Musina-makhado SEZ ‘a law-abiding corporate citizen’
In the past couple of years, the Musina-makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) has come under unfair attack from various quarters in the media, because of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) application the company started in early 2019 as required by legislation.
In the last couple of months, several articles were published in the Mail & Guardian and other publications making all sorts of unfounded accusations about the MMSEZ.
Since the launch of the EIA application process for this extraordinary mega-project, none of the parties on the offensive have sought an audience with the leadership of Limpopo Economic Development Agency and MMSEZ to thrash out whatever concerns they have. The only goal they want to achieve is to collapse the project.
According to Statistics SA, Community Survey 2016, out of the 1393950 people living in the Vhembe district about 905 880 (70%) live under the food poverty line with a household income of less than R800 a month.
The Limpopo government is driven by, among others, the eradication of poverty, unemployment and gross inequality. Under Limpopo’s department of economic development, environment and tourism, the MMSEZ is fully aligned to that objective. In pursuing its business objectives, the MMSEZ is also guided by section 24 of the Constitution: “Everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being and to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures, that prevents pollution and ecological degradation; promotes conservation; and secures ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.”
It is common cause that any industrialisation initiative requires vast tracts of land and access to water and electricity. Through this initiative an opportunity has been created to find new water solutions and uninterrupted, cheaper electricity for industrial use and benefit of the local communities.
As a law-abiding corporate citizen, the MMSEZ has embarked on a process to apply for the EIA authorisation to mitigate against any possible negative effect on the environment. We are mindful of the country’s commitment to sustainable development through the reduction of our carbon footprint. To this effect, we are exploring solutions to reduce potential greenhouse gas emissions by using clean technology, renewal energy mix, water recycling, biodiversity preservation, et cetera in our energy and metallurgical complex. We call for a dialogue with all parties concerned about the possible effect of the project on climate change and environmental degradation.
• Lehlogonolo Masoga is the chief executive of the Musina-makhado Special Economic Zone
• The Mail & Guardian acknowledges that it failed to approach MMSEZ for comment when writing about the project, but rejects the claims that we have attacked the company or published unfounded accusations with the intention of collapsing the project. — Editor