A DECISION by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu is imminent on an appeal to stop her granting rights to mine titanium from sand dunes along a pristine stretch of the Wild Coast.

In a written reply to a parliamentary question, tabled on Monday, Shabangu declined to make public the findings of an earlier environmental impact assessment (EIA) into the plans of Transworld Energy Mineral Resources to mine the heavy mineral.

Read more …..

Posted on May 10th, 2011 by Louis
Filed under: Articles, Current Issues, Newspaper and Media, Press Releases | No Comments »

ZWF INFO FYI – SWC ~ Sustaining the Wild Coast ~ Xolobeni Mining Updates

Minister delays mine appeal decision

MINERAL Resources’ Minister Susan Shabangu has told Pondoland opponents of a titanium dune mining project that she needs another month to consider their appeal against the Xolobeni coastal dune mining project. Shabangu had been scheduled to announce this week her decision on the appeal by the Amadiba Crisis Committee, which is based on the alleged failure of the applicant mining company to properly consult on the project with either residents of the area or the king and queen of Pondoland.

ZWF COMMENT :: Mining Consultants & Environmentalists alike have expressed grave reservations that this finance stricken Australian mining company (see story below) would be able to meet any of its rehabilitation obligations of the mining strip of prime coastal habitat (see map above) – It is imperative that Minister Shabangu is made aware of this critical situation – please contact your MP to hammer home this message.

This is yet another worrying saga in the growing onslaught by surface strip mining which threatens numerous regions of Zululand (current & future) & South Africa, as well as regions to the North – The Aussie/Chinese threat is ever daunting !!

ASX:MRC Financial Status

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 12:31 AM PDT

THE Australian company given rights to strip-mine along the Wild Coast has reported heavy financial losses, and is facing legal battles that may cost it even more. Mineral Commodities, whose chairman is Joseph Caruso, 61, and managing director Mark Caruso, 45, posted a R48million loss last year. The Perth-based miner’s future hinges on two South African projects: the controversial Xolobeni on the Wild Coast and Tormin on the West Coast. These it hopes to finance from its 5.7 percent stake in London AIM- listed Allied Gold, which operates mines in Papua New Guinea.

The latest facts emerging about the company have increased criticism that the Department of Minerals and Energy did not check the company’s financial standing thoroughly enough when it awarded the licence to mine in an environmental hot-spot .
Apart from the financial check, the Department of Environment and Tourism (Deat) concluded its report on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) with: “The department has grave concerns with regard to the proposed mining developments in the area and objects to it.

“Several crucial aspects and specialist studies are lacking. From the documentation submitted, it is clear that the accepted and adopted planning and policy guidelines for the area have not been taken into consideration and several of the legislative requirements have not been met.
“No time frames or schedules are included to indicate whether they will be adhered to.
“Deat has not received the application for the listed activities in terms of the EIA regulations under the National Environmental Management Act.

“This alone is an almost fatal flaw in the public process to be followed.”
In addition to the Deat’s rejection of the EIA , the SA Human Rights Commission alleged that the required community support for the controversial project had been obtained “Mafia-style”.

source : www.wccoa.co.za

Media Release Issued by Kibao Communications On behalf of Amadiba Crisis Committee

Posted: 29 Mar 2011 11:42 PM PDT

Issued by Kibao Communications
On behalf of Amadiba Crisis Committee
Further info:

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu has failed to make a decision on the appeal against the mining right granted to Australian junior mining company Mineral Resources Commodities into mine the dunes at Xolobeni on the Wild Coast. She was due to speak on the controversial project on March 25, over two and a half years after the Amadiba Community threatened to take the Minister to Court to stop the mining project that has since 2003 become an ever more menacing threat to the unique biodiversity of the Wild Coast and traditional way of life of the amaMpondo.

Speaking on behalf of the Amadiba Crisis Committee which appealed the decision to allow mining, Sinegugu Zakhulu said “We cannot imagine what is causing her indecision on the matter. The Human Rights Commission as far back in 2007 was critical of the mining proposal, and even a special task team of the Mineral Resources Board, which was chaired by Patakile Holomisa, found glaring shortcomings in the mining rights application, including evidence that the traditional leadership, which includes the Chief and the King of amaMpondo were never consulted. This is apart from all the problems the task team found, with the water permits that had not been applied for, and the overwhelmingly negative long term environmental and economic impacts.

