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, has formally alerted the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) to critical flaws in the EIA process for the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (EMSEZ) in Limpopo. The CER argues that the project's potential for 'astronomical' environmental, health, and climate impacts—including the proposed 3,300 MW thermal power plant—makes it a matter of national importance. They contend that the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) is an inappropriate competent authority and that the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries should instead oversee the process. The CER specifically highlights risks to water-stressed regions, air quality in priority areas, and South Africa's international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, requesting that the scoping process be restarted and preceded by a strategic environmental assessment (SEA).

• The proposed EMSEZ is located within a UNESCO Biosphere and is expected to have 'astronomical' combined impacts on the environment, climate, and human health, including irreversible damage to biological diversity and 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 likely to worsen air quality and human health in a province where certain territories are already designated as priority areas under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.
• The inclusion of a 3,300 MW thermal power plant is deemed unacceptable as it would generate significant greenhouse gas emissions from coal boilers and supplying mines, contradicting the UN Secretary General's call to stop building new coal plants after 2020.
• The CER argues that the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, rather than the provincial LEDET, should be the competent authority for the EIA process because the project proponent (LEDA) is a statutory body under the National Environmental Management Act 1998 (NEMA).
• The CER asserts that the current Final Scoping Report is 'manifestly inadequate and fatally flawed' and that the public participation process was unacceptable.
• The CER recommends that a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) be conducted before any EIA to determine the most suitable development type and evaluate the environment's constraints.

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} }