Fuleni coal mine opposition not slacking
The Global Environmental Trust Subcommittee Opposing Mining Expansion (GETSOME) remains active in its quest to put an end to the proposed mine.
SINCE prospecting licenses were made public in June, opposition to Ibutho Coal’s Fuleni coal mine continues to gain momentum.
The Global Environmental Trust Subcommittee Opposing Mining Expansion (GETSOME) remains active in its quest to put an end to the proposed mine whose boundary would lie a mere 40 metres from the boundary of world-renowned Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP).
Perhaps the most high profile of GETSOME’s anti-mine expansion involvement is its recent request to reject the final scoping report for the Fuleni application.
In a letter to KZN’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDT) and Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (DAEA) on 14 August, GETSOME’s legal representative, Kirsten Youens, requested the rejection in terms of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations.
Youens’ letter stated the scoping report does not contain material information required in terms of EIA regulations.
‘The details (or lack thereof) of the several EIA specialists set out on page 12 of the scoping report are of concern, given the complexity and scale of this project,’ Youens’ letter stated.
The letter went on to question the qualifications of EIA specialists, including the specialists for biodiversity and wilderness mapping.
‘The specialist for stakeholder engagement has no experience or qualifications that provide any assurance he would be able to manage the contentious stakeholder and public engagements,’ said Youens.
Mouthpiece
GETSOME continues to speak on behalf of affected Fuleni communities who were reportedly not consulted prior to the granting of Ibutho Coal’s prospecting licenses for the area.
In related Zululand mining activities, Global Environmental Trust (GET), CAWA and Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA), through Youens, sent another letter to DEDT and DAEA questioning the administrative fine issued to Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC) earlier this year.
The letter contested the DAEA’s response to ZAC’s unauthorised activities between 2006 and 2010 and its ‘slap-on-the-wrist’ fine of R497 000.
‘GETSOME strongly argues that the fine… is a travesty of justice, given the extent of illegal activities over such a lengthy period,’ said Youens’ letter.
In response, ZAC Managing Director, Niels Kristensen, reiterated his comment at the time the fine was issued, ‘Since discovering this [administrative oversight] we have made an application to rectify this omission and have paid an administrative penalty which we believe was appropriate’.
Kristensen went on to say ZAC provides jobs for 1 300 people and generates significant socio-economic benefits to a further 80 000 people from communities immediately surrounding the mine.
