Anglo American Limited - Mogalakwena Mine ... - SRK Consulting

Anglo American Limited - 

Mogalakwena Mine - Final 

Environmental Impact 

Assessment and Environmental 

Management Plan Report for the 

Proposed Waste Site project 

Report Prepared for 

Anglo American Platinum Limited - 

Mogalakwena Mine 

Report Number 347793/4 

DEA reference number: 12/9/11/L621/5 

Report Prepared by 

August 2013

SRK Consulting: 347793: Waste site FEIA & EMP 

Page i 

Final Environmental Impact Assessment and 

Environmental Management Plan for the 

Proposed Waste Site project 

Anglo American Platinum Limited – 

Mogalakwena Mine 

Private Bag X2463 

Mokopane 

0600 

Limpopo 

SRK Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd. 

265 Oxford Rd 

Illovo 2196 

Johannesburg 

South Africa 

e-mail: johannesburg@srk.co.za 

website: www.srk.co.za 

Tel: +27 (0) 11 441 1111 

Fax:+27 (0) 11 880 8086 

SRK Project Number 347793/4 

August 2013 

Compiled by: 

Olga Nemulenzi 

Environmental Scientist 

Peer Reviewed by: 

Andy Smithen 

Partner 

Email: onemulenzi@srk.co.za 

Authors: 

O Nemulenzi; A Owens; 

NEMO/SMTN G:\347793 Mokgalekwena 2010\7Reports\Final EIR\SRK website\Main report\Waste site Final EIR_Aug 2013.docx August 2013

SRK Consulting: 347793: Waste site FEIA & EMP Page 1 

Executive Summary 

Introduction and background 

The applicant, Mogalakwena Platinum Mine (MPM) has currently changed its name to Anglo 

American Platinum Limited –Mogalakwena Mine (AAMM). The name MPM was used on the public 

documents prepared during the first phase of public participation involvement that is already 

completed. However, this report is going to refer to the applicant as AAMM instead of MPM. 

AAMM is proposing the development of a waste site on the farm Zwartfontein 818 LR. The waste to 

be disposed of at the proposed landfill site will be mainly non-hazardous and domestic waste which 

cannot be recycled. Based on the current climatic water balance for the site, it is believed that the 

site would be classified as a general communal site, or the smallest site described in terms of 

DWAF’s Minimum Requirements for Waste disposal by Landfill (G:C:B-). 

The proposed development requires a licence in terms of National Environmental Management: 

Waste (Act 59 of 2008) (NEMWA). An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental 

Management Plan (EMP) amendment is required for the environmental authorisation in terms of the 

National Environmental; Management Act (NEMA) (Act 107 of 1998). The Department of 

Environmental Affairs (DEA) is the competent authority, and the Limpopo Department of Water 

Affairs (LDWA) and the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism 

(LDEDET) are the commenting authority for the project. 

SRK Consulting (Pty) Ltd (SRK) has been appointed by AAMM as an independent environmental 

consultant to carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) as required by the National 

Environmental Management Act (NEMA) Act 107 of 1998. As such, SRK is fulfilling the role of 

environmental assessment practitioner (EAP) as specified in the EIA regulations. Included in the EIA 

process is the need to develop a draft scoping report (DSR) and final scoping report (FSR), as well 

as draft and final environmental impact reports (EIRs). A key component in the finalisation of the 

reports is the public participation process which runs throughout the EIA development process. 

The application for the project has been accepted by DEA, and has been allocated the following 

DEA reference numbers: 12/9/11/L621/5. Key correspondence with DEA relating to the acceptance 

of the applications is contained in Appendix F1. 

This document represents the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the proposed Waste 

site. The EIR documents the findings of the impact assessment phase which is part of the EIA 

process. 

Who is conducting the EIA? 

SRK Consulting has been appointed, as an independent consultant to undertake the EMP/EIA. The 

EMP/EIA will be undertaken in the form of an EIA which will be undertaken in two phases: scoping 

and assessment. This report is the Final EIR which documents the findings of the second phase 

(impact assessment) phase which is part of the EIA process. It will be available for public review and 

the stakeholders will have an opportunity to comment on it. Any other comments on the Final EIR 

report need to be liaised with DEA. 



Who will evaluate the EIA? 

Before the proposed AAMM Waste site can be developed, approval has to be obtained from the 

regulatory authorities. DEA is the competent authority for the project. The Final EIR will be submitted 

to DEA also to the commenting authorities which are LDWA and LDEDET for review. The LDWA will 

issue a record of decision in terms of section 49(2) of the NEMWA. DEA will also consult with 

various other government departments before making a decision on whether or not to authorise this 

project, and to take into account other legislation for example, the National Water Act, the National 

Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, the Mines, Health and Safety Act, the Heritage 

Resources Act and others. 

Project location 

The proposed project site is located on the farm Zwartfontein 818 LR, within the foortprint of AAMM 

mine near Mokopane in the Limpopo Province. Mokopane falls under Mogalakwena Local 

Municipality which has its administrative offices in Mokopane. Mogalakwena is part of the Waterberg 

District Municipality which has its headquarters in Modimolle, approximately 100km to the south 

west. Figure 1 shows the location of MPM, the surface lease area in relation to the nearest towns, 

and major roads 



Figure 1: Locality map for the proposed Waste site project 



Page iv 

Project description 

The waste site will have a footprint of about 4.6 hectares. The waste to be disposed of at the 

proposed landfill site will be mainly non-hazardous and domestic waste which cannot be recycled. 

Although paper, plastic, wood and metals are sorted for recycling at the various sections of the mine, 

additional sorting will be carried out at the waste site. 

The mine plans to temporarily store hazardous waste and salvageable items which contains 

hazardous substances in containers in a demarcated enclosed area on the site (less than 10 tonnes 

per day). It is envisaged that hazardous waste will comprise fluorescent tubes, laboratory effluent 

and soil contaminated with fuel or chemicals, and will total a maximum of 150 cubic metres per 

annum. 

The mine, as part of its commitment to sound environmental management, also plans to establish a 

soil remediation site in the same area. A limited amount of about 20 tonnes of 

hazardous/contaminated soil will be transported to the new site where it will be bio-remediated at a 

rate of 500kg per day. The purpose of this site is to bio-remediate soils that have been polluted with 

hydrocarbons elsewhere on the mining footprint area. The establishment and management of this 

site are based on three years of experimental trials on this subject. The waste site is to be operated 

by the mine together with a contractor specialising in waste management. 

Motivation for the proposed project 

The current landfill is nearing its capacity. For AAMM to continue managing their waste properly 

there is a need for a new facility that can handle general waste and provide temporary storage for 

hazardous waste, a bioremediation facility as well as a waste sorting area. The new waste site will 

accommodate waste coming from different sections of the mine when the capacity at the current site 

is exhausted. 

Proposed project schedule 

The proposed project schedule is set out in the table below: 

Project Stage 

Timeframe 

EIA Phase and Obtaining of RoD 

Construction Phase 

Operational Phase 

Closure - decommissioning 

Closure - post closure 

4-5 months 

1 year or less 

25 years 

3-5 years 

4-5 years 

Baseline environment description 

Key aspects of the baseline environment are listed below. A comprehensive baseline description is 

provided under Section 4. 

Climate 

AAMM has a typical summer rainfall climate, receiving the majority of its rainfall in summer in the 

period between October and April and having a cool and dry winter. 

The region in general has an average maximum monthly temperature of 26.3 °C and an average 

minimum monthly temperature of 13.0 °C. 



Page v 

Topography and drainage 

The area can generally be described as flat, with granite koppies that gently slope to the west. The 

Blinkwater area is drained by the Mohlosana River (Klein Sandsloot) which flows into the Groot 

Sandsloot River that drains the region. The Groot Sandsloot runs in a southwesterly direction 

draining into the Mogalakwena River. The Mogalakwena River drains in a northwesterly direction 

along the base of the Waterberg Mountains. 

Soil and Land Capability 

The soils are of moderate to poor quality due to their moderate natural fertility, soil structure, soil 

chemical properties, depth and rockiness in places. The soils vary from shallow, rocky sandy loams 

to deep, weakly or moderately structured sandy clays. Free lime occurs throughout the site. The 

surface rockiness and variable depth, together with the marginal mean annual rainfall and other 

climatic conditions, attributes to the low agricultural potential of the soils. 

