Smallscale mining and sustainable development within the sadc region 5 summary and conclusions introduction broadly, speaking, it is difficult to make general conclusions about smallscale mining in southern africa. In the last issue of the kruger park times, the article illegal mines flourish stated that the department of minerals and energy had not responded to a media query about what the department does about illegal sand mining. When mining industries are well managed, countries like peru, chile, and botswana have seen massive economic growth. Kzn sands mineral sands operation is situated at empangeni in kwazulunatal. Kieselguhrdiatomite fields of the republic of south africa 22 8. South africa is known for its abundance of mineral resources. Sand wars united nationsgea sand mining detrimental effects the.
The following is required to apply for a mining permit in south africa as stipulated by the department of mineral resources details of the land or area mining permit provide a plan as contemplated in regulation 22 read with regulation 23 of the mineral and petroleum resources development act mprda. An evaluation of the cumulative impact of sand mining in a given environment should inform the decision to mine sand. I reported here two years ago on the assassination of an environmental and community activist in south africas eastern cape. Aspasa aggregate and sand producers association of south. Sand mining activities are found to be widespread situated and focusing on river areas, be it within the buildup urban area of windhoek i.
The frameworks governing smallscale sand mining in south africa lack the necessary. Operators may be allowed to extract the sand and gravel deposit in these locations to lessen aggradation problem. Sand mining threatens sa coast study south africa news. Unknown uses of sand this resource is sand, not sand and gravel. Illegal sand mining in south africa the green times.
The xolobeni heavy minerals sands project on the wild. Semantic scholar extracted view of the regulation of sand mining in south africa by stewart green. Smallscale mining and sustainable development within the. How to apply for a mining permit in south africa as. South africas environment minister barbara creecy has dismissed most of the appeals against the approval in 2019 of vastly expanded beach mining operations on the west coast north of the olifants river. Problems along the nzhelele river in limpopo province of south africa. However, he pointed out that, currently, most of the illegal sand mining operations in south africa were taking place in the eastern cape and kwazulunatal, with more than 200 illegal mines active. Mining often pollutes the water, air and soil, and can disrupt farming activities and community life.
The physical and environmental impacts of sand mining article pdf available in transactions of the royal society of south africa august 2016 with 5,775 reads how we measure reads. Chief among them is the still low base of the mining activity. Beneficiation of zircon sand in south africa article pdf available in journal south african institute of mining and metallurgy 7a7 july 2012 with 172 reads how we measure reads. How mine dumps in south africa affect the health of. Pdf the effects of sand mining on rural communities researchgate. Pdf the effects of sand mining on rural communities. It is estimated to have the worlds fifthlargest mining sector in terms of gross domestic product value and its mining companies are key players in the global industry. Natural sand from estuary and coastal land is one of south africas most valuable resources. The legislation governing the mining industry continues to evolve, resulting in both legislative and regulatory changes that have a material impact on any mining company and its operations, especially in south africa.
All material is mined in the heart of the bushveld complex, the principal chromite deposit in south africa. The time has come for the government to consider a total ban on any sand mining in south african rivers to curb serious environmental damage and the. The journal of the south african institute of mining and metallurgy october 2003 489 historical background south africa has, and still is, relying heavily on mining activities to generate wealth that could be translated into economic development, infrastructure and employment. The general guidelines for sand and gravel mining are as follows.
Sand mining presents opportunities to extract rutile, ilmenite and zircon, which contain the industrially useful elements titanium and zirconium. The historical, economic, developmental, geological and social. Sand mining is a direct cause of erosion, and impacts the local wildlife. Pdf the physical and environmental impacts of sand mining. Indian subcontinent, while africa, south east asia, taiwan, south america, and japan were the focus. Pondoland wild coast xolobeni mining threat, south africa community members at tshwane high court the tshwane high court says the community has the right to full and informed consent before a mining right is granted over their ancestral land. A narrower range of cn ratio was found in the one to sixyearold dumps as compared to the nine to ten yearold dumps. Umbogintwini rivers where sandwinning takes place close to the river mouth. Those s the proposed 1 have nsive outcomes of this eia will be explored in the following sections. There is also a mine health and safety inspectorate which falls under the. The mining industry in south africa is administered by the department of mineral resources, the head officeof which is situated in pretoria south africa and each of the nine regions of south africa have regional officesof the department of mineral resources. Findings of the study highlighted that river sand was mined most from rivers near. Tisand is responsible for the dune mining and mineral separation operations, and rbit the smelting and beneficiation process. In this thesis, it is hypothesised that sand mining is subject to all three regulatory themes equally.