This is totally unacceptable because it is not only the mining which is ‘on hold’ but the revival of eco-tourism that is on hold, with all its job
creation potential”.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WRITTEN REPLY TO QUESTION NO 3557

Posted: 28 Feb 2011 01:30 AM PST

Mr S B Farrow (DA) to ask the Minister of Transport:

(1) Whether the consultants who conducted the environmental impact assessment for the proposed N2 toll road through the Wild Coast considered the viability of upgrading the R61 as an alternative; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether an official in his department instructed them that a case should be made for why the R61 should not be upgraded as an alternative to the proposed N2 toll road; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (a) to what degree was the independence of the EIA process compromised and (b) what are the further relevant details;

(3) whether the official who gave this instruction will be disciplined; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW4397E

For further information contact Val Payne (SWC) at webmaster@swc.org.za

Posted on April 18th, 2011 by Louis
Filed under: Current Issues, Related Info | No Comments »

THE Australian company given rights to strip-mine along the Wild Coast has reported heavy financial losses, and is facing legal battles that may cost it even more.

Mineral Commodities, whose chairman is Joseph Caruso, 61, and managing director Mark Caruso, 45, posted a R48million loss last year.
The Perth-based miner’s future hinges on two South African projects: the controversial Xolobeni on the Wild Coast and Tormin on the West Coast.

These it hopes to finance from its 5.7 percent stake in London AIM- listed Allied Gold, which operates mines in Papua New Guinea.
The latest facts emerging about the company have increased criticism that the Department of Minerals and Energy did not check the company’s financial standing thoroughly enough when it awarded the licence to mine in an environmental hot-spot .
Apart from the financial check, the Department of Environment and Tourism (Deat) concluded its report on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) with: “The department has grave concerns with regard to the proposed mining developments in the area and objects to it.

“Several crucial aspects and specialist studies are lacking. From the documentation submitted, it is clear that the accepted and adopted planning and policy guidelines for the area have not been taken into consideration and several of the legislative requirements have not been met.
“No time frames or schedules are included to indicate whether they will be adhered to.
“Deat has not received the application for the listed activities in terms of the EIA regulations under the National Environmental Management Act.

“This alone is an almost fatal flaw in the public process to be followed.”
In addition to the Deat’s rejection of the EIA , the SA Human Rights Commission alleged that the required community support for the controversial project had been obtained “Mafia-style”.

source : www.wccoa.co.za

Posted on April 14th, 2011 by Louis
Filed under: Articles, Current Issues, Newspaper and Media | No Comments »

Issued by Kibao Communications
On behalf of Amadiba Crisis Committee
Further info:

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu has failed to make a decision on the appeal against the nining right granted to Australian junior mining company Mineral Resources Commodities mto mine the dunes at Xolobeni on the Wild Coast. She was due to speak on the controversial project on March 25, over two and a half years after the Amadiba Community threatened to take the Minister to Court to stop the mining project that has since 2003 become an ever more menacing threat to the unique biodiversity of the Wild Coast and traditional way of life of the amaMpondo.

Speaking on behalf of the Amadiba Crisis Commitee which appealed the decision to allow mining, Sinegugu Zakhulu said “We cannot imagine what is causing her indecision on the matter. The Human Rights Commission as far back in 2007 was critical of the mining proposal, and even a special task team of the Mineral Resources Board, which was chaired by Patakile Holomisa, found glaring shortcomings in the mining rights application, including evidence that the traditional leadership, which includes the Chief and the King of amaMpondo were never consulted. This is apart from all the problems the task team found, with the water permits that had not been applied for, and the overwhelmingly negative long term environmental and economic impacts.

This is totally unacceptable because it is not only the mining which is ‘on hold’ but the revival of eco-tourism that is on hold, with all its job
creation potential”.

Posted on March 30th, 2011 by Louis
Filed under: Current Issues, Press Releases | No Comments »

Mr S B Farrow (DA) to ask the Minister of Transport:

(1) Whether the consultants who conducted the environmental impact assessment for the proposed N2 toll road through the Wild Coast considered the viability of upgrading the R61 as an alternative; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether an official in his department instructed them that a case should be made for why the R61 should not be upgraded as an alternative to the proposed N2 toll road; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (a) to what degree was the independence of the EIA process compromised and (b) what are the further relevant details;

(3) whether the official who gave this instruction will be disciplined; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW4397E

READ MORE ….

Posted on February 28th, 2011 by Louis
Filed under: Current Issues, Letters, Newspaper and Media, Petitions | No Comments »

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu would make a decision, within 30 days, on whether or not mining of heavy minerals, at the Xolobeni mine on the Wild Coast of South Africa, could proceed.

This followed the Amadiba Crisis Committee’s (ACC’s) appeal of the granting of the licence, which was awarded for a portion of the proposed project, by the then Minister of Minerals and Energy, Buyelwa Sonjica, in 2008.

