- Target:
- Minister Edna Molewa
- Region:
- South Africa
This petition is now closed.
Thanks to everyone who signed and supported this campaign. The petition was able to achieve 618 online signatures and more than 300 physical signatures from Wakkerstroom residents.
Alarm bells are ringing in Mpumalanga. Civil society organisations, communities,
researchers, farmers and other government agencies have expressed concern about the detrimental impacts of mining on water security, soil and food security, and the health, well-being and development prospects of communities in Mpumalanga. Many have implored the DMR and DWS to stem the tide by refusing to authorise mining and water use that will cause unacceptable pollution and degradation.
South Africa is a water-scarce country which is experiencing its worst drought
in thirty years. Yet while Mpumalanga contains areas of immense hydrological
importance – areas that are strategic for the country’s water supply – the DMR
and DWS continue to grant mining and water use rights in these areas, risking
water security.
Immediate action must be taken to avoid the ultimately disastrous consequences for the province and the broader South African public. It is time for the DMR and the DWS to act decisively, to prioritise the people and environment in Mpumalanga, and to hold mining companies liable for their actions.
We, the undersigned residents of Wakkerstroom and surrounds, respectfully request that you refuse any request to permit mining for commercial purposes inside the Mabola Protected Environment, and in particular any request from Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd.
As you know, this area contains what you have declared to be an endangered ecosystem under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act. As the a source of three major rivers – the Tugela, the Vaal, and the Pongola – that support a significant number of downstream water users, we understand this area also to be a national freshwater ecosystem priority area and a strategic water source area.
As custodian of protected areas, biodiversity and environment, we ask you to use your powers under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (NEMPAA) to defend the Mabola Protected Environment declared under NEMPAA by your colleague in the Mpumalanga government in January 2014.
The Stop Coal Mining in Wakkerstroom petition to Minister Edna Molewa was written by Vanessa Stone and is in the category Environment at GoPetition.