THE Endangered Wildlife Trust has come out in support of a government move to stop excavation activities at the Mapungubwe National Park in Limpopo.
The Department of Mining has informed Australian Coal of Africa that its activities at the Vele Colliery outside the park were unauthorised.
Yolan Friedman of the trust said they were pleased by the move to protect the environment, but wished the department would overturn the awarding of mining licences around the park.
The department said the company was in violation of environment laws in terms of pre-compliance notices.
Mapungubwe is home to the ancient history of mining and trade, and was declared as environmentally sensitive by the UN.
Eskom cables have already been removed from the park's landscape.
Coal of Africa was in the process of constructing access roads, a storage tank for hazardous substances, water pipelines and a sludge dam.
Farmers along the Limpopo valley had earlier complained that the mining activities would hamper agricultural activities in the area.
Department spokesperson Albi Modise said the Green Scorpions had issued a notice to Coal of Africa to cease activities that were in contravention of the National Environmental Management Act.
The compliance notice instructs Coal of Africa to cease all physical construction-related activities on access roads and roads falling within, and outside the mining right area, within 24 hours of receiving the notice.
The company is also not permitted to increase the current development footprint.
In relation to the storage facility for hazardous waste, the notice instructs the company to stop any further construction.
The department also said the storage tank on the site had to be emptied and the fuel removed to a facility that is legally authorised to store such fuel.
Modise said the Green Scorpions would monitor the situation at Vele Colliery.
"Should the mine fail to comply with the instructions, the department might approach the high court for an interdict," he said.
He said the company could submit rectification applications to the department in relation to the illegal activities.
Coal of Africa chief executive John Wallington said the company would comply with the notice.
But he insisted that Coal of Africa's activities were within the parameters of new order mining rights as espoused by the Department of Mining.
Coal firm ordered to stop excavations
THE Endangered Wildlife Trust has come out in support of a government move to stop excavation activities at the Mapungubwe National Park in Limpopo.
The Department of Mining has informed Australian Coal of Africa that its activities at the Vele Colliery outside the park were unauthorised.
Yolan Friedman of the trust said they were pleased by the move to protect the environment, but wished the department would overturn the awarding of mining licences around the park.
The department said the company was in violation of environment laws in terms of pre-compliance notices.
Mapungubwe is home to the ancient history of mining and trade, and was declared as environmentally sensitive by the UN.
Eskom cables have already been removed from the park's landscape.
Coal of Africa was in the process of constructing access roads, a storage tank for hazardous substances, water pipelines and a sludge dam.
Farmers along the Limpopo valley had earlier complained that the mining activities would hamper agricultural activities in the area.
Department spokesperson Albi Modise said the Green Scorpions had issued a notice to Coal of Africa to cease activities that were in contravention of the National Environmental Management Act.
The compliance notice instructs Coal of Africa to cease all physical construction-related activities on access roads and roads falling within, and outside the mining right area, within 24 hours of receiving the notice.
The company is also not permitted to increase the current development footprint.
In relation to the storage facility for hazardous waste, the notice instructs the company to stop any further construction.
The department also said the storage tank on the site had to be emptied and the fuel removed to a facility that is legally authorised to store such fuel.
Modise said the Green Scorpions would monitor the situation at Vele Colliery.
"Should the mine fail to comply with the instructions, the department might approach the high court for an interdict," he said.
He said the company could submit rectification applications to the department in relation to the illegal activities.
Coal of Africa chief executive John Wallington said the company would comply with the notice.
But he insisted that Coal of Africa's activities were within the parameters of new order mining rights as espoused by the Department of Mining.
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