Kruger National Park mining application: Kimopax’s exclusion of AfriForum on environmental impact assessment unacceptable
AfriForum demands that Kimopax, the environmental practitioner conducting the environmental impact assessment on the impact of mining activities near the Kruger National Park, and its client Tenbosch Mining disclose all interactions with the relevant interest groups by 17 February 2025. This follows after it has come to the attention of the civil rights organisation, which is registered as an interested and affected party (IAP) in this controversial mining application, that important information regarding the environmental impact assessment has been shared with other parties but not with AfriForum.
According to AfriForum, this decision disregards the regulations for public participation and raises serious concerns about the integrity of the environmental impact assessment process. In terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 107 of 1998 and the accompanying regulations, all parties registered as IAP’s must be included in relevant communications and given a reasonable opportunity to comment on the proposed activities.
If Kimopax and Tenbosch Mining do not comply with AfriForum’s request, the organisation will escalate the matter and pursue other legal remedies to prevent this mining application from continuing under the current circumstances.
“We will not allow these underhand tactics and procedural irregularities to determine the fate of one of South Africa’s most sensitive ecological areas. The public participation process is there to ensure transparency and accountability, yet Kimopax excluded us while communicating with other parties,” says Lambert de Klerk, manager for Environmental Affairs at AfriForum.
AfriForum will also formally notify the relevant regulatory authorities, including the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, as well as the Association of Environmental Assessment Practitioners of South Africa (EAPASA), of the irregularities. “We will also continue to oppose this mining application in its entirety as it poses a significant environmental threat to the Kruger National Park and the surrounding communities,” adds De Klerk.
“We call on all stakeholders to ensure that the legal and environmental obligations of this application are maintained. If Kimopax and Tenbosch Mining believe that they can push through this process without proper public consultation, they are making a huge mistake,” concludes De Klerk.
AfriForum remains committed to defending the constitutional rights of its members and ensuring that due process is followed in all environmental matters.