CHAMBER OF MINES’ RESPONSE TO CER’s REPORT: ZERO HOUR: POOR GOVERNANCE OF MINING AND THE VIOLATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS IN MPUMALANGA

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) responds to the Chamber of Mines' critique of its 'Zero Hour' report, defending its research methodology and reiterating claims of poor environmental governance in Mpumalanga. The CER argues that the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has failed in its compliance and enforcement duties, leading to widespread pollution and the unlawful granting of mining rights in protected and strategic water areas. The CER calls for increased transparency, better decision-making regarding mining rights, and improved DMR capacity.

• The CER defends the methodology of its 'Zero Hour' report, stating it was based on nearly a year of analyzing evidence collected since 2009/10. This evidence included government research, Parliamentary answers, Promotion of Access to Information Act requests, consultations with partners in Mpumalanga, engagement with local authorities regarding air quality, site visits, and interviews with affected communities.
• The CER disputes the claim that the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has a proven track record of regulating environmental matters in mining. Instead, the CER asserts that the DMR has consistently failed to perform effective compliance monitoring and enforcement, leading to extensive air, water, and soil pollution, as well as acid mine drainage.
• The CER reports ongoing issues with the granting of mining rights in protected areas and strategic water source areas identified by the CSIR and the Department of Water & Sanitation (DWS). It claims that the Mining and Biodiversity Guideline has not stopped applications for prospecting and mining rights in national parks, nature reserves, and World Heritage Sites, including applications by members of the Chamber of Mines.
• The CER proposes several pragmatic solutions to improve the DMR's capacity, including increasing the number and training quality of environmental management resource inspectors (EMRIs), publishing compliance and enforcement results, and making compliance data and licenses publicly available.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2016). CHAMBER OF MINES’ RESPONSE TO CER’s REPORT: ZERO HOUR: POOR GOVERNANCE OF MINING AND THE VIOLATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS IN MPUMALANGA. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160906-CER-reply-to-COM.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. CHAMBER OF MINES’ RESPONSE TO CER’s REPORT: ZERO HOUR: POOR GOVERNANCE OF MINING AND THE VIOLATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS IN MPUMALANGA. 2016. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160906-CER-reply-to-COM.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=CHAMBER OF MINES’ RESPONSE TO CER’s REPORT: ZERO HOUR: POOR GOVERNANCE OF MINING AND THE VIOLATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS IN MPUMALANGA |date=6 September 2016 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160906-CER-reply-to-COM.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2016chamber, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{CHAMBER OF MINES’ RESPONSE TO CER’s REPORT: ZERO HOUR: POOR GOVERNANCE OF MINING AND THE VIOLATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS IN MPUMALANGA}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160906-CER-reply-to-COM.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }