Molewa to decide on Zuma mine

Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa will decide whether an Indian company that has partnered with relatives of President Jacob Zuma gets the go-ahead to start mining coal in a protected area in Mpumalanga.

Indian company Atha Africa Ventures and Bashubile Trust, whose trustees are Zuma’s nephews – Sizwe Christopher Zuma and Vincent Gezinhliziyo Zuma – and Thabiso Mpofu, have been granted all the permits to start the Yzermyn Coal Mine in a strategic water area in Mabola near Wakkerstroom in Mpumalanga.

But Molewa has the final say on the matter because this is a protected area and a strategic water source for the country, and it is protected under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act.

Molewa’s decision will also determine whether the application for a judicial review of Atha Africa’s permits by the Centre for Environmental Rights in the Pretoria High Court proceeds or not. The Centre for Environmental Rights represents a coalition of environmental organisations opposing the mine because of fears of acidic mine water spillage in future, and pollution of fresh water streams and rivers.

Atha Africa has received environmental authorisation from the Mpumalanga agriculture and environment department, a water-use licence from the department of water and sanitation and mining rights from the department of mineral resources.

However, environmental affairs spokesperson Albi Modise said Molewa and Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane would meet to discuss the matter.

“This matter is to be responded to and finalised by the two ministers. The ministers will make a pronouncement in due course and once all considerations are finalised and the [minister] has commented,” Modise said.

He declined to confirm whether the two ministers would meet because they might have discovered mistakes in the issuing of the permits.

However, Zwane’s spokesperson, Martin Madlala, contradicted Modise.

Madlala said Zwane had already made a decision and issued Atha Africa’s mining rights, and had approved its environmental management programme in consultation with Molewa’s department and the department of water and sanitation.

“The approval of the environmental management programme followed numerous engagements with other state departments [environmental affairs and water and sanitation, among others] and all the departments made their considered comments relating to the mining rights applications; therefore, it’s the responsibility of the applicant to adhere to all the approved environmental conditions by all affected departments, including the conditions of the Integrated Water Use Licence,” Madlala said.

“Lastly, in trying to exercise a risk-averse approach with regards to the purported sensitive nature of the environment, the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency and other affected departments conducted a site inspection and contributed to the most practical and pragmatic approach in terms of environmental mitigation measures,” he said.

Water affairs spokesperson Sputnik Ratau said: “There was a thorough assessment of the area. The area where the mine is [situated] is outside the sensitive area. Relevant stakeholders and internal specialists were consulted during the process of assessment of the application.”

Mpumalanga agriculture and environmental affairs spokesperson Zane Shabangu has for two weeks declined to comment on the matter.

A source told City Press that former Mpumalanga economic development, environment and tourism MEC Pinky Phosa refused to grant the company an environmental licence. It was only after she had vacated the position in 2014 that Atha Africa finally succeeded in getting the licence this year.

The Centre for Environmental Rights instituted the judicial review proceedings against the granting of the mining rights in September last year.

Atha Africa aims to create 500 direct jobs and about 2 000 indirect jobs. Its senior vice-president, Praveer Tripathi, said the company was not aware of their partners’ relationship with the president.

Sizwe Zuma has told City Press that he would prefer to comment during a live radio or TV interview, while attempts to get hold of Vincent Zuma were unsuccessful.