Environmental Conservation

2020 Update:

One of the things we are most appreciative of at Ngwenya Lodge is the unity that we share with our shareholders. This spirit came to life and displayed its potency when Ngwenya Lodge, Marloth Park, Lionspruit and a number of properties near Komatipoort on the southern border of the Kruger National Park came into contact with Manzolwandle Investments; a company who applied for a mining right spanning approximately 18 000ha near the Kruger National Park, in Komatipoort.

By now we are all aware of this news and the struggle Ngwenya, and other properties, have put up against the mining group; to protect the heritage and to preserve the incredible flora and fauna of the area. We are happy to say that our shareholders heeded the call to register as Interested & Affected Parties and counter this threat against the preservation of plant and animal life. 

It would seem that this fight for the rights of wildlife and the surrounding areas of the Kruger National Park has proved successful. 

On the 17th of November 2020, the news was received that the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy had denied Manzolwandle Investments the mining rights their revised application lodged over the remaining extent of Tecklenburg 548 JU of approximately 5 hectares. In their assessment, the DMR wrote, “In view of these findings, the Department has concluded that the activity will conflict with the general objectives of Integrated Environmental Management laid down in Chapter 5 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998), and that any potential detrimental environmental impacts resulting from the activities cannot be mitigated to acceptable levels.” This is a welcome outcome for Ngwenya Lodge and the surrounding properties, as well as for the preservation of the Kruger National Park.

Thank you to each and every Ngwenya Lodge visitor, guest and valued Shareholder who voiced their concerns throughout this battle. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our neighbours, including Marloth Park and its representatives, as well as all others who have registered as I&AP’s and participated in this application; your support and determination assisted greatly in quashing this application.

Application History:

Ngwenya Lodge, Marloth Park, Lionspruit and a number of properties near Komatipoort on the southern border of the Kruger National Park have recently come face-to-face with Manzolwandle Investments; a company, based in Witbank, Mpumalanga, applying for a mining right spanning approximately 18 000ha near Komatipoort. Here’s everything we know about the 2019 mining application:

• Manzolwandle Investments has applied for four applications for the above-mentioned area; namely, a mining permit, a mining right and two prospecting applications. These applications were submitted on the 19th July 2018 and accepted for consideration by the Department of Mineral Resources on the 12th September 2018. Manzolwandle Investments then hired Singo Consulting (Pty) Ltd as their Environmental Assessment Practitioners to conduct their evaluations of the proposed mine’s impact on the area and surrounding environment.

• In terms of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, applicants of this nature are required to notify all property owners and all interested and affected parties of the development. While Singo Consulting did, in fact, host a meeting on the 28th May 2019, only a handful of parties were invited to attend this public meeting and many affected parties, such as Ngwenya Lodge, were not informed of the gathering or the proposed open cast mine in the area. Ngwenya, the management team and managing agent, VRS, were informed of the application through other Interested and Affected Parties, such as Cindy Benson, from the Marloth Park Ratepayers Association.

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• Singo Consulting, in the meantime, had submitted their Scoping Report, which laid out their estimates on capital investments and highlighted the details of the proposed mining project. This is an initial report and further information and research is required to determine the viability of such a project. Business Maverick conducted further research and discovered that this initial report made no mention of the mine being within a protected area. Singo, on the 08th July 2019, also submitted their Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Programme. According to IOL, this assessment stated that 33 species would be affected by the coal mine and fails to mention the effect of the mine on the wetlands. Singo’s response is that mining will not take place within 100m of the wetlands, neglecting to state that any mining activity will still negatively impact the natural water resources in the area.

• AfriForum then started taking action to oppose the 2019 mining application near the Kruger National Park and Komatipoort. AfriForum’s lead on environmental affairs, Lambert de Klerk, submitted a letter to Manzolwandle Investments and Singo Consulting to outline the processes which had not been followed and to inform both parties that documentation concerning the proposed mine were not made public knowledge, as is necessary. Soon after, the EIA was published.

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• The Corridor Gazette, a local newspaper based in Mpumalanga, provided insight into a meeting held with the applicants, as well as Interested and Affected Parties on the 30th June 2019 at the Disaster Management Centre. Evidently, while certain studies were available to be viewed, the Environmental Impact Assessment had not been made public yet, even though a deadline for comment thereon was to be made before the 19th June, previously the 19th July. This raised yet another red flag regarding the 2019 mining application and due diligence not being followed for proper procedure. This gathering also brought to light that Singo and Manzolwandle had applied for water rights in the area, as well. This news further raises concern for the environment and communities in surrounding areas.

• Shortly after the initial meeting between interested parties, Manzolwandle Investments and Singo Consulting, Corridor Gazette reported on the business chamber meeting held on the 04th of July, 2019, where over 300 interested parties gathered at Kambaku Golf Club to discuss the 2019 mining application. The Kruger Lowveld Chambers of Business and Tourism (KLCBT), as well as the Nkomanzi Local Tourism Organisation, co-hosted the meeting to outline the process of such an application and to inform meeting attendees of the impact the application would have on the area. The meeting also introduced Richard Spoor, an attorney and activist with a focus on South African human rights and environmental rights, who agreed to assist Interested and Affected Parties.

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• Lowvelder, a second local newspaper in Mpumalanga, also joined voices to shed light on the 2019 mining application, sharing their latest update on the 05th July 2019. Francois Rossouw, CEO of Saai, an agricultural interest group, voiced his concerns on the proposed mine from a farming point-of-view. In Lowvelders article, Rossouw is quoted to have said, “This one-off yield [of the mine], as well as damage to the water table, ecology and tourism, should be weighed up against the current agricultural activities in the area, which can yield a growing income of more than R100 000 per hectare per year after deductions for an indefinite time.” Rossouw had also approached an independent mining consultant who informed him that the water requirements of the mine would affect irrigation farmers up to 300km along the Crocodile River, while dust particles from the open cast mine would affect crops; an industry that brings R100 000 per hectare per year for the economy.

• Cindy Benson has been at the head of the fight against the 2019 mining application and continued to work with property owners and Interested and Affected Parties in the area to oppose the application. In an interview with IOL, Cindy voiced everyone’s concern over the water usage of the mine and its impact on the communities, agriculture and environment within the Kruger National Park, “The most import threat is the impact the coal mine will have on our water. The mine aims to produce approximately 20 million tonnes of high-grade coal per year, which means that the mine will use approximately 11.62 billion litres of water per year. The Kwena dam is at 40% and the Crocodile River catchment and its tributaries are disastrously low.” Other concerns included how the disruption caused by mining activities and noise pollution would affect the density of wildlife in the area, how the opencast mine would destroy and scar the biome, what impact this application would have on tourism and the workforce in the area, as well as the extent to which it would diminish agricultural activity. Many have joined voices to Benson’s over how Manzolwandle’s estimate of 150 jobs at the mine could possibly outweigh the jobs created and sustained by a number of tourism and hospitality, farming and other properties in the area.

• To date, the only statement made by either Manzolwandle Investments, or Singo Consulting, was to IOL by Raymond Zulu, a director of the company applying for the mining right,

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“They are drunk. It’s an unwinnable case. We are following all the correct procedures. They’re going to waste their money for nothing. The only people objecting are the white people. Some are not even staying in Marloth Park. They are in Australia, England, Joburg and America. Where we are going to start mining is about 12km away from Marloth Park. The people who are supporting us are the black people. They are hungry and we have to develop their lives and their places in the right manner. The Kruger is far from the place we are going to mine. I cannot talk about someone who cares about animals and doesn’t care about human beings.”

27 JULY 2019, 12:45PM / SHEREE BEGA / IOL

• Early in October 2019, Singo Consulting, the applicant’s environmental consultant, withdrew as Environmental consultant. A case was also opened against Singo Consulting, for plagiarism and fraud, as their Background Information Document was a copy and paste from other Background Information Documents. As the Applicant’s (Manzolwandile Investments) EIA consultants withdrew, a new consultant would have to be appointed should they have wished to continue pursuing the application. The mining right had not been granted at this stage, just to be clear, the applicants were granted an acceptance letter by the DMR (which states that they must consult with landowners and interested and affected parties, as well obtain the relevant environmental reports).
• At a meeting held on the 16th of October 2019, between representatives of Manzolwandle Investments (Pty) Ltd and representatives for the opposition, a number of pertinent points were addressed. Confirmation was received that the previous EIA was inadequate; proper scoping and a new EIA would have to be conducted and the area in question was reduced from the initial 17 985 hectares to 10 000 hectares. (The area no longer included Marloth Park or Ngwenya Lodge.) Later in the month, on the 30th of October 2019, the applicant requested an extension to allow enough time to do a proper EIA with the necessary reports.
• While there were cheers of celebration because of the withdrawal of the initial mining application by Manzolwandle, it emerged that a new application was submitted for 5 hectares of land, in place of the previous application. This news arrived on the 26th of February 2020, as once more, proper protocol and procedure were not adhered to. A new environmental consultant, Limp Earth and Environment (Pty) Ltd was appointed to conduct the necessary EIA reports and we all patiently awaited feedback from the Department of Mineral Resources on the outcome of these initial reports.

Click here for more information on how a mining application, such as this one, could affect the Kruger National Park and surrounds.
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