MINERALS Minister Susan Shabangu has been asked to explain why she is “dragging her feet” in transferring her powers of environmental authorisation for mining to Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica.

This follows a bitter wrangle in Parliament last year, when the head of the minerals department refused to relinquish control of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) to the environment department.

Critics have argued that allowing the mining department to give environmental authorisation to mining ventures is tantamount to allowing the proverbial fox to look after the hen house.

For many years, the mining department has retained this power, whereas all other significant development projects – from nuclear power stations to cellphone masts – have to be authorised by the national or provincial environment departments.

Late last year, however, a landmark amendment to national environmental laws paved the way for mining EIAs to be transferred to the environmental ministry in a phased process lasting 36 months.

Now DA environmental affairs shadow minister Gareth Morgan is asking Shabangu for an explanation for the delay in transferring this power. He said although mining EIAs had always been treated differently, his party had helped introduce amendments to introduce a uniform process.

In terms of the amendments last year, the handover of responsibility would begin with the official commencement of the Minerals and Petroleum Resource Development Amendment Act.

Morgan said that although the act was promulgated in April, it had not been brought into effect yet. There has been no explanation from Shabangu for why the transfer had not been set in motion more than six months later.

By holding back on commencement of the act, Shabangu was effectively preventing the transfer of the mining EIA function to Sonjica’s ministry, said Morgan.

Posted on November 23rd, 2009
Filed under: Press Releases