Question NW32 to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
19 March 2021 - NW32
Ceza, Mr K to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
What steps has his department taken to address the complaints of the Clewer Community in the eMalahleni Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, as submitted to his department on 1 August 2020, with regard to the blasting operations and dust at the Anglo American Khwezela Colliery which causes cracks in houses in Clewer? NW34E
Reply:
The Department investigated the complaints. The outcomes of the investigation were that Khwezela Colliery air blast and ground vibration exceeded the limits of 125dB and 5mm per second, respectively.
The Department issued Khwezela colliery with instruction to comply with the air blast limit of 115 dB and ground vibration limit 5 mm per second. Secondly, colliery was instructed to conduct a follow up structural survey on all the affected houses in proximity of the mine, determine if the damages to the houses were caused by blasting from the mine and fix all the houses that were damaged due to mine blasts. The mine must also review their blast design to ensure that they are able to comply with the air blast and ground vibration limits. The mine was also issued with an instruction to reduce the dust levels that were emanating from the dragline.