Ecology 

AAMM falls into the Savanna Biome. Vegetation types within this biome include Mixed Bushveld and 

Clay Thorn Bushveld (Acocks (1953) - Springbok Flats Turf Thornveld). The study area is already 

disturbed through activities such as overgrazing, collecting wood for fuel purposes, trampling and 

dryland crop production activities. 

Surface Water 

AAMM is situated in the Limpopo River Catchment Area in quaternary catchment A61G. Streams in 

the area are highly seasonal and only flow after larger rainfall events. The Klein Sandsloot and the 

Wit River, which confluence with the Mogalakwena River drain the Northern extended mine area. 

The Mohlosane River flows along the eastern side of the Waste site. 

Currently surface water monitoring takes place at two points in the Mohlosane River, namely; 

downstream of the Blinkwater Tailings dam and the proposed waste site and downstream of all 

mining activities. The upstream Moholosane River monitoring point is the closest current monitoring 

point to the proposed landfill site and presents exceedances to the Identified Resource Protection 

(IRP) value for sodium and chloride. 

Groundwater 

Regionally, the water table ranges between 5 – 20 m below ground level, however for the adjacent 

boreholes (P122D) are fairly shallow with depths varying from 3 to 8 meters below ground level and 

groundwater flow corresponds to the larger regional flow directions and is towards the south southwest 

direction, at a velocity of less than 1 m/day. The formations below 50 m contain very little water 

and below 250 m may be considered dry. Further details on groundwater are provided in the geohydrological 

report contained in Appendix I 1. 

Majority of the boreholes directly surrounding the mining areas show elevated electrical conductivity 

and Total Dissolved Solids values indicating that mining activities are adding to the salt loads of the 

groundwater in the Mogalakwena section. Water quality is influenced by the underlying geology and 

the impact of human activities in the surrounding communities. 



Page vi 

Air Quality 

Dust deposition measurements are usually performed over monthly average sampling periods in 

accordance with procedures recommended by the South African Nation Standards (SANS). There 

are 14 dust monitoring sites at the mine of which 9 locations have single dust buckets and 5 sites 

have single and four directional dust buckets. Dust fallout is generally below the allowed limit, and 

highest during the winter season, which is the dry season, and therefore expected. 

Archaeology 

The surface of the terrain (Waste site) is covered in dense vegetation, especially grass. This area 

was formerly ploughed (see locality map) and un-inhabited. It is now a piece of land wedged inbetween 

other mining activities, i.e., new administrative buildings, workshops, water pipelines, haul 

roads and a large tailings dam that is located to the north and north-east of the terrain. No heritage 

material of any nature exists at the terrain. 

Socio-Economic Structure 

AAMM is located in the Mogalakwena Municipal Area, within the Waterberg District Municipality of 

the Limpopo Province. The Mapela Tribal Authority that forms part of the Mogalakwena Municipal 

Area has jurisdiction over the farms AAMM is situated on. This area is largely undeveloped, and is 

occupied by a large ‘semi-urban’ and/or rural population where unemployment levels are high. 

Noise 

A noise survey was done on the site. Despite the fact that mining related industrial noise 

characterises the area in general, noise levels at the actual site are below the Occupational 

Exposure Levels during the day and at night. In terms of impacts, during construction and 

decommissioning, there will be noise related to mobile plant on the site. 

Project alternatives 

The following alternatives were considered for the proposed Waste site: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location – where is the best place for specific project infrastructure; 

Process/activity/operation – are there other ways of meeting the same objective than the 

proposed development; 

Scheduling – this can be at what stage of the project for major developments or at what time of 

the day for routine, ongoing activities; 

Inputs – relating to different possible inputs into the system e.g. different types of chemicals, 

different types of building materials, different employment strategies, different designs; 

Demand – relating to efficiencies and supply e.g. is there any way of reducing the need for the 

proposed development i.e. reducing the demand for platinum; and 

No-go option: the option for the proposed development not to take place at all. 

Two sites alternatives were determined for the project. More details on the consideration of 

alternatives are provided in Section 7. 

Public participation process 

A public participation process is an integral part of EIA process. The process has included the 

notification of interested and affected parties (IAPs) through newspaper advertisements, existing 



Page vii 

databases, and placement of public notices, public meetings and letters / e-mail communications. 

Requisite regulatory timeframes have been complied with and stakeholders have been invited to 

review public documents and submit their written comment. Affected communities comprise those of 

Ga-Mapela, Ga-Molekana, Ga-Masenya and Ga-Malebana. Key authorities have also been kept 

informed of the project. 

All issues, comments and suggestions received from stakeholders were reviewed and collated into a 

comments and responses report contained in Appendix D 6. The IAPs were given opportunity to 

comment on the Draft Scoping report and the Final Scoping report. An opportunity to comment on 

the Final EIA Report will be announced by letter, and those comments need to be liaised with DEA. 

The FEIA Report and Issues and Response sheets will be left in public places throughout the project 

area. The FEIR Report will be available for public review for twenty one days starting from as from 

01 August 2013 until 21 August 2013. 

Key impacts identified for specialist investigation and assessment 

Two new specialist studies and the previous specialist studies conducted for the 2002 EMPr 

amendment at the proposed mine expansion area were referred to in order to investigate and assess 

the significance of the following potential impacts arising from the prosed developed: 

 

 

 

 

 

Social impacts (including public safety, occupational health and safety) 

Soils and land capability impacts (including sterilization of soils and erosion) 

Water quality and quantity impacts (including pollution of water resources) 

Air quality impacts (including dust generation) 

Noise (including noise from movement of vehicles during construction and operation). 

The assessment was conducted using SRK’s standard methodology for assessing and mitigating 

impacts. No fatal flaws were identified and management measures were recommended for the 

mitigation and enhancement of negative and positive impacts. The detailed assessment findings are 

presented in the DEIR, as well as the environmental management plan. 

Opinion on authorisation of project 

The landfill at the Waste site is considered a General Waste communal landfill (G:C:B - ). No 

significant leachate will be generated in terms of the Site Water Balance (Climatic Water Balance 

calculations plus Site Specific Factors), so a leachate management system is not required. The 

landfill is anticipated not to produce significant leachate that can have potential to pollute 

groundwater. Adverse impacts on the environment are not expected to occur during all phases 

(preconstruction, construction, operation and closure) of the project. Proper management and 

mitigation measures will be in place to manage the short term impacts such as noise, flies, odour, air 

pollution, unsightliness and windblown litter; for example unsightliness and windblown litter will be 

limited as the unsorted waste will be kept in the salvage yard which will be enclosed by a concrete 

fence. 

Long term impacts such as water pollution and gas generation are not anticipated as they are not 

associated with this particular landfill. The temporary storage of hazardous waste will however be 

undertaken as per guidelines provided in the Miminum requirements waste series. Hazardous waste 

at the temporary storage facility will be securely contained during handling, storage and transport to 

prevent potential impacts to the environment. 



Page viii 

Since the new landfill site will be situated between existing tailings storage facility, any pollution 

generated from the landfill site will be joining the current groundwater flow direction and mix or dilute 

with seepage from the tailings facilities. Thus the groundwater pollution by the facility will be 

relatively low. The EAP is of the opinion that the management measures proposed will adequately 

mitigate potential impacts. The extent of the anticipated cumulative impact such as soil, air and water 

will be minimised during preconstruction, construction and operation due to the current monitoring 

and remedial management plans that are currently in place. 

It can be concluded that the proposed development will comply with the principles of National 

Environmental Management: Waste Management Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008) and the NEMA (Act 

No. 107 of 1998), which embraces sustainable development. The public participation process has 

been undertaken as per NEMA and the EIA Regulations (2010) as corrected; it is believed that the 

issues raised by stakeholders have been adequately addressed. 

Environmental impact assessment and environmental 

management programme development 

AAMM will make every effort, not only to satisfy minimum legal requirements, but strive to minimize 

the potential impact the waste site might have on the environment. Detailed plans have been 

developed in the Environmental Management Plan (Section 11). 

Conclusions and recommendations 

This Final EIR report incorporates the following components: 

 

 

 

 

A description of the EIA process and a detailed plan of study for the EIA. 

An outline of the baseline environment, detailed description of the proposed activity 

A detailed description of alternative sites as well as process considered to select the preferred 

options. 

The key issues and concerns raised by stakeholders during the scoping process. 

 

EAP assessment of the potential impacts of the preconstruction and construction, operational as 

well as closure phases of the project. 

