mec-annexure-bbb0f053aea3d0e7.pdf

A petition from The Voice Community Representative Council to the MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs of Mpumalanga, requesting the removal of four specific farms from the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE) to allow for the development of the Yzermyn underground coal mine.

• The Voice Community Representative Council argues that the declaration of the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE) has caused a "developmental freeze" since January 2014, preventing the creation of jobs, skills development, and the establishment of black-owned SMMEs that would have resulted from the proposed Yzermyn underground coal mine.
• The community claims that the MPE declaration was not primarily for conservation but was instead a means for a minority of farmers to secure their land for future generations and prevent land claims, alleging that these farmers have flouted conservation aims through "unbridled grazing and uncontrolled burning."
• The petition highlights a perceived conflict of interest involving Mr. Oubaas Malan, the Chairperson of the Mabola Protected Environment Landowners Association (MPELA), who owns Farms Loskop 105 HT (Portion 4 and the RE) within the MPE, which contains an operating coal mine that has produced coal both before and after the MPE declaration.
• The document asserts that the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) failed to submit a management plan for the MPE to the MEC within the legally required 12-month period following the January 2014 declaration, and that the draft plan has not undergone wide public participation.
• Specialists identified 16 historical coal mining adits on Farm Kroemhok within the MPE on 27 July 2017; the petition argues that if no closure certificates were obtained from the Department of Mineral Resources, these mines are technically still in operation, making the farms unfit for protected status.
• The petition specifically requests the removal of four properties from the MPE under section 29 of the National Environment Management: Protected Areas Act (NEM:PAA) of 2003: Portion 1 of Farm Kromhoek 93 HT (204.31 Ha), Remainder of Farm Kromhoek 93 HT (980.43 Ha), Farm Goedgevonden 95 HT (739.45 Ha), and Remainder of Farm Yzermyn 96 HT (826.16 Ha).

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). mec-annexure-bbb0f053aea3d0e7.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MEC-Annexure.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. mec-annexure-bbb0f053aea3d0e7.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MEC-Annexure.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=mec-annexure-bbb0f053aea3d0e7.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MEC-Annexure.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrightsndmecannexurebbb0f053aea3d0e7pdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{mec-annexure-bbb0f053aea3d0e7.pdf}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MEC-Annexure.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }