Mining ministry to call legal shots
The Mercury: August 20, 2007 Edition 1
Tony Carnie
THE mining ministry has thumbed its nose at South Africa’s official environmental custodian, by declaring that it will now call the legal shots on all future environmental mining disputes.
The move has triggered fears that other government departments may attempt to follow suit and sideline the national environmental department by setting up their own in-house environment branches to approve anything from nuclear power stations to airports or major toll roads.
It has also heightened fears that final decisions to mine the Wild Coast and other ecologically sensitive areas will be handed exclusively to the Department of Minerals and Energy. [Read more…]
Posted on August 20th, 2007 by admin
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Sunday Tribune. August 12, 2007. Edition 2
Fred Kockott
PONDOLAND Queen, MaSobhuza Sigcau, has accused an Australian company, planning to excavate heavy minerals from coastal dunes on the Transkei Wild Coast, of misleading its shareholders and the Australian Stock Exchange about community support for the project.
The mining company, Minerals Commodities Ltd, claimed in its quarterly report, in October 27 last year, that the Amadiba community, where mining is planned, “continues to unanimously support the project and has formed a consultative forum supported by the traditional leaders, King and Queen of Pondoland as well as local government authorities”.
“That is a big lie,” said Sigcau, after a meeting on Thursday with residents from the Amadiba area who are concerned that mining proposals have sown division in the community. [Read more…]
Posted on August 12th, 2007 by admin
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by Erika Schutze
Residents in the Xolobeni district in Pondoland find themselves the victims of the manipulative tactics of an Australian mining company on the hunt for titanium deposits, the tunnel vision of the Department of Minerals and Energy, as well as a couple of scheming ANC bigwigs (ex of the Department of Trade and Industry) intent on becoming the BEE beneficiaries of the proposed mining deal — without ever having consulted those to whom the land belongs.
Moreover, the BEE deal that has been set up effectively lands the local tribal shareholders in massive debt for the 26 percentage of shares that they do get: they may only earn dividends after their shares have been paid off, projected to take at least three years if revenues match expectation. [Read more…]
Posted on August 5th, 2007 by admin
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