The project is anticipated to bring sustainable waste management to the Mogalakwena mine since 

the facility will render waste service such as sorting of waste for reuse and recycling, temporary 

storage of hazardous waste as well as disposal of non-hazardous and domestic waste which is 

unrecyclable. The mine, as part of its commitment to sound environmental management, also plans 

to establish a soil remediation site in the same area. This will reduce the amount of about 20% of 

hazardous/contaminated soil that would have been transported to the registered hazardous waste, 

Holfontein landfill in Springs, Gauteng. 

Findings from the existing data collected by the mine, specialists reports (Geo-hydrological report, 

Archaeological and cultural report and Closure plan) and the EAP assessment of the potential 

impacts of all phases of the project have addressed concerns raised in the scoping phase. Impact 

assessment has been undertaken for both alternative sites for the proposed development. Further, 

both alternative sites have been assessed with respect to potential environmental impacts. 

Key negative impacts for the proposed site relate to water and soil impacts expected to be 

intensively experienced specifically by the operation of the temporary storage of hazardous waste as 

well as by the other activities that will occur during construction phase and operation phase. 

It is anticipated that it will be possible to successfully manage and mitigate impacts associated with 

the development. The EMP includes plans that are incorporated in the detailed design phase, and 



Page ix 

has been developed as part of the EIA process to manage potential impacts. Programmes and plans 

developed and implemented through the EMP will be monitored and audited to ensure compliance. 



Page x 

Figure 2: Location of alternative for the proposed Waste site 



Page xi 

Table of Contents 

Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 1 

Disclaimer ................................................................................................................................................... xx 

List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................. xxi 

1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 

1.1 General Background of the project ..................................................................................................... 1 

1.2 Overview of project location and land ownership ............................................................................... 2 

1.3 Structure of this report......................................................................................................................... 2 

1.4 Project team ........................................................................................................................................ 3 

1.4.1 Environmental assessment practitioners ................................................................................ 3 

1.4.2 Specialists ............................................................................................................................... 4 

1.5 Applicant details .................................................................................................................................. 5 

1.6 Key overarching environmental Legislation ........................................................................................ 6 

1.6.1 Environmental impact assessment requirements ................................................................... 7 

1.6.2 DEA information requirements from the Waste Licence Application form .............................. 9 

1.6.3 LDEDET information requirements and the manner in which they are addressed. .............. 12 

1.7 Overview of the EIA process ............................................................................................................. 13 

1.8 Terms of reference for the EIA .......................................................................................................... 13 

1.8.1 Environmental assessment practitioners .............................................................................. 13 

1.9 Purpose of the EIA phase ................................................................................................................. 14 

1.10 Details of current and previous specialist studies ............................................................................. 14 

2 Description of proposed project ............................................................................... 15 

2.1 Project overview ................................................................................................................................ 15 

2.2 Project location .................................................................................................................................. 15 

2.3 Structure of the Waste Site ............................................................................................................... 17 

2.3.1 Landfill ................................................................................................................................... 17 

2.3.2 Stockpiling ............................................................................................................................. 17 

2.3.3 Temporary storage of hazardous waste ................................................................................ 18 

2.3.4 Dirty water dam ..................................................................................................................... 18 

2.3.5 Bioremediation ...................................................................................................................... 18 

2.3.6 Salvage yard ......................................................................................................................... 18 

2.3.7 A waste sorting area .............................................................................................................. 18 

2.4 Type of waste that AAMM generates ................................................................................................ 18 

2.5 Sources of waste ............................................................................................................................... 19 

2.6 Transportation of waste .................................................................................................................... 19 

2.7 Handling of waste at the waste site .................................................................................................. 19 

2.7.1 Scrap metal ........................................................................................................................... 19 

2.7.2 General waste ....................................................................................................................... 19 



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2.7.3 Contaminated soil .................................................................................................................. 20 

2.7.4 Hazardous waste ................................................................................................................... 20 

2.8 Project layout .................................................................................................................................... 22 

2.9 Project phasing and timing ................................................................................................................ 22 

2.10 Infrastructure that will be required for the project ............................................................................. 23 

2.11 Construction and duration of the process ......................................................................................... 23 

2.12 Operation and duration of the process.............................................................................................. 24 

2.12.1 Employment .......................................................................................................................... 25 

2.12.2 Monitoring of pollution at the waste site ................................................................................ 25 

The locations of the monitoring points are provided in Figure 4-9. ................................................... 26 

2.12.3 Accommodation / housing ..................................................................................................... 26 

2.13 Water requirements........................................................................................................................... 26 

2.13.1 Source of water ..................................................................................................................... 26 

2.13.2 Water for construction ........................................................................................................... 27 

2.13.3 Water for consumption .......................................................................................................... 27 

2.13.4 Water for sanitation ............................................................................................................... 28 

2.13.5 Water for bioremediation ....................................................................................................... 28 

2.14 Power supply ..................................................................................................................................... 28 

2.14.1 Source of power .................................................................................................................... 28 

2.15 Solid waste ........................................................................................................................................ 28 

2.16 Vehicle access .................................................................................................................................. 28 

2.17 Decommissioning, closure and duration of the processes ............................................................... 28 

3 Need and desirability of the project .......................................................................... 29 

4 Description of the baseline environment ................................................................. 30 

4.1 Climate .............................................................................................................................................. 30 

4.2 Topography and drainage ................................................................................................................. 30 

4.3 Geology ............................................................................................................................................. 30 

4.4 Soil and land capability ..................................................................................................................... 33 

4.5 Ecology ............................................................................................................................................. 33 

4.6 Surface water .................................................................................................................................... 38 

4.6.1 Surface water quality ............................................................................................................. 41 

4.7 Ground water .................................................................................................................................... 42 

4.7.1 Ground water quality ............................................................................................................. 42 

4.7.2 Groundwater level and flow direction .................................................................................... 46 

4.8 Air quality .......................................................................................................................................... 49 

4.9 Site of archaeological and cultural interest ....................................................................................... 54 

4.10 Noise 55 

4.11 Regional socio-economic structure ................................................................................................... 58 

4.12 Regional Context of the Mogalakwena Municipality ......................................................................... 58 

4.13 Administrative Structures .................................................................................................................. 59 



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4.13.1 Institutional and Organisational Structure of Mogalakwena Local Municipality .................... 59 

4.13.2 Roles and Responsibilities .................................................................................................... 60 

4.13.3 Ward Committee Management ............................................................................................. 61 

4.13.4 Community Development Workers (CDWs).......................................................................... 61 

4.13.5 Traditional Authority Leaders (TAL) ...................................................................................... 61 

4.13.6 Traditional Leadership ........................................................................................................... 62 

4.13.7 Community Needs per Settlement ........................................................................................ 63 

4.14 Demographics ................................................................................................................................... 63 

4.15 Ethnicity and language ...................................................................................................................... 64 

4.16 Economic activity .............................................................................................................................. 64 

4.17 Income and Poverty levels ................................................................................................................ 65 

4.18 Education .......................................................................................................................................... 65 

4.19 Health 66 

4.19.1 HIV ......................................................................................................................................... 66 

4.20 Local Economic Development and Employment .............................................................................. 67 

4.21 Housing and services infrastructure .................................................................................................. 67 

4.22 Social infrastructure and services ..................................................................................................... 68 

5 Potential environmental impacts .............................................................................. 69 

5.1 Cumulative impacts ........................................................................................................................... 69 

6 Public participation .................................................................................................... 70 

6.1 Public Participation Process during Scoping and Impact Assessment Phase ................................. 71 

6.1.1 Notification of interested and affected parties ....................................................................... 71 

6.1.2 Identification of District and Local Municipality ..................................................................... 71 

6.1.3 Identification of relevant Governments Departments ............................................................ 71 

6.1.4 Consultation with authorities and landowners ....................................................................... 72 

6.1.5 Background information document ....................................................................................... 72 

6.1.6 Site notices ............................................................................................................................ 72 

6.1.7 Advertisement ....................................................................................................................... 72 

6.1.8 Public participation meetings ................................................................................................ 72 

6.1.9 Registered interested and affected parties ........................................................................... 72 

6.1.10 Obtaining comments from the IAPs ...................................................................................... 72 

Submission of Scoping and EIA Reports to Authorities ............................................................................. 73 

7 Comparative assessment of alternative identified .................................................. 73 

7.1 Consideration of alternative .............................................................................................................. 73 

7.1.1 Location alternative 1 (LA1) .................................................................................................. 74 


7.2 Process for location alternative selection ......................................................................................... 74 

7.3 Advantages and disadvantages ........................................................................................................ 74 

7.4 No-go option ...................................................................................................................................... 76 

8 Objectives, approach and methodology for the EIA ............................................... 77 



Page xiv 

8.1 Description and timing of the EIA process ........................................................................................ 77 

8.2 Project schedule ................................................................................................................................ 78 

8.3 Objectives and approach of environmental assessment phase of the EIA process ......................... 78 

8.4 The public participation process ....................................................................................................... 79 

8.5 Development of the Draft EIR ........................................................................................................... 79 

8.6 Availability of the EIR ........................................................................................................................ 79 

9 Environmental impact assessment ........................................................................... 81 

9.1 List of potential impacts .................................................................................................................... 81 

9.2 Methodology for assessment of impacts........................................................................................... 82 

9.3 Overview of location alternatives assessed ...................................................................................... 85 



9.4 Impact assessments for LA1 ............................................................................................................. 85 

9.4.1 Social ..................................................................................................................................... 85 

9.5 Impact assessments associated with LA2, which differ from impacts which are the same for both 

sites ................................................................................................................................................... 87 

9.5.1 Social ..................................................................................................................................... 87 

9.6 Impacts rated equally for the two (LA1And LA2) sites ...................................................................... 90 

9.6.1 SL4: Contamination of soils .................................................................................................. 90 

9.6.2 W1: Deterioration of groundwater quality .............................................................................. 92 

9.6.3 W2: Deterioration of surface water quality ............................................................................ 93 

9.6.4 AQ 1: Air quality impacts ....................................................................................................... 96 

9.6.5 N1: Increased noise .............................................................................................................. 98 

9.6.6 -IWM1: Waste management dedicated facility .................................................................... 100 

9.7 Cumulative impacts from the development ..................................................................................... 101 

10 Environmental impact statement ............................................................................ 102 

11 Environmental management plan ........................................................................... 105 

11.1 Key definitions used in this EMP ..................................................................................................... 106 

11.2 Drafters of the EMPr ....................................................................................................................... 106 

11.3 Approach to environmental impact management ........................................................................... 107 

12 Responsibility and accountability ........................................................................... 107 

12.1 Corporate structure ......................................................................................................................... 107 

12.2 Environmental management structure ............................................................................................ 108 

12.3 Management contractors ................................................................................................................ 109 

12.4 Contractor arrangement during construction and operator ............................................................. 110 

12.5 Training awareness and compliance assessment .......................................................................... 110 

12.6 Monitoring and compliance assessment ......................................................................................... 111 

12.7 Incident handling and reporting ....................................................................................................... 111 

12.7.1 Checking and corrective mode ............................................................................................ 112 

12.7.2 Corrective actions ................................................................................................................ 112 



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12.7.3 Reporting ............................................................................................................................. 112 

12.7.4 Management review ............................................................................................................ 112 

12.7.5 Liaison ................................................................................................................................. 112 

12.7.6 Monitoring and safety .......................................................................................................... 113 

13 Overview of development activities ........................................................................ 113 

13.1 Planning and design........................................................................................................................ 113 

13.2 Pre-construction and construction .................................................................................................. 114 

13.2.1 Operation ............................................................................................................................. 114 

13.2.2 Construction phase ............................................................................................................. 115 

13.2.3 Operation phase .................................................................................................................. 115 

13.2.4 Decommissioning and closure ............................................................................................ 116 

13.2.5 Schedule ............................................................................................................................. 116 

14 Impact mitigation and management ....................................................................... 117 

14.1 Links with EIA .................................................................................................................................. 117 

14.2 Impact and mitigation / management measures ............................................................................. 117 

14.3 Management principles ................................................................................................................... 126 

14.3.1 Rationale ............................................................................................................................. 126 

14.3.2 Soil conservation and management principle ..................................................................... 126 

14.3.3 Air quality management principles ...................................................................................... 127 

14.3.4 Conservation and natural habitat management principles .................................................. 127 

14.3.5 Noise management principle ............................................................................................... 127 

14.4 Management plans.......................................................................................................................... 127 

14.4.1 Construction management and control plan ....................................................................... 128 

14.5 Operational management and control plan ..................................................................................... 133 

14.6 Labour, human resource and social responsibility plan .................................................................. 134 

14.7 Health and safety plan .................................................................................................................... 135 

14.8 Emergency management and response plan ................................................................................. 136 

14.9 Remedial actions ............................................................................................................................. 137 

14.10 Rehabilitation and closure management plan ................................................................................. 137 

15 Assumption, uncertainties and gaps in knowledge .............................................. 139 

15.1 Assumption ..................................................................................................................................... 139 

15.2 Uncertainties ................................................................................................................................... 139 

15.3 Gaps in knowledge.......................................................................................................................... 139 

16 Opinion on authorisation of project ........................................................................ 140 

17 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 141 

18 Documents consulted .............................................................................................. 142 

Appendices .................................................................................................................... 144 

Appendix A: Recent projects undertaken by SRK ...................................................... 145 

Appendix B: CVs of the EAP team ............................................................................... 146 



Page xvi 

Appendix C: Statement of independence by EAP and current specialists ............... 147 

Appendix D: Public participation materials and issues and responses report ........ 148 

Appendix D 1: Background Information Document .................................................... 149 

Appendix D 2: Text and Photos of site notices ........................................................... 150 

Appendix D 3: Proof of Newspaper advertisement ..................................................... 151 

Appendix D 4: Copies of comments received ............................................................. 152 

Appendix D 5: Minutes from the meeting with the landowners (Langas) and the 

attendance register .................................................................................................. 153 

Appendix D 6: Issues and response report and attendance registers ...................... 154 

Appendix D 7: Telephone Consultation ....................................................................... 155 

Appendix E: IAP database ............................................................................................ 156 

Appendix F: Key correspondence with competent authority .................................... 157 

Appendix F 1: Letter of acceptance for the Waste License application.................... 158 

Appendix F 2: Letter of acceptance for the Draft Scoping report ............................. 159 

Appendix F 3: Letter of acceptance for the Final Scoping report ............................. 160 

Appendix G: Plan of study for EIA ............................................................................... 161 

Appendix H: Layout of the project ............................................................................... 162 

Appendix I: Specialists reports .................................................................................... 163 

Appendix I 1: Geo-hydrological report ......................................................................... 164 

Appendix I 2: Closure plan ............................................................................................ 165 

Appendix I 3: Socio economic report ........................................................................... 166 

Appendix I 4: Ecology report ........................................................................................ 167 

Appendix I 5: Air quality report .................................................................................... 168 

Appendix I 6: Water management ................................................................................ 169 

Appendix I 7: Noise report ............................................................................................ 170 

Appendix I 8: Soil and Land capability ........................................................................ 171 

Appendix I 9: Archaeology and Cultural Resources report ....................................... 172 

Appendix I 10: Risk Assessment Opinion ................................................................... 173 

Appendix J: Floodlines ................................................................................................. 174 

Appendix K: Waste license Application form .............................................................. 175 

Appendix L: Operational plan ....................................................................................... 176 

Appendix M: Other waste handling site ....................................................................... 177 

Appendix N: Waste hierarchy ....................................................................................... 178 

Appendix O: Emergency preparedness ....................................................................... 179 

Appendix P: Impact assessment methodology .......................................................... 180 



Page xvii 



Page xviii 

List of Tables 

Table 1-1: Details of specialists’ studies undertaken ......................................................................................... 4 

Table 1-2: Key environmental legislation pertinent to the Waste site ................................................................ 6 

Table 1-3: Listed activities .................................................................................................................................. 8 

Table 1-4: Requested information from the Waste licence application form ...................................................... 9 

Table 1-5: Requested information by LDEDET ................................................................................................ 12 

Table 2-1: Infrastructure required for the proposed waste site........................................................................ 23 

Table 2-2: Activities and duration during construction ..................................................................................... 23 

Table 2-3: Activities and duration during operations ....................................................................................... 24 

Table 2-4: Groundwater monitoring system at the Waste site (monitoring point, location and frequency of 

sampling ..................................................................................................................................... 25 

Table 2-5: Newly-drilled boreholes for purposes of abstraction ....................................................................... 26 

Table 2-6: Boreholes yield information ............................................................................................................. 26 

Table 2-7: Well fields within AMMM ................................................................................................................. 27 

Table 2-8: Activities and duration during decommissioning and closure ........................................................ 28 

Table 4-1: Summary of current land capability ................................................................................................ 33 

Table 4-2: Description of vegetation units ........................................................................................................ 35 

Table 4-3: Air quality data collected from January 2013 until May 2013 ......................................................... 50 

Table 4-4: Dust fallout standards, targets, action and threshold dust deposition (SANS 1929:2005) ............ 52 

Table 4-5: Measurement data ......................................................................................................................... 56 

Table 4-6: Day time ambient noise levels ......................................................................................................... 57 

Table 4-7: Night time ambient noise level ........................................................................................................ 57 

Table 4-8: Villages in proximity to the existing mine and proposed development........................................... 58 

Table 5-1: Anticipated impacts associated with the Waste site....................................................................... 69 

Table 6-1: Contact details of the District and Local Municipality ...................................................................... 71 

Table 6-2: National, provincial, as well as local authorities who have been notified of the availability of the 

DEIR ........................................................................................................................................... 71 

Table 6-3: Public places at which BIDs were made available ......................................................................... 72 

Table 7-1: Evaluation of alternatives ............................................................................................................... 73 

Table 7-2: Comparison of implication of development proceeding with LA1 or LA2 ....................................... 74 

Table 8-1: Envisaged project schedule ............................................................................................................ 78 

Table 9-1: Criteria for assessing significance of impacts ................................................................................ 83 

Table 9-2: Positive / negative migration ratings .............................................................................................. 84 

Table 10-1: Summary of impacts ................................................................................................................... 103 

Table 11-1: Key definitions used in the EMPr ............................................................................................... 106 

Table 11-2: Approaches to impact management .......................................................................................... 107 

Table 12-1: Responsibilities of staff involved in environmental management at AAMM Waste site ............. 109 

Table 14-1: Mitigation and management measures relating to impacts caused by project activities during all 

project phases. For further detail refer to the relevant sections noted under ‘principles’ and 

‘plans’ ....................................................................................................................................... 118 



Page xix 

List of Figures 

Figure 2-1: Locality map for the proposed Waste site project ......................................................................... 16 

Figure 2-2: Anglo American Mogalakwena Mine Waste flow Chart ................................................................ 21 

Figure 4-1: Geology of the area ........................................................................................................................ 32 

Figure 4-2: Vegetation cover map in relation to the proposed project area ..................................................... 37 

Figure 4-3: Summary of hydrology at the project site (Aqua earth, 2012) ....................................................... 39 

Figure 4-4: Surface water monitoring points in relation to proposed project area............................................ 40 

Figure 4-5: Mohlosana River monitoring points water quality chart ................................................................ 41 

Figure 4-6: Upstream Mohlosane River monitoring point data trend analysis ................................................ 42 

Figure 4-7: landfill position and position of the groundwater monitoring boreholes ......................................... 44 

Figure 4-8: Groundwater quality results from boreholes adjacent to the proposed landfill site ...................... 46 

Figure 4-9: Location of project’s adjacent boreholes and direction of groundwater flow ................................. 47 

Figure 4-10: Background boreholes and groundwater levels from 2011 Groundwater modelling (Aqua earth, 

2012) .......................................................................................................................................... 48 

Figure 4-11: Dust Monitoring results ............................................................................................................... 52 

Figure 4-12: location of dust buckets in relation to the project site .................................................................. 53 

Figure 4-13: The current view of the site .......................................................................................................... 54 

Figure 4-14: Day time ambient noise level ....................................................................................................... 57 

Figure 4-15: Night time ambient noise levels ................................................................................................... 58 

Figure 4-16: Institutional and Organisational Structures of Mogalakwena Local Municipality ......................... 60 

Figure 4-17: Roles and Responsibilities of each of the departments within the Mogalakwena Local 

Municipality. ............................................................................................................................... 61 

Figure 4-18: Traditional authority leaders ........................................................................................................ 62 

Figure 4-19: Traditional communication structure ............................................................................................ 63 

Figure 4-20: Graphical representation of Mogalakwena Municipality Population ........................................... 64 

Figure 4-21: Health care facilities in the Mogalakwena Municipality ............................................................... 66 

Figure 6-1: Public participation steps for the consolidated EIA process being undertaken for the Waste site 

projects ....................................................................................................................................... 70 

Figure 7-1: Location of alternative Waste sites LA1 and LA2 (preferred one) ................................................ 75 

Figure 9-1: Significance Rating Matrix ............................................................................................................. 83 

Figure 12-1: Proposed organizational structure for AAMM Waste site Project showing the position of staff 

involved in environmental management .................................................................................. 108 



Page xx 

Disclaimer 

The opinions expressed in this Report have been based on the information supplied to SRK 

Consulting (South Africa)(Pty) Ltd (SRK) by Anglo American Platinum Limited Mogalakwena Mine 

(AAMM). SRK has exercised all due care in reviewing the supplied information. Whilst SRK has 

compared key supplied data with expected values, the accuracy of the results and conclusions from 

the review are entirely reliant on the accuracy and completeness of the supplied data. SRK does not 

accept responsibility for any errors or omissions in the supplied information and does not accept any 

consequential liability arising from commercial decisions or actions resulting from them. Opinions 

presented in this report apply to the site conditions and features as they existed at the time of SRK’s 

investigations, and those reasonably foreseeable. These opinions do not necessarily apply to 

conditions and features that may arise after the date of this Report, about which SRK had no prior 

knowledge nor had the opportunity to evaluate. 



Page xxi 

List of Abbreviations 

AAMM 

Anglo American Platinum Limited - Mogalakwena Mine 

AQMP 

Air Quality Management Plan 

BBBEE 

Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment 

BID 

Background Information Document 

CDW 

Community Development Workers 

DEA 

Department of Environmental Affairs 

DEIR 

Draft Environmental Impact Report 

FEIR 

Final Environmental Impact Report 

DSR 

Draft Scoping Report 

DWAF 

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 

DWD 

Dirty Water Dam 

EAP 

Environmental Assessment Practitioner 

ECO 

Environmental Control Officer 

EIA 

Environmental Impact Assessment 

EMP 

Environmental Management Plan 

EMPr 

Environmental Management Plan report 

FEIR 

Final Environmental Impact Report 

FSR 

Final Scoping Report 

G:CB- 

General Communal site 

GDP 

Gross Domestic Product 

HSE 

Health and Safety Environment 

IAPs 

Interested and Affected Parties 

IDP 

Integrated Development Plan 

IES 

Independent Environmental Specialist 

IRP 

Identified Resource Protection value 

ISO 

International Organization for Standardization 

IWWMP 

Integrated Water and Waste Management Plan 

LDEDET 

Limpopo Department of Economic Development 

Environment and Tourism 

LDWA 

Limpopo Department of Water Affairs 

LED 

Local Economic Development 

MLM 

Mogalakwena Local Municipality 

MPM 

Mogalakwena Platinum Limited 

NEMA 

National Environmental Management Act 

NEMAQA 

National Environmental Management – Air Quality Act 

NEMWA 

National Environmental Management – Waste Act 

NGL 

National Ground Level 

NWA 

National Water Act 

OEL 

Occupational Exposure Limits 

OHS Act 

Occupational Health and Safety Act 

PGM 

Platinum Group Minerals 

PPL 

Potgietersrus Platinum Limited 

SANS 

South African National Standards 

SLP 

Social and Labour Plan 

SRK 

Steffen Robertson and Kirstin Consulting Company 

TRP 

Tailing Retreatment Plant 

TAL 

Traditional Authority Leaders 

UG2 Upper Group 2 

WDM 

Waterberg District Municipality 

WRD 

Waste Rock Dump 

WUL 

Water Use License 



1 Introduction 

1.1 General Background of the project 

The applicant, Mogalakwena Platinum Mine (AAMM) has currently changed its name to Anglo 

American Platinum Limited –Mogalakwena Mine (AAMM). The name AAMM was used on the public 

documents prepared during the first phase of public participation involvement that is already 

completed. However, this report is going to refer to the applicant as AAMM instead of AAMM. 

AAMM is proposing the development of a waste site on the farm Zwartfontein 818 LR. The waste to 

be disposed of at the proposed landfill site will be mainly non-hazardous and domestic waste which 

cannot be recycled. Based on the current climatic water balance for the site, it is believed that the 

site would be classified as a general communal site, or the smallest site described in terms of 

DWAF’s Minimum Requirements for Waste disposal by Landfill (G:C:B-). 

The proposed development requires a licence in terms of National Environmental Management: 

Waste (Act 59 of 2008). An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental 

Management Plan (EMP) amendment is required for the environmental authorisation in terms of the 

National Environmental; Management Act (NEMA) (Act 107 of 1998). The Department of 

Environmental Affairs (DEA) is the competent authority, and the Limpopo Department of Water 

Affairs, the Limpopo Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), Limpopo Department of Economic 

Development Environment and Tourism (LDEDET) is the commenting authority for the project. 

SRK Consulting (Pty) Ltd (SRK) has been appointed by AAMM as an independent environmental 

consultant to carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) as required by the National 

Environmental Management Act (NEMA) Act 107 of 1998. As such, SRK is fulfilling the role of 

environmental assessment practitioner (EAP) as specified in the EIA regulations. Included in the EIA 

process is the need to develop a draft scoping report (DSR) and final scoping report (FSR), as well 

as draft and final environmental impact reports (EIRs). A key component in the finalisation of the 

reports is the public participation process which runs throughout the EIA development process. 

The application for the project has been accepted by DEA, and has been allocated the following 

DEA reference numbers: 12/9/11/L621/5. Key correspondence with DEA relating to the acceptance 

of the applications is contained in Appendix F1 

This document represents the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the proposed Waste 

site. The EIR documents the findings of the impact assessment phase which is part of the EIA 

process. 



1.2 Overview of project location and land ownership 

American Limited – Mogalakwena Mine (AAMM) is situated approximately 20km northwest of the 

town Mokopane (formerly Potgietersrus) some 6km west of the N11 tar road to Limburg in the 

Limpopo province within the Mogalakwena Municipal Area of the Limpopo Province, Refer to Figure 

2-1 for the location of the mine where the Waste site project has been proposed. 

AAMM mines Platinum Group Minerals (PGM) and base metals at their operation via open pit mining 

on the farms Sandsloot 236 KR; Overysel 815 LR; Zwartfontein 818LR and Vaalkop 819LR. 

1.3 Structure of this report 

The DEIR has been laid out as follows: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 1 provides introduction and background of the project, project location and 

landownership Project team, applicant details, key overarching environmental legislation, 

overview of EIA process 

Section 2 provides description of the project 

Section 3 provides the needs and desirability of the project 

Section 4 provides a detailed description of the baseline environment 

Section 5 details the anticipated potential environmental impacts 

Section 6 details the public participation process 

Section 7 details the comparative assessment of the alternatives identified 

Section 8 documents objectives, approach and methodology for the EIA process 

Section 9 contains the Environmental Impact Assessment 

Section 10 contains Environmental Impact Statement 

Section 11 contains the environmental management programme to manage the impacts 

identified in section 9 

Section 12 describes the responsibility and accountability of the EMP 

Section 13 contains overview of the development activities 

Section 14 provides Impact mitigation and management 

Section 15 describes the assumptions, uncertainties and gaps in knowledge for the investigation. 

Section 16 provide opinion on authorisation of the project 

Section 17 provides the conclusion to the assessment 

Section 18 provides the documents consulted. 

Appendices contained in this DEIR are as follows: 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix A: Recent projects undertaken by SRK 

Appendix B: CVs of the EAP team and specialists 

Appendix C: Statement of independence by EAP and specialists 

Appendix D: Public participation materials and issues and responses report 

Appendix D 1: Background Information Document 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix D 2: Text and Photos of site notices 

Appendix D 3: Proof of Newspaper advertisement 

Appendix D 4: Copies of comments received 

Appendix D 5: Minutes from the meeting with the landowners (Langas) and the attendance 

register 

Appendix D 6: Issues and response report and attendance registers 

Appendix D 7: Telephonic consultation 

Appendix E: IAP database 

Appendix F: Key correspondence with competent authority 

Appendix F 1: Letter of acceptance for the Waste License application 

Appendix F 2: Letter of acceptance for the Draft Scoping report 

Appendix F 3: Letter of acceptance for the Final Scoping report 

Appendix G: Plan of study for EIA 

Appendix H: Layout of the project 

Appendix I: Specialists reports 

Appendix I 1: Geo-hydrological report 

Appendix I 2: Closure plan 

Appendix I 3: Socio economic report 

Appendix I 4: Ecology report 

Appendix I 5: Air quality report 

Appendix I 6: Water management 

Appendix I 7: Noise report 

Appendix I 8: Soil and Land capability 

Appendix I 9: Archaeology and Cultural Resources report 

Appendix I 10: Risk assessment opinion 

Appendix J: Floodlines 

Appendix K: Waste License Application Form 

Appendix L: Operational plan 

Appendix M: Other waste handling site 

Appendix N: Waste hierarchy 

Appendix O: Emergency preparedness 

Appendix P: Impact Assessment Methodology 

1.4 Project team 

1.4.1 Environmental assessment practitioners 

The EAP function of the project is being carried out by the project team located in the Sustainability 

Unity of SRK’s Johannesburg office. SRK commenced its practice in 1974 and has been involved in 

a very large number of environmental studies since that time. A list of recent projects is attached in 

Appendix A. The project team consists of the following members, for whom curricula vitae can be 

found in Appendix B. 



 

 

 

Mr. Andy Smithen, Partner, project review, Andy has MSc Eng, Agric and he has been involved 

in the field of environmental engineering for the past 26 years. His expertise includes: 

compilation of Environmental Impact Assessments and Environmental Management Plans for 

numerous mines; closure planning and costing; assessment of environmental risk for operating 

mines and redundant operations; environmental due diligence and liability assessments and 

environmental auditing. Andy has also been involved in the development of risk based decisionmaking 

methodologies and has assisted in the development of water management plans. 

Ms. Olga Nemulenzi, Project manager: Olga is an environmental scientist at SRK. She holds a 

Master of Environmental Science degree from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has five 

years of environmental project experience and has worked on a number of mining and linear EIA 

projects. 

Avril Owens, Senior scientist, assistance project coordinator, Avril holds BSc honours degree in 

Botany and Zoology from University of Pretoria. She has been involved in the environmental & 

water quality management field for the past 12 years with expertise in surface water quality 

monitoring, assessment, training and capacity building; water use licensing; pollution source 

identification and control; characterisation of wastewater and surface waters as well as 

integrated water resource management. 

1.4.2 Specialists 

The Waste site is contained in the approved 2002 EMPr amendment. All necessary specialist 

studies conducted for the 2002 EMPr amendment at the proposed mine expansion area, covered the 

site for this project. In addition to the available specialist studies conducted for the 2002 EMPr 

amendment, there are also available data (surface water, air quality, groundwater etc.) obtained from 

the continual monitoring programmes conducted by the mine. Generally, the combined available 

data was considered suffice for the current study. Any further specialist studies were not anticipated 

for the project since the proposed project will be developed in the mining area covered by the 

previous studies. It was also anticipated that the outcomes of the scoping report and the issues 

identified after meeting with IAPs during scoping phase will determine which further specialists 

studies need to be undertaken. However, it was ascertained that all the issues raised from the 

meetings will be addressed properly using the existing data from the mine. 

The Geo-hydrological and closure plan specialists study are however the new studies that have 

been undertaken for the project since they should form part of the EIA report as per the Waste 

Licence Application form. Archaeological and Cultural Resources report and Noise specialists’ are 

the current studies that have also been carried out as they do not form part of the monitoring system 

that is done by AAMM. 

Table 1-1 lists the previous relevant previous specialists conducted for the 2002 EMPr amendment 

as well as the current specialists studies conducted at the project area. The reports for the current 

and previous specialists study conducted are contained in Appendix I 1 to I 10. 

Table 1-1: Details of specialists’ studies undertaken 

Current specialists study 

Specialist study Specialist Contact details 

Geo-hydrological report Albertus Lombaard 011 791 3490 

082 551 3688 

ajl@aquaearth.co.za 

Closure plan James Lake 011 441 1228 

083 453 1886 



Previous specialists studies 

jlake@srk.co.za 

Specialist study Specialist Contact details 

Socio-economic Nic Boersema (011) 441 1171 

Ecology 

Pieter Winter 

University of the North 

Dr Wynand Vlok (Aquatic 

Ecologist) 


Dr Derek Engelbrecht 

(Ornithologist) 


Ms Claire Bell 

082 925 3387 

nboersema@srk.co.za 

(015) 268 2227 

pieter@unin.unorth.ac.za 

(015) 268 2207 

wynandv@unin.unorth.ac.za 

(015) 268 2269 

Air Quality Study Greg Scott 031 312 –1355 

engelbrechtd@unin.unorth.ac.za 

gscott@srk.co.za 

Water Management Dr Henrietta Salter (011) 441 6243 

Archaeology and Cultural 

Resources 

Soils and Land Capability 

Frans Roodt 

University of Pretoria 

Bates Booyens/ Louw 

Potgieter of the Institute of 

Soil Climate and Water 

083 607 0657 

hsalter@srk.co.za 

(083) 770 2131 

(083) 357 3669 

012 310-2554/2500/2656 

082 898 2998 

bates@iscw.agric.co.za 

600 Belvedere Street 

Arcadia 

083 535 6818 

louw@iscw.agric.co.za 

1.5 Applicant details 

Project proponent: Anglo American Limited: Mogalakwena Mine 

Name of applicant: Ted Muhajir 

Company registration: 008353/06 

Physical address: Vaalkop Farm, Mapela District, Mogalakwena Local Municipality, South 

Africa 

Postal address: P.O. Box 2463, Mokopane, 0600 

Phone/fax: Cell: +27 829 208 795 

Tel: 011 418 2120 

Fax: +2711 782 9151 

Fax: 088 011 7829095 

Email: 

Website: 

tmuhajir@angloplat.com 

www.angloplatinum.com 



1.6 Key overarching environmental Legislation 

Table 1-2 below outlines the key legislation pertinent to the project, the relevant enforcing authority 

as well as a brief description of its content. 

Table 1-2: Key environmental legislation pertinent to the Waste site 



Relevant 

Legislation 

Constitution 

of the 

Republic of 

South Africa 

(No 108 of 

1996) 

NEM: Waste 

Act (Act 59 

of 2008) 

National 

Environment 

al 

Management 

Act (No 107 

of 1998) - 

NEMA and 

the National 

Environment 

al 

Management 

Amended 

Act (No 46 of 

2003). 

National 

Water Act 

(No 36 of 

1998) – 

NWA. 

Air Quality 

Act (No. 39 

or 2004 – 

NEM:AQA 

Enforcing 

Authority 

Constitutional 

Court of the 

Republic of 

South Africa 

Brief description 

 

 

The Bill of Rights is the cornerstone of democracy in South 

Africa, enshrining the rights of all people and affirming the 

democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. It 

applies to all laws and organs of state. Section 24 is directly 

relevant to environmental law and states that everyone has the 

right to: 

‣ an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; 

and have the environment protected, for the benefit of present 

and future generations, through reasonable legislative and 

other measures that: 

• prevent pollution and ecological degradation; promote 

conservation; and secure ecologically sustainable 

development and use of natural resources while promoting 

justifiable economic and social development 

Other rights indirectly related to environmental issues such as the 

right to access of information, the right to enforcement of the 

rights and the right to public administration are governed by the 

democratic values and principles enshrined in the Constitution. 

National DEA The Waste Act sets out: 

‣ the requirements for the environmentally sound management 

of waste 

‣ incorporates a requirements for licencing and control of 

waste management activities 

‣ puts in place a hierarchical approach for waste avoidance 

Department of 

Environmental 

Affairs (DEA) 

Department of 

Water Affairs 

(DWA) 

 

The main aim of the Act is to provide for co-operative governance 

by establishing decision-making principles on matters affecting 

the environment including: 

‣ sustainable development 

‣ integrated environmental management 

‣ polluter pays principle 

‣ cradle to grave responsibility 

‣ precautionary principle 

‣ involvement of stakeholders in decision making. 

Chapter 4 of the National Water Act 36 of 1998 (Section 21 to 55) 

focuses on water use. Water uses that need to be licensed under 

Section 21 of the Act include: 

‣ Water abstraction 

‣ Water storage 

‣ Alteration of flow in a watercourse 

‣ Disposal of waste water from industrial processes 

‣ Removing and/or discharging of underground water 

‣ Controlled activities (irrigation with waste water and 

intentional recharging of aquifers with waste) (Section 27 to 

28). 

National DEA Legislation governing air quality has changed with the 

promulgation and commencement of the National Environmental 

Management: 

‣ Air Quality Act 

The new legislation also stipulates ambient air quality standards. 

1.6.1 Environmental impact assessment requirements 

SRK Consulting (Pty) Ltd (SRK) has been appointed by AAMM to undertake Environmental impact 

assessments (EIAs) for the proposed Waste site project to inform environmental authorisation 

decisions in terms of NEMA. 



These EIAs are being undertaken in two phases: Scoping and Impact Assessment. The Scoping 

phase for this study has been completed. The Impact assessment phase has begun and a Draft 

Environmental Impact Assessment (this report) has been prepared for the site 

This Final Environmental Impact Assessment Report will be made available for comment by 

authorities and stakeholders before its finalisation and submission to the National Department of 

Environmental Affairs (DEA) for its comment regarding how the activities provided in the plan of 

study for the Impact Assessment Phase contained in the scoping report have been addressed. A 

decision with regard to proceeding with the project will be obtained from DEA but will run 

concurrently with the one that will be coming from Department of Water Affairs as per Section 49(2) 

of the National Environmental Management: Waste Management Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008). 

The activities for the proposed Waste site fall under Category B of the Waste Act listed activities and 

will require EIA to be conducted. The EIA for the proposed Waste site project will be conducted in 

terms of the EIA Regulations R543, R544 R545 and R546 that were promulgated in terms of Section 

24 (5) of the NEMA Act No. 107 of 1998. These new EIA Regulations apply from 1 August 2010 (as 

corrected by “Correction Notice 1” (GN No. R.660 of 30 July 2010) and “Correction Notice 2” (GN 

No. R 1159 of 10 December 2010) and relate to various procedural, reporting and personnel related 

aspects of EIA. 

A number of listed activities have been identified in terms of Government notices No R.278 in the 

Government Gazette No. 32000 of 10 March 2009 which require a license in terms National 

Environmental Management: Waste Act of 2008 (NEMWA) for the construction of the waste site. 

Refer to Table 1-3 for detailed information on the listed activities. 

Table 1-3: Listed activities 

Government Notice 

Government Notice 718, 

Government Gazette 

32368 3 July 2009 

Category A 



32368 3 July 2009 

Category A 



32368 3 July 2009 

Category A 



32368 3 July 2009 

Category B 



32368 3 July 2009 

Category B 

Activity Description 

Number 

3.(1) The storage, including the temporary storage, of general 

waste at a facility that has the capacity to store in excess of 

100m 3 

of general waste at any one time, excluding the 

storage of waste in lagoons 

3.(2) The storage, including the temporary storage, of hazardous 

waste at facility that has the capacity to store in excess of 35 

m 3 

of hazardous waste at any one time, excluding the 

storage of hazardous waste in lagoons 

3 (5) The sorting, shredding, grinding or bailing of general waste at 

a facility that has capacity to process in excess of one ton of 

general waste per day. 

4.(5) The treatment of hazardous waste using any form of 

treatment regardless of the size or capacity of such a facility 

to treat such waste 

4.(10) The disposal of general waste to land covering an area in 

excess of 200 m 2 . 





32368 3 July 2009 

Category A 



32368 3 July 2009 

Category B 

3 (18) The construction of facilities for activities listed in Category A 

of this Schedule (not in isolation to associated activity) 

4.(11) The construction of facilities for activities listed in Category B 

of this Schedule (not in isolation to associated activity) 

1.6.2 DEA information requirements from the Waste Licence Application form 

Table 1-4 below was extracted from the Waste Licence Application form and it presents the 

requested information from Appendix A1, B1 and B2 of the form. It was indicated in the form that the 

information will be provided in the EIA. The middle column of the table shows where information is or 

how the information has been addressed in the report. 

