Plans for controversial coal mine near Kruger National Park withdrawn due to public opposition
The controversial proposed mining application near the southern border of the Kruger National Park has been abandoned. AfriForum views the withdrawal of this flawed application as the result of years of investigative work and public pressure from the organisation itself, local communities, landowners and other community organisations. AfriForum has been fighting against planned mining activities at the Kruger National Park since 2019.
AfriForum has received a formal written notification from Kimopax, the environmental assessment practitioner acting for Tenbosch Mining, confirming that the application has been unequivocally withdrawn. In its notification, dated 12 December 2025, Kimopax confirms that the mining right, environmental authorisation, waste management licence and water use licence applications are withdrawn, that all related processes are terminated, and that no decision will be taken by the competent authority on these applications. All public participation linked to this application has also been terminated with immediate effect.
This outcome follows years of sustained opposition by AfriForum, which exposed serious procedural failures, illegal conduct and a lack of transparency throughout the process. The mine would target an ecologically sensitive area adjacent to South Africa’s most important national park, while the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process was fraught with flaws. These included repeated failures to correct errors in various EIA versions, the exclusion of registered stakeholders, missing or inadequate specialist studies, the citation of outdated regulations, and unfounded claims for landowner consent. At times, activities also apparently proceeded without the necessary authorisations.
“We have consistently warned that this application is fundamentally flawed and could not be improved with superficial changes,” says Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s Advisor for Environmental Affairs. “The revocation of this application is proof of what can be achieved when communities refuse to be bullied and insist that legal requirements are met.”
AfriForum has instructed its lawyers to request written confirmation from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy that the application has indeed been withdrawn. This step is necessary given a previous case where the same mine’s previous environmental practitioner indicated that the application had been withdrawn, while they continued with it behind the scenes.
AfriForum emphasises that the civil rights organisation did not oppose the mining application simply for the sake of opposition. The fierce opposition was about the protection of a natural and heritage treasure, the protection of communities’ rights and the enforcement of environmental legislation, for the benefit of society as a whole.
The organisation calls on the government to stop considering mining applications in ecologically sensitive buffer zones and to ensure that future applications are subject to stricter oversight from the outset. AfriForum warns that communities must remain vigilant, as this case proves that accountability is often only enforced through sustained public pressure.
