zo-7-expert-affidavit-of-merle-sowman-17fdb002818a1e41.pdf

This expert affidavit by Associate Professor Merle Rozanne Sowman supports an application by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) to suspend a decision allowing Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd (MSR) to expand its Tormin Mine operations on the South African West Coast. Professor Sowman argues that the expansion, which includes ten beaches and inland mining on Farm Geelwal Karoo 262, is causing accelerated cliff erosion and marine sediment pollution, while failing to adequately assess cumulative environmental impacts across MSR's broader regional applications.

• The proposed section 102 mining extension involves expanding the Tormin Mine by 188.7 hectares to mine ten additional beaches north of existing operations, conducting inland "strand line" mining on Farm Geelwal Karoo 262, and building additional processing plants and industrial infrastructure.
• Evidence from a October 2020 flyover indicates that mining activities are accelerating the erosion and slumping of sea cliffs. Specifically, roads built to access northern beaches are eroding and depositing material into the nearshore zone, and a sea cliff adjacent to the Sere Wind Farm has collapsed, resulting in brown, sediment-filled seawater.
• Legally required mitigation measures, including a 10-metre buffer zone between mining activities and foredunes, are being ignored or are inadequate. Observations showed vehicle tracks at the base of dunes on beach 9 and the southern end of beach 10, with no evidence of the required no-go area being respected.
• Mining activities are releasing fine sediments (mud) into the marine environment, which may smother benthic and reef communities and impact the recruitment of small pelagic species (anchovy and sardine) and west coast rock lobster, which are critical to South African fisheries.
• The Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) failed to adequately assess cumulative impacts. If all of MSR's applications are approved, the total impacted area could reach approximately 11,500 hectares, including 52 km of coastal frontage and 11 km of estuary frontage.
• Professor Sowman asserts that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is necessary because the current project-by-project EIA approach is unfit for purpose in a critical biodiversity area near the Olifants estuary, the third most important estuary in South Africa.
• The mining extension is expected to negatively impact coastal access for the public, including local communities who use the area for camping and recreation, as well as the surfing community, who claim the ten beaches contain some of the best surfing spots in the world.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). zo-7-expert-affidavit-of-merle-sowman-17fdb002818a1e41.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ZO-7-Expert-Affidavit-of-Merle-Sowman.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. zo-7-expert-affidavit-of-merle-sowman-17fdb002818a1e41.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ZO-7-Expert-Affidavit-of-Merle-Sowman.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=zo-7-expert-affidavit-of-merle-sowman-17fdb002818a1e41.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ZO-7-Expert-Affidavit-of-Merle-Sowman.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrightsndzo7expertaffidavitofmerlesowman17fdb002818a1e41pdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{zo-7-expert-affidavit-of-merle-sowman-17fdb002818a1e41.pdf}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ZO-7-Expert-Affidavit-of-Merle-Sowman.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }