Mining meeting at ESDA falls apart after applicant fails to show
New State Area residents upset after a no-show by mining management
The community meeting about the proposed mining by Motsetse Industries in the New State Area last Saturday morning at ESDA Retirement Village fell apart after the management failed to show due to an alleged family emergency.
The purpose of the meeting was to inform interested and affected parties about the proposed mining, which many only found out about through reading the legal notices in The Addie in October last year.
Also read: Mixed verdict about the public meeting about the proposed Palmietkuilen Mining Project
The proposed mining would take place within the vicinity of ESDA Retirement Village and would mine copper ore, silver and gold ore, among other minerals.
Residents were upset when Moses Mpepu from Archean Resources (a consultant for the company), informed community members that he would only be giving a presentation and would not be able to answer residents’ questions about how the mining would affect their lives, property and the community in general.
Upon hearing this, some residents walked out of the meeting saying, “We would rather settle for another meeting, with the right people on stage.”
Also read: Fracking not part of Palmietkuilen project
After the walkout, James Williams, member of the ESDA Retirement Village management committee, informed those who remained about what their primary concerns about the proposed mine were.
These concerns were centred around the issues of noise pollution, dust pollution, rehabilitation, crime and potential damage to property.
Approximately 1 200 houses would be affected by the mining should it go ahead.
At the time of publishing, it was unclear when the next meeting would take place.
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