Mining on the Garden Route

The Garden Route is under threat.


African Mining Exploration and Finance Corporation, a state owned company, has been awarded the rights to prospect for minerals on a large portion of land along the cliffs between Victoria Bay and Herolds Bay on the Garden Route. This includes our much loved and beautiful property on Ballots Heights Nature reserve. Much of this area is declared nature reserve, with protected fynbos and forest. AMEFC is the same company that has been awarded rights to prospect on various farms in the winelands which has generated widespread dismay.

The proposed mining area includes much of the Eden Coastal Conservancy. The possible devastation is important not only to property owners but to anyone who appreciates the importance of the natural environment. Visual destruction, noise, pollution, dust, transport trucks, loss of pristine fynbos, loss of the tourist industry in the area and beyond and further pressure on water stressed coastal towns would be the inevitable result of mining operations.

It appears that AMEFC is exempt from environmental conservation legislation including consultation. This has come to our attention with very few days left in which to register as Interested and Affected Parties. It is critical to get as many people as possible to register so, if you love and appreciate the Garden Route, please spread the word and register.

All you have to do at this stage is gather names and e-mail addresses and send them through to Advocate Martin Coetzee registering them as Interested and Affected parties with a comment objecting to Prospecting Rights, Nº 423. Martin needs the names of all objectors/Interested and Affected Parties by Monday the 29th. Please include e-mail addresses.

Advocate Martin Coetzee - marcec@mweb.co.za.

Please call if you have any questions.

Regards
Sally Kennedy - 083 2605299
Henry Paine - 082 3365999