West Coast community wants diamond mining scars healed

West Coast residents living near De Beers diamond mines fear they will be left with the massive scars of 100 years of diamond mining when the company sells its mines to Trans Hex.

Huge scars criss-cross the De Beers diamond mine.

Yesterday the community from the tiny coastal town of Hondeklipbaai called on the Department of Mineral Resources to postpone its decision to transfer the mining rights from De Beers to Trans Hex, as they fear there will not be enough money to carry out a proper rehabilitation.

De Beers Consolidated Mines has signed an agreement to sell Namaqualand Mines to a consortium headed by Trans Hex Diamonds.

All mining companies are obliged by law to draw up a plan, approved by the government, on how the land will be rehabilitated once the mine reaches the end of its life. De Beers has an approved rehabilitation plan, but has since changed the plan and submitted it to Mineral Resources for approval.

Communities and environmental groups believe the changes include a significant downgrading of obligations to rehabilitate the mine, and that once the sale goes through, there will not be enough guaranteed money to carry out the environmental clean-up.

At a media briefing yesterday, Hondeklipbaai community leader Dawid Markus said the sale should not go ahead until the community had been assured that the companies would honour their obligations to rehabilitate the area.

Members of the public have asked to see and comment on De Beers' revised environmental management plan, but De Beers has said the law does not require them to engage with the public on these changes.

"Too often big mining companies exploit the country's natural resources without undoing the damage they cause. We're not convinced the current plans will not leave the area exposed to more risks. Their budget for this kind of repair work is wholly inadequate and it is the people of Hondeklipbaai that will end up paying for it, for generations to come," Markus said.

The mines are located in vegetation known as the succulent Karoo, described as a "botanical gem" and an "environmental hot spot". It is one of 34 places in the world which contain 1 percent of the world's total plant species.

Melissa Fourie, head of the Centre for Environmental Rights, said: "We're seeing an increasing trend that when a mine gets closer to the end of its life, and it's not so profitable, that it's sold to smaller operators."

Bheki Khumalo, spokesman for Mineral Resources, said yesterday the communities should write to the department to express their concerns. He said mining companies had to make financial provision for rehabilitation in their environmental management plan.

Cape Times

Posted at 09:09AM Oct 14, 2011 by Editor in Cities and Towns  |