THE INTER MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON ACID MINE DRAINAGE: RELEASE OF HEAVILY POLLUTED, TOXIC ACID MINE DRAINAGE INTO OUR STREAMS AND RIVERS

The document is a formal letter from a coalition of civil society organisations to the co-chairs of the Inter Ministerial Committee on Acid Mine Drainage (IMC), expressing alarm over the uncontrolled decant of untreated acid mine drainage (AMD) in the Witwatersrand Basin. The authors argue that the State has failed its constitutional obligations to protect the environment and public health, citing a lack of transparency, the exclusion of civil society, and unreasonable delays in implementing treatment solutions. They specifically criticize the preference for 'neutralisation' as an inadequate short-term fix and highlight ecological crises such as fish kills in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and pollution at the Grootvlei mine. The letter demands the public release of expert reports and a decision on treatment proposals by 2 February 2011, threatening legal action if these demands are not met.

• Untreated acid mine drainage (AMD) is decanting into the Vaal and Crocodile River systems and groundwater, with groundwater levels estimated to be rising by 40 centimetres per day during heavy summer rainfall.
• The Inter Ministerial Committee on Acid Mine Drainage (IMC) is accused of lacking transparency by failing to make the team of experts' (TOE) reports public or inviting public comment and participation.
• Civil society organisations argue that 'neutralisation' is an inadequate short-term solution for AMD treatment because it does not address radiological issues posed by uranium.
• The State has allegedly failed to respond to specific environmental crises, including fish kills in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and the flow of untreated AMD into the Blesbokspruit from the Grootvlei mine.
• The authors contend that the State's failure to control AMD decant violates section 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which guarantees the right to an environment not harmful to health or well-being.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2011). THE INTER MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON ACID MINE DRAINAGE: RELEASE OF HEAVILY POLLUTED, TOXIC ACID MINE DRAINAGE INTO OUR STREAMS AND RIVERS. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Letter-to-IMC-re-AMD-25-Jan-2011.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. THE INTER MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON ACID MINE DRAINAGE: RELEASE OF HEAVILY POLLUTED, TOXIC ACID MINE DRAINAGE INTO OUR STREAMS AND RIVERS. 2011. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Letter-to-IMC-re-AMD-25-Jan-2011.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=THE INTER MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON ACID MINE DRAINAGE: RELEASE OF HEAVILY POLLUTED, TOXIC ACID MINE DRAINAGE INTO OUR STREAMS AND RIVERS |date=25 January 2011 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Letter-to-IMC-re-AMD-25-Jan-2011.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2011inter, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{THE INTER MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON ACID MINE DRAINAGE: RELEASE OF HEAVILY POLLUTED, TOXIC ACID MINE DRAINAGE INTO OUR STREAMS AND RIVERS}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2011}, month = jan, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Letter-to-IMC-re-AMD-25-Jan-2011.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }