Coal and conservation in Limpopo

Coal and conservation in Limpopo

Can conservation and coal mining in the Limpopo Province of South Africa co-exist?

By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and editor of the WhyAfrica magazine

Mapungubwe, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of South Africa’s prime national parks that not only protects unique biodiversity on the banks of the Limpopo River but is also a cultural and historic site of international importance.

The possible development of several coal mines and the proposed Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Vhembe District Municipality close to the Mapungubwe National Park will require that stakeholders find solutions to balance conservation, mining and industrial development in a very sensitive ecological area.

Mapungubwe is located in an extremely dry part of the world. Rich coal seams in the national parks buffer zone have attracted a slew of exploration and mining companies to the area in the past.

We are aware of at least 23 prospecting licences that have been granted around the borders of Mapungubwe National Park over the last few years.

Exploration in buffer zones

According to investigative journalists at Oxpeckers, at least one of these licences fall within a no-mining buffer zone set up around Mapungubwe by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

UNESCO does not allow mining in heritage sites and requires a buffer zone around a listed site where no mining can take place.

In the case of Mapungubwe, this requirement was tested nearly a decade ago when Australian company Coal of Africa established its Vele Colliery in the buffer zone.

During the 2024 WhyAfrica Road Trip we drove past the now mothballed Vele which attracted a lot of controversy 10 years ago when I first became aware of the mining activities.

Prospecting licenses around the park     

Coal of Africa changed its name to MC Mining in 2018. After putting Vele on ice for several years, rumours have it that the mine is ready to start production again in 2025.

But MC Mining is not the only exploration company on the banks of the Limpopo River. A prospecting licence was granted to Micawber 639 in 2009 allowing it to prospect on farms that fall within the buffer zone approved by UNESCO.

According to Oxpeckers, Micawber is owned jointly by Aphrodeities Mining, a local 100% BEE-compliant company, and Canadian mining company Takara Resources. Journalists at Oxpeckers stated in an article two years ago that Micawber has since entered a joint venture with Indian mining company IG Resources

A few years ago, South African National Parks (SANParks) said in a statement that it was aware of at least five prospecting licences near the national park and had brought them to the attention of its mother body, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF).

Conservation and mining

The coking coal or metallurgical coal found in the area is of a high quality and several mining companies have sniffed around Mapungubwe and closer to the town of Musina. Mapungubwe has co-existed with mining for a long time. De Beers started mining diamonds at Venetia in 1992 and continues to do so.

Venetia is just outside Mapungubwe National Park’s buffer zone but has contributed to the expansion of Mapungubwe and created their own private nature reserve, which in a way offsets the mining house’s significant environmental impact.

Vele mine was given the green light in 2013 after environmentalists and SANParks officials negotiated an offset agreement with the mining company as a condition to it obtaining a mining licence.

The environmental damage caused by the mining was valued and penalised, and specialists were able to stipulate where mining was to take place and to protect areas that are either culturally or environmentally sensitive.

Special Economic Zone

Vele mine was placed under care and maintenance in October 2013 because it was not profitable to operate. The area is remote, and it is costly to get the coal out, but environmentalists fear that the development of the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (SEZ) a few kilometres away from Mapungubwe will create the necessary infrastructure to support coal mining in the area.

Their concerns are valid. The whole area is an ecologically sensitive biodiversity hotspot. In addition, it’s a water scarce region, and the coal deposits are very close to the Limpopo River, which will make mining a high-risk activity.

Mapungubwe – a unique national park

Mapungubwe covers an area of more than 28,000 hectares. The park is renowned for its scenic landscape, with sandstone formations, woodlands, riverine forests and baobab trees.

It is also the only national park in South Africa where a number of other activities including agriculture and grazing, are allowed within the confines of the National Park’s boundaries.

Mphandeni Nthangeni, Park Manager Mapungubwe National Park, told us more about the challenges of managing a multi-use conservation area and national park. His great interview can be viewed on the WhyAfrica YouTube channel by clicking here:

Mapungubwe, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to Mapungubwe Hill, where an ancient African Kingdom traded with China and India between 1200 and 1290 AD. This is the place where archaeologists excavated the famous golden rhino and other artifacts belonging to the wealthy African kingdom.

Coal and conservation in Limpopo