Grootehoek: concerns mount

LEPHALALE - The second public participation meeting held by Cabanga Environmental regarding the controversial Grootehoek mine on Thursday did not ease concerns at all about its proposed location.
Grootehoek mine will be situated west of the Lephalale central business district (CBD) adjacent to residential areas within the Lephalale municipal area and will cover about 2067 hectares. “The site is largely natural with some scattered agricultural areas and an area cleared for the equestrian club,” said Ian Trotski, a public participation practitioner, speaking on behalf of Cabanga.
The mine's positioning has been a cause for concern since rumors started circulating about it in 2013. The mine will be visible from Camelot Game reserve, the SPCA, complexes and buildings on its boundary, which includes residential units, and Welgelegen and Peerboom farms.
Trotski conceded that the socio-economic costs of the mine were not looking favourable but said that the scales can be tipped as the municipality will benefit from rates and taxes and the employment the mine can provide.
When questioned as to whether the mine will impact on the proposed Altoostyd residential area that was marked for low- to medium income homes, Trotski stated that there was conflict between various municipal plans for the area where a successful argument for or against any development can be given depending on the plan selected for motivation.
In 2013 Northern News reported that the proposed Altoostyd would see 5 000 houses constructed in the then near future. In a town with limited available housing and even less prospects for residential development, this was seen as a positive move by the government. Most of the land on the outskirts of town belongs to Exxaro and private farmers - with this in mind Altoostyd is the only viable option for expansion should Exxaro and the private farmers not sell.
The municipality confirmed that they did receive enquiries about the impact that the mine would have on development at Altoostyd but would only be able to provide an official response at a later stage.
Trotski conceded that the groundwater quality in the area where the mine will be built is generally poor. “The main elements that are present in elevated concentrations (chloride and sodium) are characteristic of arid areas while the elevated sulphate is indicative of sulphate minerals present in carbonaceous lithologies and coal seams.”
This is in contrast to the good quality water that was measured in the Mokolo dam. Trotski maintained that the poor quality water on the mine’s site was not due to mining from Exxaro or the nearby Matimba power station and that a mine in the area would not affect water quality but in contradiction said that mining by Grootehoek may lead to “deterioration of water quality in the downstream Mogol river.”
During the first public participation meeting held in August last year the air quality of Lephalale and surrounding areas was one of the main concerns. An air quality test done by Cabanga indicated that the baseline air quality already exceeds limits for dust and that any development contributing to dust will only exacerbate the problem. “We need to reduce dust generation and implement additional dust management by for instance more frequent spraying, misting, wind breaks, vegetating bare areas, paving and dust binding agents.”
Cabanga also indicated that they have not contacted the current land owners about selling their property yet.