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Glencore CEO is South Africa’s richest

Richard — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:00:09 +0000

The Rich List has been published, showcasing South Africa’s wealthiest business men and women. Topping the list for 2011 Ivan Glasenberg from Swiss-based, London-listed Glencore International, who has an estimated net worth of R61.48 billion.

See http://www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/glencore-ceo-is-sa-s-richest-1.1216359.

Sick miners want Anglo American to pay up

Richard — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:33:21 +0000

Mongezi Mponco left his village of grassland hills as one of hundreds of thousands of healthy young black men who poured into the deep underground of South Africa’s gold mines.

The 54-year-old continued working when diagnosed with early incurable lung disease until he was fired after 30 years, in a story traced on thumb-worn papers kept in his home off a rutted dirt road in the Eastern Cape.

“Thank you for your loyal service and all the best,” advised the termination letter to the father of six who has certified silicosis scarring of the lungs.

But the best has not materialised for Mponco and hundreds of other former mineworkers who now want mining giant Anglo American to pay up for exposing them to dangerous dust levels.

The London-listed firm’s South African subsidiary is being sued on two continents in cases that could run into millions of rands in damages.

See http://mg.co.za/article/2011-12-11-sick-miners-want-anglo-american-to-pay-up.

Who needs coal? Who needs nuclear?

Richard — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:15:38 +0000

It seems to be a “Hobson’s choice” par excellence! As global climate change talks continued in Durban, South Africa’s leadership was faced with a “conundrum” – does the country continue burning-up the world by depending on coal, or should it risk radiating it with nuclear power? Of course this “dilemma” confronts many other industrialised and “lesser developing” states too. But it’s arguably completely false. In a startling analysis, Australian climate change reporter, Giles Parkinson, contends that “alternative” energy sources, such as solar and wind power, have the potential to outstrip coal as a key source of electrical power. Indeed, says Parkinson, this is already happening.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11348

Silent Protest Held in Support of Communities of Limpopo

Richard — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:13:06 +0000

Gaia Foundation press release, Thursday 15th December 2011

Yesterday in Central London a silent protest took place outside the General Meeting of Shareholders of Australian mining company, Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL). The protest was held in solidarity with the communities of the Limpopo Province, South Africa, who face untold ecological, social and economic damage to their ancestral homes should the mine go ahead.

The CoAL project which will affect this region is known as the Makhado Project. It is in addition to one other mine owned by the company in Limpopo Province, known as Vele, and a further two in the neighbouring Mpumalanga province. Yesterday’s meeting preceded CoAL’s Conditional Placing of Shares on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange plc, which is set to take place today.

Liz Hosken, founding director of The Gaia Foundation, took part in the protest: “We are here in support of the local communities and especially the Makadzhis - the guardians of the sacred sites and sacred lands of Venda in Limpopo Province. These are the spiritual leaders of the people whose responsibility it is to protect their ancestral homeland, which these coal-mining projects will destroy if they go ahead. The company haven’t even carried out proper studies, but the one thing that they have admitted is that the underground water will be finished within two years. So there isn’t even enough water for their own projects; let alone for life itself. If there is no water, there is no life. This is truly Ecocide.”

Earlier this week twelve civil society groups and community members from the Limpopo Province sent a letter to over fifty shareholders and potential investors of Coal of Africa (CoAL) demanding that they reconsider their plans to support the company – and specifically the Makhado Project.

The letter set out a number of grave concerns relating to CoAL’s handling of the Makhado project and their neighbouring Vele mine. These included a flawed public participation process; failure to provide adequate answers to questions raised by the community; no water licence; and an insufficient Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan.

The letter states: “We have a responsibility to our ancestors and to our children to stop the destruction of our ancestral lands. You would do the same if someone wanted to mine your home. Please think about that”.

Notes to Editors:
Watch a 2-minute film about yesterday’s protest and what the mine will mean for the lives of the communities of Limpopo here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZG0Sc9NTRY&feature=youtu.be

For further information please contact Rowan Phillimore at The Gaia Foundation, London on +44 207 428 0054 or rowan@gaianet.org
or A.M. Mudau, Dzomo la Mupo, South Africa email: azwihangwisimosesm@yahoo.com or +27 79 412 2666

Image: Silent protest outside CoAL’s General Meeting of Shareholders which took place in Central London yesterday (Wednesday 14th December). Copyright, The Gaia Foundation.

Representatives from The Gaia Foundation, the London Mining Network and the general public took part in the peaceful protest.
The letter which was sent to CoAL shareholders and investors earlier this week has been based on evidence and analysis drawn from a research report commissioned by an alliance of groups, to look into the impacts of coal mining. The report Mine Not – Waste Not: A preliminary critique of aspects of the CoAL Makhado Colliery Project EIA and EMP is available on the following websites: The Gaia Foundation http://www.gaiafoundation.org and London Mining Network www.londonminingnetwork.org.

Coal of Africa’s website states today that, ‘subject to obtaining shareholder approval to issue the Conditional Placing Shares, the Company will apply for admission of the Conditional Placing Shares to trading or quotation and listing of the Conditional Placing Shares on the AIM market of London Stock Exchange plc (“AIM”) on 15 December 2011 and on the Main Board of JSE Limited (“JSE”) on 20 December 2011. Accordingly, the anticipated settlement date for the Conditional Placing Shares on AIM is 15 December 2011’. www.coalofafrica.com

Civil society groups demand global corporations reconsider investment in Coal of Africa mining project.

Richard — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:06:17 +0000

Yesterday, civil society groups and community members from the Limpopo Province of South Africa sent a letter to over fifty shareholders and potential investors of Coal of Africa (CoAL) demanding that they reconsider their plans to support the company – and specifically the Makhado Project – in Venda, Limpopo because of the damaging impact that it will have on their ecosystem and livelihoods.

The letter, which is endorsed by 12 local groups, has been sent to shareholders and potential investors including M & G Investments (part of Prudential), JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and ArcelorMittal, in advance of Coal of Africa’s General Meeting of Shareholders, which takes place in central London this Wednesday, 14th December.

The text of the letter is below.

For full Gaia Foundation press release, see http://www.gaiafoundation.org/content/mine-not-waste-not

The report Mine Not – Waste Not: A preliminary critique of aspects of the CoAL Makhado Colliery Project EIA and EMP is available at http://www.gaiafoundation.org/sites/default/files/MineNotWasteNot_december2011_0.pdf.

Open letter to Shareholders and Potential Investors of Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL)

12th December 2011

We represent 12 local groups from Limpopo Province, South Africa, where Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL) has two of its four coal mining projects, one being the Makhado Project.

Our alliance ranges from communities to farmers and ranchers of all cultures and incomes, representing thousands of people whose lives are at stake due to these projects in our province.

This letter outlines the reasons why we ask you NOT to invest in Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL), or any of their projects, including Makhado Project. Investing in CoAL would create a social, ecological and economic disaster for those of us whose homes and livelihoods would be destroyed if these projects were to go ahead. It is a flawed investment and totally unjust.

Our analysis is based on the research we commissioned from an international expert in the impacts of coal mining. The report, “Mine Not – Waste Not: A preliminary critique of aspects of the CoAL Makhado Colliery Project EIA and EMP” is widely available together with two of the letters written by community groups to South African government ministries, clarifying their concerns and grievances regarding the Makhado Project.

These are some of the most critical reasons why you should NOT invest in Coal of Africa Makhado Project:

1. Refusal to provide vital information to affected parties – CoAL has refused to give affected parties the Environmental Management Programme or their prospecting permit. This is unlawful as this information must be available to the public.

2. Flawed public participation process – This process has been chaotic, ad hoc and inadequate, resulting in an incomplete application process.

3. Failure to give answers to vital questions – The concerns raised by the many affected parties have not been addressed, which is building growing discontent amongst the local communities and affected parties towards CoAL.

4. No water licence and not enough water in the area – The water studies for the project are incomplete, the water licence has not been granted and, by the company’s own admission, the underground water will be decimated by 2014. This is without taking into account the other mining project’s considerable water needs or the needs of the ecosystem and the communities who depend on it for their lives. There is not enough water for one of CoAL’s projects, let alone the others. This defies logic.

5. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) incomplete and should therefore be rejected – By the company’s own admission, these fundamental documents are incomplete and CoAL needs more time to finalise them, for “a project of this magnitude and complexity”. None of the concerns raised by affected parties have been addressed or included in these documents. The required studies have not been completed and there are omissions of vital information and many speculative statements. Thus these documents should be rejected. Anyway, the company has now run over the stipulated date for completion.

6. The Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) deficient – This analysis makes unsubstantiated assumptions and does not take the severe ecological or socio- economic implications into account. Thus it completely underestimates the liabilities of the project.

7. A Bad Investment – Firstly, the communities and local groups are determined to stop this project because it will destroy their lives and livelihoods. Local resistance against the project is growing as more people come to terms with the impact that this will have upon them and their environment. Secondly, as is evident from the catalogue of omissions, CoAL is a young, inexperienced company, lacking in ability to deal with people, meet the necessary legal requirements or carry out the required research to assess the viability of a project. This makes them a high-risk investment.

We pledge to stop the Makhado CoAL Project from going ahead. We alert you to the fact that what you might consider to be a profitable investment will cause the permanent destruction of our ancestral homes, ecosystems, livelihoods and the future options for our children. Without water there is no life. Without land we have no livelihoods.

We have a responsibility to our ancestors and to our children to stop the destruction of our ancestral lands. You would do the same if someone wanted to mine your home. Please think about that.

Yours Sincerely

Signed by the following local groups from Limpopo Province:
Dzomo la Mupo
Mupo Foundation
Mudzi wa Vhurereli ha Vhavenda
Ndima Community Services
Thikho ya Mvelele
Vhembe Traditional Healers Forum
Cultural Biodiversity Group
Vhufa ha Vhangona
Vhembe Traditional Healers
Vhangona National Cultural Movement
Soutpansberg District Agricultural Union
Makhado Action Group
Replies to: A.M. Mudau, Dzomo la Mupo , email:azwihangwisimosesm@yahoo.com

CoAL faces community wrath over water

Richard — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:42:48 +0000

Just as concerned citizens of South Africa mobilise around the international Climate Conference in Durban (COP-17), several communities, supported by NGOs, are battling to save a critical part of Limpopo province from the threat of coal mining. Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL), listed in London, Johannesburg and on Australia’s stock exchange, wants to construct a colliery in a drought-stricken area where communities and other farmers fear their livelihoods will be sacrificed to the “black stuff”. The company has already obtained permission to access invaluable water resources for another mine (Vele) – despite accusations that it broke an article within the National Water Act as well as one within the National Environmental Management Act.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11319.

South Africa’s gold miners denied access to silicosis checks

Richard — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:33:21 +0000

A lawyer for hundreds of former South African gold miners has accused their ex-employers of failing to provide access to regular check-ups for silicosis, an incurable lung disease caused by inhaling dust.

Richard Meeran of London law firm Leigh Day said thousands of miners in South Africa’s impoverished Eastern Cape province had missed out on compensation because they had been denied access to free, two-yearly tests, in contravention of South African laws protecting the rights of ex-miners.

He is already representing 700 silicosis-afflicted miners, most of them from the Eastern Cape, in a suit in London seeking “billions of rand” in compensation from London-based mining giant Anglo American.

Anglo American South Africa, the wholly owned entity being sued by the miners, was one of the world’s largest gold miners through much of the 20th century.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11318.

Mining’s toxic sludge threatens Johannesburg

Richard — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:27:48 +0000

Thousands of people face evacuation from greater Johannesburg in the Gauteng province – the economic heartland of South Africa – due to toxic sludge from abandoned gold mines laced with high radiation levels.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11315.

Among companies which have mined for gold in South Africa over many years are London-listed Anglo American and AngloGold Ashanti. It is unclear whether any of their former operations are implicated.

World’s Biggest Hydropower Scheme Will Leave Africans in the Dark

Richard — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:17:43 +0000

South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed an agreement to build a major hydroelectric power project, which is said to bring electricity to more than half of the continent’s 900 million people. But economic analysts warn that foreign investors will prevent the grid from benefiting the general public.

(One of the companies hoping to benefit from cheap power from the Inga Dam project is BHP Billiton.)

See http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105843.

Colombia mining projects delayed over environmental issues

Richard — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:56:36 +0000

Colombia’s foreign-led Angostura and La Colosa mining projects have been delayed due to environmental concerns. Angostura is owned by Eco Oro, formerly Greystar, a Canadian company listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM). La Colosa is owned by notorious South African-based AngloGold Ashanti, which has a listing on the London Stock Exchange.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11274&l=1.

‘Our suffering is for ever’, mined-out town tells De Beers in South Africa

Richard — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:52:20 +0000

Residents of Hondeklipbaai, a small community in coastal northwest South Africa, has lodged a land claim against the world’s largest diamond mining company, Anglo-De Beers.

The community is angered that the company has reneged on its promise to adequately rehabilitate its mined-out area, and plans to sell the lease to a much smaller diamond outfit, Trans Hex.

Recalling that De Beers has exploited his peoples’ territory for around 80 years, community leader Dawid Markus declared: “We are still living in dire poverty. De Beers says ‘a diamond is for ever’. The reality here is that our suffering is for ever”.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11263.

Alaska voters say no to gold, copper mine

Richard — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:51:04 +0000

Can a small local government hold back a large-scale development, despite much bigger political and corporate forces being ranged against it?

That’s the question facing voters in Southwest Alaska’s Lake & Peninsula Borough who last week passed a ballot resolution banning all large-scale resource extraction, including mining, “that would destroy or degrade salmon habitat”.

No-one is in doubt that the measure is aimed at one of the world’s most important prospective mines in the vicinity of Alaska’s Bristol Bay. Few people expect the community to triumph over the likes of Anglo American, commercial interests, and some Alaskan native corporations.

However, on November 7, Alaska’s Superior Court will begin proceedings to consider the constitutionality of the Lake & Peninsula Borough ordinance. It promises to be an interesting hearing.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11260.

See also: South Africa mine a poor comparison for Pebble, http://www.adn.com/2011/10/02/2100315/south-africa-mine-a-poor-comparison.html.

Coal of Africa shares jump on Vele licence decision

Richard — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:37:06 +0000

Shares in Coal of Africa jumped as much as 21 percent last Wednesday after South Africa lifted the suspension of a key licence at its Vele colliery, allowing the miner to press ahead with plans to start production next year.

See http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE79I05320111019.

Kyrgyzstan Horsemen Attack Gold Mine

Richard — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:20:28 +0000

At around midnight on Friday, 10 horsemen charged into the exploration camp and set fire to outbuildings, said Talas Copper Gold, a joint venture between the British company Orsu Metals and South African miner Gold Fields.

See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/kyrgyzstan/8820013/Kyrgyz-horsemen-raid-camp-owned-by-British-gold-miner.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/9887879.

Colombia to the Congo: Lust for Gold Threatens Environment & Human Rights

Richard — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 09:44:26 +0000

Nestled alongside the central range of the Andes lies the town of Cajamarca, Colombia, also known as la dispensa agricola de Colombia: literally Colombia’s agricultural larder. The fertile environs surrounding this settlement of twenty thousand souls play host to bumper crop of coffee, peas, kidney beans and fruits. Nourished by fresh mountain springs that in turn trickle downwards toward the rice growing lowlands of Tolima, Cajamarca, sits amidst a contrasting landscape of agricultural endeavor and natural beauty.

But this is threatened by AngloGold Ashanti‘s mining plans.

See http://www.towardfreedom.com/americas/2549-colombia-to-the-congo-lust-for-gold-threatens-environment-a-human-rights

AngloGold May Lift Output 68% by 2020 Excluding Acquisitions

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd (ANG), the third- largest producer of the metal, may increase output 68 percent by 2020 excluding any acquisitions as it seeks to reverse declines.

See http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-26/anglogold-ashanti-says-production-could-rise-to-7-6-million-ounces-in-2020.html.