OFM News’ Lee Simmons speaks to AfriForum’s Environmental Affairs manager, Lambert de Klerk, who elaborates more.

He says the civil rights organisation AfriForum noted with concern that Manzolwandle Investments (Pty) Ltd intends to mine coal in an area of approximately 87 000 ha close to Komatipoort and the Kruger National Park. De Klerk adds that the organisation’s legal team wrote a letter to Manzolwandle Investments (Pty) Ltd to register the organisation as an interested and affected party, as well as to provide all information regarding their application.

He further says AfriForum laid criminal charges in 2019 against Singo Consulting (Pty) Ltd – who acted as consultants for Manzolwandle Investments (Pty) Ltd – after they allegedly committed fraud in the form of plagiarism in their environmental impact assessment. They then also brought an application to start a coal mine on an 18 000 ha area close to the Kruger National Park, explains De Klerk.

“If they go ahead with this application, and mining does take place in the area, it will have enormous disadvantages and destructive consequences for the immediate environment, the Crocodile River and other water sources, nature reserves, wildlife, the road network in Mpumalanga, and agricultural activities. AfriForum will not look on while these illegal mining activities destroy the country,” says De Klerk.

He says that employment, vegetation, animals, and tourism in that area will suffer largely and that the areas are filled with Banana farms – some of the biggest in the world. De Klerk says that he doesn’t see how this coal mine would be an advantage to the area.

He says that the type of mine will also determine the amount of damage that can be caused.

He motivates people to go onto the AfriForum website and register as interested and affected parties in an attempt to stop this coal application from commencing.

OFM News/Lee Simmons