Sand mining and its associated activities serves as a source of livelihoods for entire. The physical and environmental impacts of sand mining article pdf available in transactions of the royal society of south africa august 2016 with 5,775 reads how we measure reads. Tisand is responsible for the dune mining and mineral separation operations, and rbit the smelting and beneficiation process. Sand mining threatens sa coast study south africa news.
Pondoland wild coast xolobeni mining threat, south africa. All material is mined in the heart of the bushveld complex, the principal chromite deposit in south africa. The regulation of sand mining in south africa university of cape. I reported here two years ago on the assassination of an environmental and community activist in south africas eastern cape. The reply came in after the newspaper had gone to press.
It is also used in ceramics, on golf courses, and as a filter. The frameworks governing smallscale sand mining in south africa lack the necessary. Regulatory and policy implications of sand mining along shallow. Beneficiation of zircon sand in south africa article pdf available in journal south african institute of mining and metallurgy 7a7 july 2012 with 172 reads how we measure reads. In south africa, mining of gold, coal and other natural resources has played a significant role in the countrys economy, with. How mine dumps in south africa affect the health of. However, there has recently been a drastic increase in uncontrolled and unauthorised sand mining activities in rivers, valleys and estuaries throughout the country. Iclg mining laws and regulations south africa covers common issues in mining laws and regulations including the mechanics of acquisition of rights, foreign ownership and indigenous ownership requirements and restrictions, processing, beneficiation in 28 jurisdictions. The hidden environmental toll of mining the worlds sand. Pondoland wild coast xolobeni mining threat, south africa community members at tshwane high court the tshwane high court says the community has the right to full and informed consent before a mining right is granted over their ancestral land. The mining of sand resources from rivers and ex mining areas in selangor state is a common practice and may lead to destruction of public assets as well as impacts or increase stress on commercial. Sand mining presents opportunities to extract rutile, ilmenite and zircon, which contain the industrially useful elements titanium and zirconium. There exists various legislation that relates to the mining industry in south africa.
Pdf the physical and environmental impacts of sand mining. The following is required to apply for a mining permit in south africa as stipulated by the department of mineral resources details of the land or area mining permit provide a plan as contemplated in regulation 22 read with regulation 23 of the mineral and petroleum resources development act mprda. Mining sandmining south africa wildcoast xolobeni the xolobeni heavy minerals sands project on diba, was due to istine inite, zircon, rutile and zed community that stricken. However, he pointed out that, currently, most of the illegal sand mining operations in south africa were taking place in the eastern cape and kwazulunatal, with more than 200 illegal mines active. The historical, economic, developmental, geological and social. Kzn sands mineral sands operation is situated at empangeni in kwazulunatal. Granite workings at the machaka quarries and phalaborwene marble and. Mining is an important industry in south africa, but it is also an industry with a damaging impact.
The general guidelines for sand and gravel mining are as follows. Smallscale mining and sustainable development within the sadc region 5 summary and conclusions introduction broadly, speaking, it is difficult to make general conclusions about smallscale mining in southern africa. Case studies of environmental impacts of sand mining and gravel extraction for urban development in gaborone by tariro madyise submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of master of science in the subject environmental management at the university of south africa supervisor. It is estimated to have the worlds fifthlargest mining sector in terms of gross domestic product value and its mining companies are key players in the global industry. South africa has launched a new charter to facilitate the sustainable transformation and development of its mining industry, with emphasis on a target of 26% black ownership of the countrys mining assets by 2014. Aspasa aggregate and sand producers association of south. The time has come for the government to consider a total ban on any sand mining in south african rivers to curb serious environmental damage and the. Pdf the effects of sand mining on rural communities. Revenues generated from mining can help african economies strengthen their comparative advantage and achieve greater economic diversification. What does minerals and energy do about illegal sand mining. Sand wars united nationsgea sand mining detrimental effects the. Silica sand is the major component of glass, foundry molds, and abrasives. These minerals typically are found in ordinary sand deposits and are separated by water elutriation.
How to apply for a mining permit in south africa as. The south african legislative framework for mine closure. Indian subcontinent, while africa, south east asia, taiwan, south america, and japan were the focus. Mining is a major economic activity in many developing countries. It is also the least regulated, and quite possibly the most corrupt and environmentally destructive.
For example, mining makes up 20% of south africas total gdp and employs over 1 million people. According to the article illegal sand mining in south africa by romy chevallier, a senior researcher at the south african institute of international affairs saiia4, sand extraction in quantities higher than what is sustainable results in the. Pdf the aim of the study was to assess the consequences of sand mining activities on soil. A narrower range of cn ratio was found in the one to sixyearold dumps as compared to the nine to ten yearold dumps. South africa holds the worlds largest reported reserves of gold, platinum. Natural sand from estuary and coastal land is one of south africa s most valuable resources. An evaluation of the cumulative impact of sand mining in a given environment should inform the decision to mine sand. South africa is known for its abundance of mineral resources. Chapter 9 oceans and coasts department of environmental. When mining industries are well managed, countries like peru, chile, and botswana have seen massive economic growth. Communities throughout south africa struggle to defend their rights to their. For any surface mining operation the question of whether or not to join an important one.
Unknown uses of sand this resource is sand, not sand and gravel. The xolobeni heavy minerals sands project on the wild. Pdf the effects of sand mining on rural communities researchgate. There is also a mine health and safety inspectorate which falls under the. Chief among them is the still low base of the mining activity.
Its primary source is sand dunes, therefore michigan ranks third in the us in industrial sand production. South africas coastline is rich in mineral resources, and is predominantly mined for mineral sands and aggregates unops 2011. Study of sand mining and related environmental problems. Findings of the study highlighted that river sand was mined most from rivers near. The regulation of sand mining in south africa semantic scholar. The company is jointly owned by rio tinto plc and bhp billiton, and is one of the largest single mining operations in south africa. In the last issue of the kruger park times, the article illegal mines flourish stated that the department of minerals and energy had not responded to a media query about what the department does about illegal sand mining.
Kieselguhrdiatomite fields of the republic of south africa 22 8. In south africa, the everincreasing interest in sand mining and dumping of. Smallscale mining already occurs on a sizeable scale in south africa, and. In this thesis, it is hypothesised that sand mining is subject to all three regulatory themes equally. The mining industry in south africa is administered by the department of mineral resources, the head officeof which is situated in pretoria south africa and each of the nine regions of south africa have regional officesof the department of mineral resources. The launch of the new charter comes after an assessment of the former charter showed that certain targets had not been met. Operators may be allowed to extract the sand and gravel deposit in these locations to lessen aggradation problem. Mining 2020 laws and regulations south africa iclg. China 10% australia 29% south africa 22% canada 16% other 23%.
Sand mining activities are found to be widespread situated and focusing on river areas, be it within the buildup urban area of windhoek i. The journal of the south african institute of mining and metallurgy october 2003 489 historical background south africa has, and still is, relying heavily on mining activities to generate wealth that could be translated into economic development, infrastructure and employment. While joining a longstanding, reputable association does give you the benefit of their name behind yours, its also about the services provided. Sand mining is the worlds largest mining endeavor, responsible for 85 percent of all mineral extraction. Those s the proposed 1 have nsive outcomes of this eia will be explored in the following sections. Umbogintwini rivers where sandwinning takes place close to the river mouth. Semantic scholar extracted view of the regulation of sand mining in south africa by stewart green.
Illegal sand mining in south africa the green times. Smallscale mining and sustainable development within the. The african mining industry is facing many challenges. Rand york processes and markets foundry chromite sand and chemical grade chromite sourced from various suppliers in southern africa. Formal mining in south africa is more than 100 years old. Natural sand from estuary and coastal land is one of south africas most valuable resources. The legislation governing the mining industry continues to evolve, resulting in both legislative and regulatory changes that have a material impact on any mining company and its operations, especially in south africa. The operation, which employs about 700 people, consists of fairbreeze mine near richards bay, and the central processing complex in empangeni. Problems along the nzhelele river in limpopo province of south africa. Sand mining in south africa is controlled by a complex regulatory system that can be distilled into three main themes. Bangladesh 116, south africa 117,118, tanzania 119, botswana 89, puerto rico. Sand mining is a direct cause of erosion, and impacts the local wildlife. South africas environment minister barbara creecy has dismissed most of the appeals against the approval in 2019 of vastly expanded beach mining operations on the west coast north of the olifants river.
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