The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) said that it no longer intended to facilitate a second round of hearings on the matter, which it scheduled for this month.

The Minister would be advised to adjudicate upon the appeal, based on the available documentation, including the interim report made by the Holomisa task team.

This came after the legal representatives of the ACC objected to a second round of hearings and another report being drawn up on the issue, which it deemed unnecessary because a report had already been compiled.

The local community near Xolobeni, the mining company Transworld Energy and Minerals (TEM), and subsequently property developers in the area have sought a resolution on this issue since early 2009.

The major concern highlighted in the Holomisa report was that that TEM had applied for the right to mine a number of “blocks” of titanium-mineral bearing sands, however it was only granted the right to mine one of these, the largest, called the Kwanyana block.

It was questioned whether or not the project was still feasible since only one block could be mined, and this would likely mean that the associated processing facility (which would have created many of the jobs on the operation), would no longer be built in the area.
Thus, the report questioned why a mining right could be awarded for one block, when no feasibility study had been conducted to see if this was viable.

It was also understood that a letter, with a list of requirements, was sent to TEM in July 2008, by the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act regional manager, however it appeared that the right was granted in December 2008, without any, or all, of the issues raised in the letter having been attended to. This included a number of environmental impacts.

The Holomisa task team also noted that the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) was strongly opposed to mining in the area, and was “seriously concerned that the issues raised by the DEA were not addressed sufficiently or at all”.

by: Christy van der Merwe
source: http://www.miningweekly.com/

Posted on February 28th, 2011 by Louis
Filed under: Articles, Current Issues, Newsletters, Newspaper and Media, Press Releases | 2 Comments »

Source iol.co.za

For some time, the state has withheld two pieces of information with significance for mining along the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape. Under much pressure, the government has now released both.

Both documents are shocking, but taken together, they paint a cynical picture of a potentially concerted effort to engineer an economically viable dispensation for mining on the Wild Coast with scant regard for communities and environment.

The first document came in the form of the terms of reference issued by roads agency Sanral to an environmental consultancy for the proposed N2 toll highway, which hugs the coastal sites that prospective miners are eyeing. The terms of reference specifically instruct the consultant to provide “a strong motivation for excluding the R61 and current N2 as options”.

Imagine the outrage if the assessment for a fictional new highway between Durban and Johannesburg was not compared with the impact of upgrading the N3.

That we even have sight of these terms of reference is thanks to Cullinan & Associates, which applied under the Promotion of Access to Information Act. It acts for the Sigidi, Baleni and Mdatya communities, the Khimbili Property Association and residents in the amaDiba tribal authority.

The law firm first successfully opposed environmental authorisation for the proposed N2 highway in 2004, sending Sanral back to the drawing board.

Senior director Cormac Cullinan says: “It’s indisputable that if the new road doesn’t go ahead, it will have a major impact on the financial viability of mines… That’s a strong reason why they didn’t want to consider the existing route.”

The toll road appeal is now with the Department of Environmental Affairs. Cullinans alleges Sanral appears to have intended to mislead the minister because the agency initially denied its consultant had been specifically excluded from considering certain alternatives.

The second document to come to light is the nearly year-old report by Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA chief Patekile Holomisa, who led a task team assessing the award of a 2008 mining right to Transworld Energy and Mineral Resources to mine titanium on the Kwanyana block of Xolobeni on the Wild Coast.

The Department of Mineral Resources finally made Holomisa’s report public last week, and it is rather instructive. It points out that Transworld indicated a feasibility study would be carried out “as soon as the mining right is formally granted” – whereas the law requires proof that the mineral can be mined optimally. The report asks whether Transworld was allowed to dictate the processing of the application.

It also points out the mining right was granted without an environmental impact assessment, environmental management plan or further attention given to any of the department’s own stated requirements.

There was no study of the benefits of mining versus ecotourism and issues raised by the Department of Environmental Affairs were not addressed. The Department of Mineral Resources opted to reconvene the task team, which will hold hearings in Durban this month.

There is a third leg to the saga, a legal wrangle over the Commission for Traditional Leadership’s decision to dislodge amaPondo King Mpondombini Sigcau from the throne. Webber Wentzel says “a gross injustice to (our) clients appears to have been done, which cannot go unchallenged”.

Is it a coincidence that the deposed royals oppose both the Xolobeni mining and the N2 toll road?

Posted on February 11th, 2011 by Louis
Filed under: Articles, Current Issues, Newspaper and Media, Press Releases | 1 Comment »