A rumble of disapproval went up from pro-environmental groups when the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) granted Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) environmental authorisation for their Makhado project here in the Soutpansberg valley.

The proposed Makhado mine is situated about 65km south-west of Musina, and if it becomes a reality, it will surround the indigenous Mudimelli community.

“We welcome the decision by LEDET, which is a further step towards achieving full regulatory compliance for the Makhado project, and enabling meaningful contribution to the socioeconomic transformation of the Limpopo province,” CoAL CEO David Brown commented on Friday, 6 September, in an official press release.

Since this announcement, the anti-coal-mining group Save Our Beautiful Limpopo Valley (SOLVe) was one of the first groups to lodge their appeal against LEDET’s authorisation. Forum leader Mr Wally Schultz confirmed this last week. “Our attorney, Chris Reeders, is on top of the case,” he said last Wednesday. “We do not even have enough water in Makhado (Louis Trichardt); where does CoAL think they will get enough water?” Schultz asked.

In the meantime, CoAL had already announced in July this year what can be expected from the Makhado project, which will be an open-cast mine with an expected 16-year life span. If the mine becomes a reality, 2.3 million metric tonnes of coking coal per year and 3.2 million tonnes of thermal coal could be produced by the end of 2016. CoAL was so confident that they had already started to design a processing plant to handle all this coal that will be mined.

Regarding the ever-burning question as to where CoAL will get the water, the mining company had already signed a contract with a group of nine citrus farmers at the end of 2011. In terms of this contract, the farmers will sell between 7 and 8% of their water rights that they hold within the Nzhelele irrigation scheme to CoAL.

Currently, the Makhado project still awaits the approval and issuing of its mining-right and water-use license – only then can mining start, if there are no further objections.