With the start of the new year, residents of the Soutpansberg who are against coal mining in the Limpopo valley waged a new onslaught with a blade they had been honing in the quiet.

Local activist groups slightly lifted the veil last week to reveal their plan of action to stop one of the biggest role players, Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL), who set their sights on the northern part of Limpopo. The groups included the Vhembe Mineral Resources Stakeholders Forum (VMRSF), headed by Mr Phile van Zyl, and the Save our Limpopo Valley (SOLVe) of Mr Wally Schultz. Schultz also got the civil rights organization AfriForum, of which he is the local chairperson, on board to support their efforts.

Last week they played host to a team of researchers from the North West University’s unit for Corporate Social Responsibility and the Bench Marks Foundation (BMF). The teams’ sole purpose was to visit the area to enable them to compile a report on the outcomes and true cost to the region and its people if mining is allowed to continue.

As part of their enquiries, the BMF’s David van Wyk and his team did water tests and one-on-one interviews with the local community that will live in the immediate area of the proposed mining sites. This included CoAL’s Vele mine near the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site, and the Makhado mine near Mudimele Village.

Crucial concerns for them were the water scarcity of the area and the perceived impressions of the communities who think they will gain from the proposed mining.

Tests results, said Van Wyk, confirmed that water in the Soutpansberg region’s water and rivers downstream from the proposed mining sites are of an excellent quality. “Should coal mining commence at Makhado mine, I’m afraid that the quality will significantly deteriorate,” said Van Wyk to the Zoutpansberger. He further expressed concern about the current state of dilapidation of the Nzhelele Dam and its canal network. “I don’t see how CoAL will be able to utilize that as a sustainable back-up,” he added.

Their preliminary interviews also showed the community’s general unhappiness and the apprehension that they hold towards the prospect of the Makhado mine. People feel that the mine will jeopardize jobs in the agricultural and tourism sectors and cause net job losses in the area, Van Wyk said. “As they should - there are no mines that tell locals the truth. They come in to make profits, provide maybe a hundred jobs and leave nothing but destruction after they had finished with an area,” said Van Wyk.

Other fears that the researchers uncovered were that food production will become unstable, road safety will decrease and the job market will become insecure.

In the meantime, CoAL announced this week that the Vele mine had been granted an amendment to its environmental authorisation. This means that the project is closer to its re-opening goal.

"The decision by the DEA is welcomed. We will await the receipt of all regulatory approvals before the commencement of the plant modification," said CoAL CEO Mr David Brown.

CoAL is also seeking to renew its integrated-water-use licence and amendment and expects this to be approved in the second quarter of the year.