Scanned Document

The Department of Mineral Resources of the Republic of South Africa refused an Integrated Environmental Authorisation (IEA) application by Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd for the expansion of mining operations in the West Coast District Municipality of the Western Cape. The refusal was based on the applicant's failure to comply with the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and the 2014 EIA Regulations, specifically regarding the omission of listed activities in the application and the unlawful commencement of activities before receiving authorisation.

• The Department of Mineral Resources refused the Integrated Environmental Authorisation (IEA) application because it was not satisfied with the conduct of the environmental impact assessment or the level of compliance with the 2014 EIA Regulations and the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (NEMA).
• Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd sought authorisation for several activities related to the expansion of mining operations, including the mining of valuable heavy minerals (VHM) on ten beaches (43.7 hectares) and 75 hectares of strandline, the construction of a Mineral Separation Plant and a Reverse Osmosis Plant, and various waste management activities.
• The Department found that the applicant and the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) failed to identify all listed activities triggered by the project, specifically omitting 'activity 17' from the application form and the scoping report, which meant impacts related to that activity were not included in the 30-day public commenting period.
• A site inspection on 06 November 2017 revealed that the applicant had unlawfully commenced listed activities in contravention of Section 24F (1) (a) of NEMA. Specifically, the applicant had already cleared vegetation across a large portion of the proposed 75-hectare mining area and had constructed a water reservoir and a pipeline to the processing plant without authorisation.
• The Department determined that the EAP and the applicant failed to disclose material information to the Department, state organs, and the public regarding the unlawful clearance of vegetation and the construction of the reservoir and pipeline.
• The Department advised the applicant that they may apply for the rectification of the unlawful commencement of listed activities under Section 24G of NEMA, which would require the payment of an administration fine and the submission of impact assessment reports.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). Scanned Document. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EA-Refusal_22November2017.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. Scanned Document. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EA-Refusal_22November2017.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=Scanned Document |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EA-Refusal_22November2017.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrightsndscanned, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{Scanned Document}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EA-Refusal_22November2017.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }