CLARITY ON THE SCOPE AND EXTENT OF MINISTER’S COMMITMENT TO PROTECTION OF CHRISSIESMEER BIODIVERSITY SITE

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) wrote to Minister Susan Shabangu on 13 March 2013 seeking urgent clarification on the legal status of the Chrissiesmeer Biodiversity Site. Despite previous statements by the Minister that mining in the area was prohibited, the CER notes the absence of a formal declaration in the Government Gazette and the acceptance of a mining right application by Duiker Mining (Pty) Ltd for the proposed Harwar Colliery.

• On 4 March 2011, the Minister published a notice of intention to prohibit or restrict the granting of rights under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) for three years to protect the environment around Lake Chrissies, known as the Chrissiesmeer Biodiversity Site, affecting 59 farms.
• Minister Susan Shabangu made multiple public assertions regarding the protection of the site: in a 24 May 2012 budget speech, she stated that 41 Rights in Wakkerstroom and Chrissiesmeer were identified as ecologically sensitive and that the department decided to prohibit mining there; further, on 2 November 2012, she informed Parliament that the process was complete and prohibitions were already in place.
• The Centre for Environmental Rights asserts that there is no formal declaration in the Government Gazette under s.49(1) of the MPRDA, suggesting that the Chrissiesmeer Biodiversity Site currently lacks legal protection.
• The Mpumalanga Regional Office of the Department appears to have accepted a mining right application (DMR Ref. No.: MP 30/5/1/1/2/78 PR) from Duiker Mining (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Xstrata Coal South Africa, for five properties within the Chrissiesmeer Biodiversity Site to establish the Harwar Colliery.
• The Centre for Environmental Rights requests that the Minister use her powers under s.49(1) to formally declare the site as an area where prospecting and mining are prohibited for at least 20 years to provide certainty to stakeholders and the mining industry.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2013). CLARITY ON THE SCOPE AND EXTENT OF MINISTER’S COMMITMENT TO PROTECTION OF CHRISSIESMEER BIODIVERSITY SITE. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Shabangu-re-Chrissiesmeer-13-March-2013.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. CLARITY ON THE SCOPE AND EXTENT OF MINISTER’S COMMITMENT TO PROTECTION OF CHRISSIESMEER BIODIVERSITY SITE. 2013. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Shabangu-re-Chrissiesmeer-13-March-2013.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=CLARITY ON THE SCOPE AND EXTENT OF MINISTER’S COMMITMENT TO PROTECTION OF CHRISSIESMEER BIODIVERSITY SITE |date=13 March 2013 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Shabangu-re-Chrissiesmeer-13-March-2013.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2013clarity, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{CLARITY ON THE SCOPE AND EXTENT OF MINISTER’S COMMITMENT TO PROTECTION OF CHRISSIESMEER BIODIVERSITY SITE}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/CER-Letter-to-Minister-Shabangu-re-Chrissiesmeer-13-March-2013.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }