Alarm over alleged intentions to mine portion of West Coast National Park

ACTIVISTS have raised the alarm on what they say are intentions by developers to withdraw the national park declaration of portions of the West Coast National Park to facilitate mining of a phosphate deposit partly situated inside the park.

The company, Kropz Elandsfontein (Pty) Ltd, however, says this idea must be due to a “misunderstanding”.

Environmental activists have slammed the development of the Elandsfontein phosphate mine, which is still in the process of being established, for dewatering a 5- to 10 millionyear-old Elandsfontein aquifer.

The aquifer is still being dewatered, the Saldanha municipality confirmed this week.

Due to persistent claims of plans to withdraw the national park declaration of portions of the West Coast National Park, the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) directed a letter to SANParks requesting clarity on this.

In a letter of response last month SANParks said it had not received any official written request. “However, Elandsfontein Pty Ltd alluded to a possible request to extend their mining areas to the affected portion of the West Coast National Park during visits by SanParks’s Exco members and the conservation, tourism and social economic development committee of the SANParks’ Board in October 2016 and June 2017,” their response read.

The West Coast Environmental Protection Association (WCEPA) said the Elandsfontein mine poses a serious risk to the Elandsfontein aquifer, an important aquifer in this already dry part of the country, and impacts on the aquifer may, in turn, affect the Langebaan Lagoon, a declared Ramsar site (a wetland site designated of international importance under the Ramsar Convention).

Nicola Viljoen of the WCEPA said allowing mining in South Africa’s protected areas is actively discussed and lobbied for behind closed doors.

“WCEPA finds this very concerning, and will challenge any attempts to have part of the park deproclaimed for the purpose of mining it,” she said.

Kropz technical director Michelle Lawrence said the rumour regarding the deproclamation of portions of the park must be due to a “misunderstanding”.

“A minor portion of the Elandsfontein phosphate resource extends into SANParks property. During SANParks’s regular visits to the mine, Kropz pointed out the extent of the resource on SANParks’ property and that, if it were not in a national park, it could be mined,” she said.

Saldanha Bay Municipality spokesperson Ethne Julius said the municipality was not aware of any such intentions.

The decision on the development of the mine and the use of water from the aquifer was still pending, Julius said.