Question NW2645 to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
21 September 2023 - NW2645
Tito, Ms LF to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
(1) Whether he has been informed that a 15-year-old child from Phola near Ogies, suffered third-degree burns after falling into a pit of an unrehabilitated mining area in Mpumalanga in October 2022 and that to date the owner of the land has not been located; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (2) Whether his department has a database of all mine owners in each province, particularly the owners of the mines that need rehabilitation; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3029E
Reply:
1. The Department has been informed of the unfortunate incident. Preliminary investigations shows that the area where the incident happened falls outside coordinates of any Licensed mine. The Mining company in the vicinity decided to assist on purely humanitarian grounds and this assistance has also been acknowledged by the child’s family. The Department remains seizes with this matter to prevent the occurrence of such an incidence from happening again.
2. The Department has the database of mines that need rehabilitation. These are legacy mines that have been abandoned by the previous mine owners prior to the introduction of the Minerals Act (1991) and Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA, 2002). To this end, the department has prioritized the rehabilitation of these Derelict and Ownerless (D&O) mines.