably for 40 years due to our successful mitigation measures,” said the company’s CEO Nick Booth.
The Rietvlei clay quarry is located near the Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
Corobrik said that the removal of the coal deposits that were discovered was the best solution for long-term sustainability.
Booth said that the petition claims that the company is establishing a coal mine, which was not the case.
He said that the discovery of coal had required a few minor adjustments to Corobrik’s environmental planning or mitigation measures at its clay quarry, which has co-existed with the nature reserve for the past 40 years without any disruption.
The company believed that the removal of the coal deposits would add no additional threat to the nature reserve.
“In terms of the responsible way that we mine, it does not affect our planning or the manner in which we conduct our environmental mitigation, but the storage and removal of coal does require additional environmental controls,” noted Booth.
The discovery of a small narrow coal seam led the company to apply to the Department of Minerals and Energy (DMRE) in 2022 to obtain a licence to mine the coal.
The application was to remove the coal and secure ongoing access to the clay reserve.
“Due to the coal deposit that needs to be removed, the DMRE required us to reapply for the permit and restate everything we have done in terms of our original mining licence,” said Booth.
He explained that all coal deposits had clay overlayers, but that the clay was not necessarily usable and is often mixed with other materials as backfill material containing waste coal.
“It is a lot less environment-friendly a process from a sustainability perspective than the normal operation we undertake in our clay quarries,” said Booth.
He said that planning had to consider surface water collection, which involves trenching, containment, and pumping, and for the past 40 years, no water has left the site due to the berm that surrounds the property.
Corobrik believes that because of this, acid mine drainage caused by the coal removal was not an issue and that it conducted regular testing for contaminants.
“The ultimate aim is to reuse that as process water, either as dust suppression or even back into manufacturing to conserve this precious resource.”
Corobrik also believes that natural vegetation is not affected by its quarries, however, dust was one of the most prominent concerns.
“Dust suppression is absolutely critical in terms of not impacting the surrounding community,” said Booth.
He said that the rehabilitated quarry sites could be developed into office complexes and housing developments in the long term and that the land could also be used for agriculture.
“With backfilling, the topsoil is returned with all its seeds present,” explained Booth.
“The grass usually grows back very quickly as long as you have a decent rainy season.
From a sustainability point of view, clay is a very environment-friendly material to mine.
It is not a mineral rock like platinum or gold that requires crushing and processing with its attendant chemical processes.”
Booth said that clay mining was one of the greenest mining processes possible.
Greenpeace Africa’s Cynthia Moyo said that its petition was to protect and preserve the critically endangered ecosystem and wildlife sanctuary of Rietvlei Nature Reserve.
She said that soil, air and water quality, wildlife and biodiversity, and climate impacts were the main concerns about the mining activity.
“At a time when we need to be transitioning to renewable energy and protecting people, our climate and biodiversity, this is a glaring example of what not to do,” Moyo said as part of the petition.
She said that the nature reserve was home to rhino, buffalo, cheetah and birdlife, as well as providing 15% of Pretoria’s water.
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