THE PROPOSED MUSINA-MAKHADO SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE INFRASTRUCTURE, LOCATED WITHIN THE VHEMBE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY OF THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing groundWork and Earthlife Africa, submitted a formal statement to the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries opposing the proposed Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (SEZ), also known as the South African Energy and Metallurgical Special Economic Zone (EMSEZ). The CER argues that the project's environmental impact assessment (EIA) process is fatally flawed and that the project poses severe risks to water resources, air quality, and climate commitments.

• The proposed EMSEZ is located within a UNESCO Biosphere and is expected to have an extensive environmental footprint, causing irreversible damage to biological diversity and South Africa's water resources.
• The project area in Limpopo is severely water-stressed, and the project's own Final Scoping Report (FSR) admits that a sustainable water source for the SEZ is still being investigated.
• The EMSEZ is expected to worsen air quality and human health in a province where some territories are already designated as priority areas under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.
• The proposed 3,300 MW thermal power plant is specifically highlighted as unacceptable due to its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contradiction of international goals to stop building new coal plants after 2020.
• The CER contends that the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, rather than the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), should be the competent authority for the EIA process because the project proponent (LEDA) is a statutory body.
• The CER argues that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) must precede the EIA to evaluate the opportunities and constraints of the environment and socio-economic conditions before specific development proposals are formulated.
• The CER describes the current Final Scoping Report (FSR) as "manifestly inadequate and fatally flawed" and objects to the public participation process conducted for the EIA.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2019). THE PROPOSED MUSINA-MAKHADO SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE INFRASTRUCTURE, LOCATED WITHIN THE VHEMBE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY OF THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Annexure-C-CER-letter-to-DEFF-of-21-10-19-1.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. THE PROPOSED MUSINA-MAKHADO SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE INFRASTRUCTURE, LOCATED WITHIN THE VHEMBE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY OF THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE. 2019. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Annexure-C-CER-letter-to-DEFF-of-21-10-19-1.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=THE PROPOSED MUSINA-MAKHADO SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE INFRASTRUCTURE, LOCATED WITHIN THE VHEMBE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY OF THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE |date=21 October 2019 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Annexure-C-CER-letter-to-DEFF-of-21-10-19-1.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2019proposed, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{THE PROPOSED MUSINA-MAKHADO SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE INFRASTRUCTURE, LOCATED WITHIN THE VHEMBE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY OF THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Annexure-C-CER-letter-to-DEFF-of-21-10-19-1.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }