Johannesburg - Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has urged the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to speed up its management of rehabilitating South Africa’s abandoned mines as they “pose serious health, safety and environmental hazards for nearby communities.”
Maluleke made the call during the release of the report on the follow-up performance audit conducted on the department’s rehabilitation of abandoned mines, also referred to as derelict and ownerless (D&O) mines.
She said that while she recognised the efforts the department had made since the first performance audit in 2009, the government needed to urgently improve its rehabilitation efforts as they negatively impact local communities and the environment.
According to the findings, the national audit office’s 2009 audit highlighted that unrehabilitated D&O mine sites negatively affect the environment and the health and safety of local communities.
Maluleke said this negative impact “remains a key issue in South Africa and at mining sites globally”.
The 2021 follow-up audit evaluated the progress the department has made since 2009, focusing on whether the issues highlighted in the previous report still exist.
The majority of the 6 100 D&O mines closed down before the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act of 2002 that compelled the holder to fully rehabilitate mines before a closure certificate is issued by the department.
During the 2009 performance audit, the department reported that they managed 5 906 abandoned mines. Subsequently, the 2021 audit found that the DMRE manages 6 100 D&O mines. The increase in mines is a result of the department’s identification of additional D&O mines.
The mines include the following high-risk commodity mines:
261 asbestos mines, and 2 322 other high-risk commodity mines such as gold, coal and copper.
Prior to the 2009 audit, the department had rehabilitated five asbestos mines. From 2009 to 2021, the department rehabilitated an additional 27 asbestos mines. To date, none of the 2 322 other high-risk commodity mines have been rehabilitated.
In addition to the 6 100 mines, the department is also reporting on and managing 1 170 mine openings (referred to as holings), of which 507 were closed by 31 March 2021.
“In this latest audit, the auditors found that the department's management of the 6 100 abandoned mines and 1 170 mine openings was ineffective and did not address the environmental, social and health impact of unrehabilitated mines within a set time frame.
“Between 2009 and 2021, the department focused on rehabilitating the remaining 256 asbestos mines and closing mine openings. Only 27 of these mines were rehabilitated, and 507 mine openings were closed,” Maluleke said.
She said given the current allocated funding and planned targets, as well as the progress made in the past, “the department is not likely to achieve its objective of having all asbestos mines rehabilitated by 2033 unless it re-prioritises”.
Since 2009, the department has approved a national strategy and compiled an implementation plan. However, the implementation plan has not been costed or approved and does not include all the key deliverables in the national strategy. “As a result, certain key initiatives have been delayed or not implemented.”
Maluleke said the current illegal mining could contribute to a range of environmental, social, health and safety problems because illegal miners use unsafe mining operations, saying it also threatens the viability of the government's holing programme, as the illegal miners open previously sealed mine openings.
“In South Africa, unrehabilitated D&O mines are not geographically isolated; rather, they are located close to communities and natural habitats. People who live close to these sites risk exposure to toxic contaminants through the air that they breathe, the food that they eat and the water that they drink. Strengthening the management and rehabilitation of these abandoned mines will safeguard the constitutional rights of the affected communities,” Maluleke said.
Political Bureau