Question NW2817 to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
06 October 2023 - NW2817
Van Dyk, Ms V to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
(1) Whether he has found that the practice of seawalls is extremely harmful to the diamond diving industry and the littoral environment when hundreds of tons of residue stockpile are being dumped into the ocean every hour, destroying habitat, sterilising large areas of valuable diamond diving resource, turning the water column into a black slurry and driving the final nail into the coffin of the diamond diving industry; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps have been taken by his department to address the environmental crisis; (2) whether it is his position that seawall material is defined as residue stockpile and is therefore the responsibility of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to monitor, as provided for in the National Environmental Management Act, Act 107 of 1998, instead of his department that has no authority over the specified matter; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3232E
Reply:
(1) Response: Seawalls are generally created using sea – sand excavated directly from the sea mining block to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out and drained. The pumping creates a semi-dry working environment so that work can be carried out safely and efficiently. In most cases, particularly in the case of diamond mining, seawalls are created as temporal structures, they collapse as mining activities proceed from one block to the next. In cases where the mining block is set to have a longer lifespan, the sea – sand (i.e., seawall) is reinforced with rocks often collected on the coast and tailings material. There would be minimal impact on the sea and surrounding environment as there is no harmful or hazardous material introduced to create the seawalls. Naturally, when the seawalls collapse, they create high turbidity in the immediate area that often creates murky water, but given the strength of ocean currents, the sediment is swiftly dispersed. In cases where the mining block is situated in heavy mineral sands, the tailings may appear reddish-brown in colour due to the presence of the zircon element and this is often mistaken as a black slurry.
2. Response: According to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act 28 of 2002) as amended, the residue stockpile “means any debris, discard, tailings, slimes, screening, slurry, waste rock, foundry sand, beneficiation plant waste, ash or any other product derived from or incidental to a mining operation and which is stockpiled, stored or accumulated for potential re-use, or which is disposed of, by the holder of a mining right…”. Seawalls do not fall into this definition as the material used will not be reused or disposed of. However, the environmental impacts arising out of any mining/prospecting activities subject of a mining right or any right/permit issued in terms of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002, falls within the competent jurisdiction of the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy.