Environmental Conservation

2019 Mining Application

2019 Mining Application

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:

The mining right application spans 18 000ha.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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,

“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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Posted by Ngwenya Marketing in Environmental Conservation, 9 comments
Painted Wolves of Africa

Painted Wolves of Africa

It’s a rare sight; the Wild Dog darts across open savanna, working with other pack members in a sort of choreographed frenzy. The hunt is synchronised, each dog takes its turn, chasing and taunting. Before long the pack has worn down their prey; where only moments ago excitement and loud calls could be heard across the landscape, now silence remains. “The lonely wolf dies, but the pack survives.”

How is it then, considering the skill and practised accomplishment of an event so well planned and executed, that the “painted wolves of Africa” could be facing extinction?


Reproduction

The African Wild Dog, or Lycaon pictus, is a social creature which lives in a pack of 10 to 40 members. These packs consist of an alpha male, an alpha female and several male and female subordinates, but the alpha female is the only bitch in the pack allowed to reproduce. All members of the pack provide and care for the young. 

Whelping can occur for the dominant female every 11 months, between April and September, with litters of approximately 11 pups. These pups reach sexual maturity at close to 2 years of age, but begin leaving the pack six months before that. Interesting to observe, Wild Dogs have a built-in characteristic to avoid inbreeding and will avoid opposite sex, biological family members even when in close proximity.

Threats

Considering that there are approximately 500 Wild Dogs in the Kruger National Park and a smaller pack in the Waterberg, and that they are considered to be the only viable breeding populations of Wild Dogs left in South Africa, these breeding habits make for poor population growth. Wild Dogs are also notoriously shy animals, who roam over large territories and rarely “claim” land to settle down. This means that habitat loss to farming and development of human infrastructure has largely affected migration patterns for the species; coupled with Lions and Hyenas as the Wild Dogs main enemies, who often kill pack members or steal their food sources and the future for these “painted wolves of Africa” begins to look rather bleak. The past 20 years have also seen their numbers drastically plummet as farmers continue to target and kill Wild Dog populations, out of a feeling of hate for their ruthless hunting methods, or concern for killing livestock. While the number of farmers killing Wild Dogs is on the decline, it is still a concern for the population. As highly sociable creatures, Wild Dogs are known to roam into developed areas and make contact with domestic dogs; this oft times results in illness, distemper and rabies within the susceptible species.

Conservation

It is estimated that less than 6 000 Wild Dogs remain in Africa, with approximately 1 500 mature individuals. Figures across sources fluctuate drastically, due to the difficulty in tracking the species as they roam across large territories. As a result of the declining number of Wild Dogs across Africa, many conservationists and conservation groups have banned together to find ways to re-populate the species and save our “painted wolves of Africa” from extinction.

Wildlife ACT is on a mission to preserve and re-establish the African Wild Dog population in Africa and, in 2017, assisted in sponsoring and releasing eight Wild Dogs into the Kruger National Park. Their projects include monitoring and studying small populations within various nature reserves.



The Endangered Wildlife Trust has sponsored a long-term project, which commenced in 1989, to study and understand these creatures and to use the knowledge gained to improve on strategies to manage the Wild Dog population. Along with this initiative, is their Waterberg Wild Dogs Conservation Project aimed at protecting this young population and landowners, game and the environment the pack calls home.


World Wildlife Fund for Nature is actively seeking ways to expand on Wild Dog’s territories to re-establish the habitat which was previously lost to them; this includes creating buffering zones between reserves and working with private game farms.






This incredible species represents yet another fragment of African heritage, slowly being eroded by human habitat disruption. The “painted wolves of Africa” are such a sight to behold and it would be tragic for their imprint to be lost to the world.

Posted by Ngwenya Marketing in Environmental Conservation, 0 comments
Mining: What’s the Impact?

Mining: What’s the Impact?

