NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
(For written reply)
QUESTION NO. 1913
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. NW2300E
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26 July 2010
Mr I M Ollis (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs:
(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to question 1876 on 24 June 2010, there have been any further meetings since 14 April 2010 between her and the Minister of Mineral Resources regarding
(a) the granting of the mining right near Mapungubwe and (b) protocols on mining in sensitive areas; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) Whether she has commissioned environmental management frameworks to determine the limits to mining in certain areas; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?
Mr I M Ollis (DA)
SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT
HANSARD
PAPERS OFFICE
PRESS
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY QUESTION 1913 NW2300E

1913. THE MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ANSWERS:
(1) (a) Yes, a meeting with the Minister of Mineral Resources was held on 21 June 2010 to discuss the following issues:
(i)
(ii) the granting of mining rights at Mapungubwe; the possibility of a site visit;
(iii) the alignment of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment
Act and the National Environmental Management Act;
(iv) the response to UNESCO queries; and
(v) the establishment of a task team to deal with the abovementioned issues.
(b) No, a protocol for mining in sensitive areas was not discussed.
(2) The Minister and some provincial MECs, in concurrence with the Minister, have commissioned various Environmental Management Frameworks (EMFs) for areas where mining constitutes one of the development pressures. All EMFs commissioned their status as at 31 May 2010 and the relevance to mining pressure areas are summarised in Annexure A hereto. Included is the development of an EMF to address environmental challenges related to, amongst others, mining activities in and around the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site during the 2010/11 financial year. The appointment of the service provider for this EMF is expected to be finalized before 31 December
2010. It must however be emphasised that an EMF does not have the legal standing to limit or prohibit mining or any other development activity. Its purpose, based on the receiving environment, is to determine the desired future state of the environment; cumulative impacts and benefits and the resultant level of acceptable or desired change to the baseline, and to identify the environmental management zones within the study area. Environmental management zones are, inter alia, indicative of desirable and undesirable development activities and land uses and any application for a development activity will need to be measured against the EMF. Currently, in terms of the legislative framework, mining activities are only proactively and legally restricted in areas protected through section 48 of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003, and areas identified and Gazetted by the Minister of Mineral Resources in terms of section 49 of the
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (the MPRDA). The Department is not aware of any area identified in terms of section 49 of the MPRDA.
---ooOoo---
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY QUESTION 1913 NW2300E

ANNEXURE A
Environmental Management Frameworks (Current)
Province
Eastern Cape
Gauteng
Free State
KwaZulu-Natal
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
EMF name
Great –Kei Boknes
Nelson Mandela Bay
Sedibeng
Cradle of Human Kind
Dinokeng
GDARD Regional
Metsweding
Status
Draft EMF
Draft desired state
Draft status quo
Draft desired state
Draft EMF
Draft EMF
Not yet commenced
Outstanding (expected deliverable)
Draft EMF report & GIS MEC
Draft desired state report MEC
Contract terminated MEC
Draft desired state report MEC
Draft EMF report & GIS MEC
Concurrence with EMF
(Draft EMF submitted 27
April 2010)
Re-advertisement of
MEC
MEC tender due to irregularities.
Draft EMF report & GIS Minister
Approval of TORs Minister
Minister /
MEC initiated
Mining Pressure area
(Yes / No)
No
No
Partially (gold)
No
Partially (sand)
Partially
Partially
Yes
Partially
Dihlabeng
Vredefort (cross boundary to North West)
Msunduzi
Umhlathuze
Newcastle
OLEMF (cross-boundary to Mpumalanga)
Waterberg
Mapungubwe
Emakhazeni
Draft EMF
TORs prepared
Draft EMF
Draft EMF
Not yet commenced
Completed and adopted by Minister
Inception
TORs prepared
Adopted by MEC
Draft EMF report & GIS Minister
Draft EMF & GIS, training, lessons learnt report.
MEC
Advertisement of tender MEC
Finalized Minister
Draft status quo report
Approval of TORs
Finalised
Minister
Minister
Minister
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY QUESTION 1913 NW2300E

Province
Northern Cape
North West
Western Cape
EMF name Status
Pixley Ka Seme
Gert Sibande
Inception
Draft desired state
Albert Luthuli/ Msukaligwa Draft EMF
Umjindi
Siyanda
Namakwa
Rustenburg
Madibeng
Advertised
Adopted by MEC
Draft status quo
(revised)
Draft EMF
Complete & not yet adopted
Tlokwe
Magaliesburg
Saldanha EMF
City of Cape Town
Central Karoo DM
Draft EMF
Complete & adopted by
MEC
Inception
Draft EMF
Not yet commenced
Sandveld
Upper Breede
Garden Route
Not yet commenced
Not yet commenced
Draft EMF
Outstanding (expected deliverable)
Draft status quo Minister
Draft desired state report MEC
Draft EMF
Tender evaluation
Finalised
MEC
MEC
MEC
Draft status quo report
(revised)
MEC
Draft EMF report & GIS MEC
MEC Finalized. Request for concurrence outstanding from province.
Finalized
Finalized
MEC
MEC
Minister /
MEC initiated
Mining Pressure area
(Yes / No)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Partially
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Partially
Draft status quo report MEC
Draft EMF report & GIS MEC
Appointment of service provider
MEC
Appointment of service provider
MEC
Appointment of service provider
MEC
Draft EMF report & GIS Minister
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY QUESTION 1913 NW2300E