BENICON- BANKFONTEIN

This case study details a legal and administrative dispute regarding a coal mining application by Benicon Mining (Pty) Ltd on the farm Bankfontein in Mpumalanga. The Mpumalanga Lakes District Protection Group (MLDPG) appealed a positive environmental authorization, citing failures in biodiversity assessment, wetland delineation, and the underestimation of post-closure water rehabilitation costs.

• Benicon Mining (Pty) Ltd proposed an open-cast coal mine on 513 hectares of the farm Bankfontein near Breyton, Mpumalanga, with a projected lifespan of seven to nine years.
• The project area is characterized as high in biodiversity and ecologically sensitive, containing three Red Data species: Khadia carolinensis (Vulnerable), Alepidea longeciliata (Endangered), and Afrosciadium sp (Vulnerable or Endangered). However, the environmental assessment was criticized for failing to conduct dry season surveys to record migrant species.
• The Mpumalanga Lakes District Protection Group (MLDPG) challenged the environmental authorization on several grounds, including the limitation of wetland delineation to only one area—despite additional wetland areas constituting 49% of the mining area—and the failure to conduct a sustainability study on the impact to adjacent tourism, apple, and stud farms.
• There is a significant discrepancy regarding the financial provision for post-closure water rehabilitation. While the project made provision for just over R3 million for all post-closure impacts, the appellants calculated the cost of water rehabilitation alone to be in excess of R 50 million over 20 years, alleging this contradicts the Department of Water Affairs’ Best Practice Guidelines.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). BENICON- BANKFONTEIN. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Benicon-Bankfontein.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. BENICON- BANKFONTEIN. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Benicon-Bankfontein.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=BENICON- BANKFONTEIN |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Benicon-Bankfontein.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndbenicon, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{BENICON- BANKFONTEIN}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Benicon-Bankfontein.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }