TASK TEAM ON MINING IN SENSITIVE AREAS: SUPPORT FROM NON-GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS

The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs acknowledges a proposal for collaboration from the Centre for Environmental Rights but declines a meeting until interdepartmental disputes between the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of Mineral Resources are resolved. The document details the failed attempt to create a single environmental management system via the 2008 amendments to NEMA and the MPRDA, noting that the Minister of Mineral Resources has not yet brought the MPRDA Amendment Act into effect. An interdepartmental task team is currently reviewing whether to implement the 2008 agreement as is, amend it to transfer functions to environmental authorities, or pursue alternative alignment. The Minister indicates that future opportunities for civil society contribution may arise following the finalisation of Delivery Agreements by September 2010 to identify areas where mineral development could be restricted under Section 49 of the MPRDA.

• The South African government currently operates two separate environmental management systems for the country, leading to a duplication of regulatory requirements in mining areas.
• A 2008 agreement intended to create a single environmental system through amendments to the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and the Mineral & Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) has not been fully realised because the Minister of Mineral Resources has not brought the MPRDA Amendment Act into effect.
• An interdepartmental task team was appointed in June 2010, partly to address mining in environmentally sensitive areas such as Mapungubwe, to advise Ministers on whether to implement the 2008 agreement as is, amend it to transfer functions to environmental authorities, or seek alternative alignment.
• Following the approval of Delivery Agreements by Cabinet, expected by the end of September 2010, a process will begin to identify areas where mineral development may be restricted under Section 49 of the MPRDA.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2010). TASK TEAM ON MINING IN SENSITIVE AREAS: SUPPORT FROM NON-GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Letter-from-Minister-of-WEA-re-Sensitive-Areas-Task-Team-Sept-2010.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. TASK TEAM ON MINING IN SENSITIVE AREAS: SUPPORT FROM NON-GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS. 2010. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Letter-from-Minister-of-WEA-re-Sensitive-Areas-Task-Team-Sept-2010.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=TASK TEAM ON MINING IN SENSITIVE AREAS: SUPPORT FROM NON-GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS |date=2010 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Letter-from-Minister-of-WEA-re-Sensitive-Areas-Task-Team-Sept-2010.pdf?x21779 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2010task, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{TASK TEAM ON MINING IN SENSITIVE AREAS: SUPPORT FROM NON-GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2010}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Letter-from-Minister-of-WEA-re-Sensitive-Areas-Task-Team-Sept-2010.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }