Tendele public participation process under way
TENDELE Coal Mining's public participation process related to its expansion application got under way on the outskirts of Mtubatuba on Saturday.
Tendele, which operates Somkhele mine near Mtubatuba, was directed to undertake a public participation process by the Pretoria High Court in its 4 May judgement.
Chris Wright from Black Rock Environmental, a company appointed by Tendele as the environmental assessment practitioner, on Saturday presented to the oPhondweni community a basic information document of about 50 pages.
The document outlined numerous issues which included the court appeal process resulting in the public participation process; concerns raised by communities in 2014, and intended mining operations at Emalahleni, oPhondweni and Mahujini.
Wright explained to the packed oPhondweni community hall that a Social Labour Plan (SLP) forms part of Tendele’s mining rights – the granting of which, as well as the approval of the environmental management programme (EMPr), were declared invalid by the court but not set aside – and that the SLP outlines the mine’s social responsibility to the local community.
The plan, Wright elaborated, includes local economic development programmes and developing local schools, as well as local infrastructure, among other social responsibilities.
“It is about how the mine is going to support community development through annual community projects,” Wright said.
During the questions and comments section of the process in oPhondweni, community members raised several issues such as employment opportunities should the mine secure the expansion land – a matter which has led to its closure as it no
longer has land to mine; reviewing of the SLP and other benefits to local communities, among others.
Zama Mkhwanazi said he is of the view that those opposed to the mine’s expansion were “well-off” individuals who were not considering that its continued existence would benefit other residents.
“The mine must continue operating; what must be discussed now is how we are going to be helped by it,” Mkhwanazi said.
Johan Mkhwanazi from the family of the traditional leadership said it was important that local communities be shown records of the existing SLP, “which is something we have never seen”.
“We want the mine to operate but it must do so with an SLP in place, which must include the community’s demands.
"If an SLP was completed in 2014, it must be reviewed or a new one must be drafted with the communities and all other stakeholders so that it can be monitored for the next five years,” Mkhwanazi said.
He added that an SLP was important because the employment of a few thousand locals was not sufficient in terms of benefitting the communities holistically.
Thembinkosi Mkhwanazi said it was important to know if the agreements into which the mine had entered with the late Inkosi were still in place.
Such agreements included that locals would be trained in their numbers so they could mine phases two and three of Somkhele, with the mine assisting with the required machinery and equipment.
Wright said it was not his mandate to try and say in one way or the other what benefits were due to the community from the mine, but rather the mine’s responsibility.
“My role is to ensure the public participation process is free and fair,” he said.
To the disappointment of some in attendance on Saturday, Wright could not provide answers to other questions, which included the fair compensation of polygamous households that need to be relocated.
On Sunday, a similar meeting was held at MsiziwamaKrestu Primary School at Emalahleni, and another is scheduled for 6 August in the Mahujini area.