Mining in South Africa is old news; the African continent rests on some of the largest mineral deposits in the world and these deposits are where the country’s wealth lies. Economic studies show that South Africa’s mining activity has seen an incline in recent years and mining for minerals, such as coal, currently makes up over 10% of the economy’s exports. Ngwenya holds environmental conservation dear and all the recent mining-related activity got us to thinking; mining: what’s the impact?

To delve deeper into the industry and particularly to focus on the Ngwenya Lodge surrounding area, we first need to look into coal and its formation. Coal is formed over thousands of years, starting first as decomposable plant material, which is buried by sediment. The initial process results in peat; with the absence of oxygen, plant material cannot decompose completely and thus turns to a fibrous, watery substance. If peat is subjected to further pressure by being layered beneath sediments, lignite forms. Lignite is similar to peat in that traces of plants remain. The third stage of coal formation results in bituminous coal or “soft coal”. This form of coal is used across South Africa as a source of heat energy but is considered lower grade coal. Under extreme pressure and high temperatures, bituminous coal transforms into anthracite or “hard coal”. This form of coal is a high-grade source of heat energy and large deposits of it can be found in the area surrounding Ngwenya Lodge and the Kruger National Park.

It is estimated that approximately 77% of all South Africa’s energy is generated through coal, while 28% of all coal produced is exported.

WHILE AN ARGUMENT CAN BE MADE FOR THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF COAL MINING, THE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, ESPECIALLY NEAR A HERITAGE SITE SUCH AS THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, FAR OUTWEIGHS THE JUSTIFICATION FOR SUCH A MINE


THE IMPACT

1.    Disruption

The formation of a mine so close to the Kruger National Park and in close proximity to farmland and communities will drastically affect the quality of life from the start. Mining machinery and equipment creates noise pollution and has an impact on the roads: increasing traffic, placing risk to other motorists and deteriorating the roads commonly used by tourists and locals. This disruption will affect the Kruger, as well. Wildlife is affected by the noise and air pollution, which could result in diminished numbers of some species that are reliant on the environment, while tourism may see a decline which affects the Park’s ability to maintain standards. Many of these effects last throughout the operation of the mine.

2.    Trauma

As the mine continues to operate the effects deepen. The quality of the air will continue to diminish, as potentially hazardous particles from the mines become airborne and affect the health of human and wildlife populations, alike. Physical destruction to the land can deteriorate the plant life in the area, causing a reduction in the ecosystems which give support to a number of species and which increases the risk of soil erosion. These disruptions not only affect the Park but could cause a collapse in infrastructure as ground movements’ increase.  Mines impact water as well; leaching of heavy metals into groundwater can affect human and animal water-sources, including irrigation for crops and the Crocodile River. Siltation can also occur; a process whereby soil erosion caused by mines loosens sediment, which then travels across water sources and settles on riverbeds. This smothers the riverbed and drastically affects species in the River and the quality of the water source for the species dependant thereon.

A major concern for an area such as the southern boundary of the Kruger National Park is acid mine drainage (or AMD). AMD occurs when exposed rock outcrops from mining activity leach highly acidic sulphur into water sources over prolonged periods of time. This poisonous water contaminates rivers and dams and has detrimental effects on marine life, as well as species making use of the water source. AMD is easily recognisable as coppery or red water.

3.    Scars

Once mining operations cease and the company has extracted the last of the coal, life in the immediate area may never recover. Habitat loss, as a direct result of the destruction to land, affects various species and could critically endanger, or completely eradicate, smaller populations dependent on the ecosystem. Many species are hyper-sensitive to changing environments, which puts them at risk.

These effects only explore what could happen on the surface, should a mine be constructed near Ngwenya Lodge and the Kruger National Park. The extent of the damage could be far worse.

We know, Ngwenya Lodge holds a special place in the hearts of our visitors, as they arrive, each year, to experience the wonders of the South African bush and as we await further news on the current mining application, we will continue to do the best we can to play our part in preserving this rich ecosystem through environmental conservation.

Click here for more information on the current mining application for Tenbosch Farms.

Posted by Ngwenya Marketing in Environmental Conservation, 3 comments