zo-1-594dbe4b87f071ba.pdf

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted a formal request to the South African Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy to suspend a decision granting Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd (MSR) an amendment to expand the Tormin Mine on the West Coast. The CER argues that the expansion occurs in Critical Biodiversity Areas and was approved without public participation or adequate assessment of cumulative environmental impacts.

• The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has requested the urgent suspension of a decision made under section 102 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) that allows Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd (MSR) to expand the Tormin Mine on the West Coast of South Africa.
• The CER alleges that the decision to grant the mining right amendment was conducted with a "complete lack of transparency" and without any public participation or consultation.
• The proposed expansion area is located within Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs) and a recognized ecological corridor of importance. These areas are priority zones for conserving South Africa's biodiversity to meet national targets and international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• Environmental concerns include the fact that the Namaqualand Strandveld vegetation is extremely slow to rehabilitate, making the biodiversity loss effectively irreversible. The CER notes that the mine's reliance on 'search and rescue' for Species of Conservation Concern (SoCC) contradicts guidelines from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
• The CER claims that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) failed to adequately assess cumulative impacts, as it only considered the mine's existing operations and the proposed extension, ignoring other existing or applied-for mining activities in the coastal and offshore regions.
• The CER argues that biodiversity offsets should have been required according to the Draft National Biodiversity Offset Policy and Western Cape Guidelines, but the EIA Report only recommended a vague 'conservation agreement' on one land parcel.
• According to an ASX release dated 11 September 2020, Mineral Resource Commodities (MRC), the parent company of MSR, commenced mining at the Western Strandline section of the Tormin operation on or about that date.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). zo-1-594dbe4b87f071ba.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ZO-1.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. zo-1-594dbe4b87f071ba.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ZO-1.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=zo-1-594dbe4b87f071ba.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ZO-1.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrightsndzo1594dbe4b87f071bapdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{zo-1-594dbe4b87f071ba.pdf}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ZO-1.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }