You may be aware that we are currently waging the legal battle to prevent any further development of the mine at Mapungubwe. There has been a flagrant disregard for our country's natural and cultural heritage, and we must do all we can to defend what is ours. The legal team has built their case on a series of objections that carry weight – weight that will surely tip the balance in our favour.

On reading the mining application, several alarm bells sound. What follows is a list of the many serious flaws or lapses in the application, all of which need to be addressed.

  1. Communities around the area were not properly consulted about the mining, as stipulated by law

  2. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) fails to take into account the mine's location within a sensitive landscape. It also fails to recognise the cumulative impacts that future developments will have on the area

  3. The mine's impact on archaeological and heritage resources:

    1. The EMP lacks information regarding the heritage resources and paleontological remains at risk of destruction
    2. It fails to consider the rock art in the area and has limited information on heritage sites

  4. Impacts on biodiversity:

    1. The EMP makes no definite commitments towards rehabilitation for biodiversity and makes wrong assumptions about the possibility of rehabilitation of ecosystems and species
    2. It makes no reference to invertebrate species and hardly any to reptiles and frogs
    3. The EMP makes no reference to the necessary steps to ensure the regulatory requirements for protected species

  5. Impacts on water:

    1. The EMP fails to consider regulatory requirements for water use and conservation
    2. It also fails to consider possible consequences of water pollution as a result of acid mine drainage on the environment, the farming community and other water users
    3. It erroneously assumes the relevant water licences are either available or will be granted

  6. Dust and noise:

    1. The true impact of dust is absent from the EMP and it does not factor in the impact of night-time mining
    2. It does not consider the full extent of the negative visual impacts of mining

  7. Socio-economic impacts:

    1. The EMP does not assess the socio-economic impacts of the loss of this precious environment and a significant source of income through ecotourism and farming, against the alleged benefits of mining