Formal mining in south africa is more than 100 years old. The reply came in after the newspaper had gone to press. The mining of sand resources from rivers and ex mining areas in selangor state is a common practice and may lead to destruction of public assets as well as impacts or increase stress on commercial. Pondoland wild coast xolobeni mining threat, south africa. Pdf the aim of the study was to assess the consequences of sand mining activities on soil. Mining is an important industry in south africa, but it is also an industry with a damaging impact. Communities throughout south africa struggle to defend their rights to their. The launch of the new charter comes after an assessment of the former charter showed that certain targets had not been met.
China 10% australia 29% south africa 22% canada 16% other 23%. Granite workings at the machaka quarries and phalaborwene marble and. What does minerals and energy do about illegal sand mining. Sand mining and its associated activities serves as a source of livelihoods for entire.
Chapter 9 oceans and coasts department of environmental. In south africa, mining of gold, coal and other natural resources has played a significant role in the countrys economy, with. Mining 2020 laws and regulations south africa iclg. It is also used in ceramics, on golf courses, and as a filter. Case studies of environmental impacts of sand mining and gravel extraction for urban development in gaborone by tariro madyise submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of master of science in the subject environmental management at the university of south africa supervisor. For any surface mining operation the question of whether or not to join an important one.
The south african legislative framework for mine closure. It is also the least regulated, and quite possibly the most corrupt and environmentally destructive. The operation, which employs about 700 people, consists of fairbreeze mine near richards bay, and the central processing complex in empangeni. Natural sand from estuary and coastal land is one of south africa s most valuable resources. The regulation of sand mining in south africa university of cape. Iclg mining laws and regulations south africa covers common issues in mining laws and regulations including the mechanics of acquisition of rights, foreign ownership and indigenous ownership requirements and restrictions, processing, beneficiation in 28 jurisdictions. Rand york processes and markets foundry chromite sand and chemical grade chromite sourced from various suppliers in southern africa.
Revenues generated from mining can help african economies strengthen their comparative advantage and achieve greater economic diversification. However, there has recently been a drastic increase in uncontrolled and unauthorised sand mining activities in rivers, valleys and estuaries throughout the country. Mining is a major economic activity in many developing countries. For example, mining makes up 20% of south africas total gdp and employs over 1 million people. Mining sandmining south africa wildcoast xolobeni the xolobeni heavy minerals sands project on diba, was due to istine inite, zircon, rutile and zed community that stricken. South africas coastline is rich in mineral resources, and is predominantly mined for mineral sands and aggregates unops 2011. Sand mining is the worlds largest mining endeavor, responsible for 85 percent of all mineral extraction. The company is jointly owned by rio tinto plc and bhp billiton, and is one of the largest single mining operations in south africa. These minerals typically are found in ordinary sand deposits and are separated by water elutriation.
The regulation of sand mining in south africa semantic scholar. There exists various legislation that relates to the mining industry in south africa. Sand mining in south africa is controlled by a complex regulatory system that can be distilled into three main themes. Study of sand mining and related environmental problems. Smallscale mining already occurs on a sizeable scale in south africa, and. According to the article illegal sand mining in south africa by romy chevallier, a senior researcher at the south african institute of international affairs saiia4, sand extraction in quantities higher than what is sustainable results in the. Bangladesh 116, south africa 117,118, tanzania 119, botswana 89, puerto rico. Its primary source is sand dunes, therefore michigan ranks third in the us in industrial sand production.