Table 1-4: Requested information from the Waste licence application form 

APPENDIX: A1: Information needed when applying for scheduled activities listed under 

Category B, but is not limited thereto: 

Scoping and 

Environmental 

Impact Assessment 

Report which should 

include: 

Description of the 

environment that may be 

affected by the proposed 

activity and the manner 

in which the 

geographical, physical, 

biological, social, 

economic and cultural 

aspects of the 

environment may be 

affected by the proposed 

activity 

Description of significant 

environmental impacts, 

including cumulative 

impacts, that may occur 

as a result of the 

undertaking of the activity 

Conducting public 

participation as outlined 

in EIA Regulations 

Section in the reports where 

it can be found 

Section 4 

Section 5 

Section 6 

Closure plan (report) Appendix I 2 

Operational plan 

Appendix M 

Waste disposal facility Appendix H 

designs 

End-use plan (only apply N/A 

to site closure) 

Closure/Remedial N/A 

designs (only apply to 

site closure) 

Comments (if any) 



Latest external audit 

report (only apply to 

permit amendment) 

Application and report 

documents (four hard 

copies for all 

applications) 

A3 size layout plans (four 

hard copies for all 

applications) 

Landfill conceptual 

designs 

Geo-hydrological report 

(only apply to landfill 

sites, storage and 

treatment of waste) 

Description of 

mitigation measures 

and risk assessment 

Any inputs made by 

specialists to the extent 

that may be necessary 

Any specific information 

as may be required by 

the competent authority 

Plan of study for 

environmental impact 

assessment which must 

among others include: 

Description of the tasks 

to be undertaken as part 

of the environmental 

impact assessment 

process, including 

specialist report or 

specialized processes, 

and a manner in which 

such tasks will be 

undertaken 

An indication of stages of 

stages at which the 

competent authority will 

be consulted 

Description of methods 

for assessing issues 

APPENDIX B1 

1 N/A 

Appendix V 

Appendix H 

Appendix H 

Appendix I 

Section 9 and 14 

None 

None 

Appendix K 

Appendix K 

Section 6.2 

Section 9.2 

Risk assessment is not 

applicable (refer to Appendix for 

a Risk assessment Opinion 

report) 

The following MUST be included in the application as supporting documentation and the 

applicant must indicate specific section(s) where they are appended in the reports 

Required piece of 

information 

Section in the 

reports where it can 

be found 

Comments provided in the 

application form (if any) 

1 N/A – Not applicable 



4. 1:50 000 topography /topocadastral 

map of the area 

showing : 

4.1: Other waste handling sites 

(existing or closed) in the area 

Appendix X 

A map showing other waste 

handling sites in the area will be 

submitted with the EIA report. 

5. The site plan drawn to scale 

showing the site’s boundary 

showing. 

5.1 Activities or development 

existing on all 4 directions of 

the site. 

5.2 Waste receipt, storage and 

handling areas 

5.3 Impermeable surfaces 

5.4 Sealed drainage systems 

5.5 Drainage system for the 

site including sumps and 

discharge points 

5.6 Road names and access 

from all major roads in the 

area 

6. Waste hierarchy 

implementation plan 

7. Emergency preparedness plan 

APPENDIX B2 

Appendix H 

Appendix O 

Appendix P 

The waste site is in the mining area 

which is a secured environment. 

The site itself will have security 

fencing and security. 

Updated site plan of the site and will 

be submitted with the EIA report. 

Waste hierarchy implementation 

plan will be submitted with the 

Scoping report. 

The updated emergency plan will be 

submitted with the EIA report 

The following MUST be included in the application documentation for landfill sites and the 

applicant must indicate specific section(s) where they are appended in the reports. 

Required piece of 

information 

Design and location 

waste quarantine 

areas 

Section in the 

reports where it can 

be found 

Appendix O 

Comments (if any) 

Information will be 

provided with EIA report 

Where the 

information has 

been addressed in 

the Final EIA 

Design and location of 

waste Inspection 

areas 

Appendix H 



Site’s drainage 

system 

Appendix H 



Site’s emergency 

control system and 

plan 

Stability monitoring 

and management 

Appendix P 

The updated emergency 

plan will be submitted 

with the EIA report 


provided with the EIA 

report 

This is not 

applicable given the 

size and the manner 

in which the landfill 

will be operated 

(cells). More details 

refer to Section 2 of 



this report 

1.6.3 LDEDET information requirements and the manner in which they are 

addressed. 

LDEDET commented on the DSR and requested the information in Table 1-5 to be supplied. 

Table 1-5: Requested information by LDEDET 

Requirement 

Please note that a letter from the Department 

of Environmental Affairs attached under 

Appendix A: Authorities correspondence refers 

to the establishment of a waste water 

treatment works not for the proposed 

development. Please clarify. 

Please note that the coordinates furnished on 

page 15 of the waste management application 

form does not match any location in Limpopo 

Province. Please clarify. 

It is indicated on page 14 of the waste 

management application form that total size of 

the facility is 4.258 ha but only 1.7684 ha will 

be used for waste management activities. 

Please indicate the intended use for the 

remaining 2.8574 ha. 

All corners coordinates for the proposed waste 

management activities (recycling, salvage 

yard, landfill and soil remediation) and the 

associated designs should be provided. 

It is indicated on page 13 of the report that the 

treated contaminated soil will be used to cover 

waste at the landfill site and for rehabilitation 

process. Please note that the use of the 

treatment contaminated soil will sorely depend 

on the reduction of hazard rating from extreme 

rating to lower rating or general waste and 

such should be approved through waste 

delisting procedures. 

Stormwater should be diverted away from all 

working area and it should be ensured that 

storm water leaving the premises is not 

contaminated by any new substances whether 

solid, liquid, vapour or any combination 

thereof. 

Mitigation measures regarding the sanitation, 

used oil, grease, fuels should be outlined in the 

Environmental Impact Assessment Report. 

The applicant should manage any pollution 

incidents in terms of section 30 of National 

Environment Management Act, 1998. 

You are advised to notify this office timeously 

with the details of the public participation 

meeting for possible attendance. 

The Environmental Impact Assessment Report 

Where it is addressed 

This has been corrected by the DEA. 

Updated coordinates have been incorporated in the 

Final Scoping report. 

Sorting for recycling 

Temporary storage of hazardous waste 

Bioremediation 

Pollution Control Dam 

Office 

Drainage 

Roadway 

Updated coordinates have been incorporated in the 

Final Scoping report. 

The contaminated soils will be tested for 

hydrocarbon contamination, when the 

bioremediation process has been completed. 

Analysis of the soil will be done at an 

accredited laboratory. 

The soil will be left to stand, until positive 

results are received from the laboratory. 

If contamination persists, the process will be 

repeated or the soil will be shipped to a 

hazardous waste site. 

The process will be experimental at the beginning, 

but will be guided by bioremediation experts. 

See Appendix H 

Section 14 

Noted 

Noted 

Design is contained in Appendix H 



must among others include the following: 

- Landfill site conceptual designs; 

- Leakage detection systems and 

monitoring especially for the salvage 

yard and the treatment facility; 

- Liner specifications; 

- Consideration of activity alternatives 

(waste treatment); 

- Stability monitoring and management; 

and 

- Storm water designs. 

Please draw the applicant’s attention to the 

fact that the activity may not commence prior 

to environmental authorization being granted 

by the Department. 

Monitoring system - refer to Section 4.6 – 4.7 as 

well as Appendix W for the operational plan 

An alternative to the waste treatment if disposal at 

the licensed hazardous landfill in Holfontein (more 

details in Section 2.7). 

Stormwater designs – see Appendix H 

Noted 

1.7 Overview of the EIA process 

The EIA process is being undertaken in two phases: scoping (the subject of the DSR and FSR) and 

detailed assessment (the subject of this EIR). The DSR and FSR were made available for comment 

to authorities and other IAPs, and the FSR was submitted to DEA and DWA for approval. The 

scoping reports contained the issues raised during the scoping phase; and the scope for the detailed 

assessment phase. 

The objectives of the EIA process are to prepare an EIR incorporating an EMP for AAMM activities 

associated with the development of the Waste site. A further objective is to continue with the public 

participation programme to keep authorities and relevant stakeholders informed about the project. 

This EIR serves to document the EIA for the Waste site as required in terms of the relevant 

Regulations 31, 32, 33, 54, 55, 56 and 57 of NEMA. The report documents baseline information 

concerning the affected environment and investigates and evaluates the impacts that the proposed 

project activity will have on the biophysical and socio-economic environment also describes the 

measures that are to be put in place to control, minimise and remedy impacts where practicable. The 

EIR will be made available to the authorities including LDWA and LDEDET and the competent 

authority (DEA) and to the public for their comment. Once the EIR is finalised, it will be submitted to 

DEA for their authorisation before the development can proceed. Further detail on the EIA process is 

provided in Section 8.1. 

1.8 Terms of reference for the EIA 

1.8.1 Environmental assessment practitioners 

The terms of reference of the EAP (SRK) incorporate the public participation component of the 

project and are to: 

 

 

 

 

 

Conduct an EIA to comply with the requirements of NEMWA and NEMA on the proposed Waste 

site on the farm Zwartfontein 818LR at Mogalakwena mine 

Compile a background information document (BID) on the entire project for IAPs 

Compile and submit advertisement of the intention of public consultation process in relevant 

languages to local/regional newspapers 

Undertake the public involvement activities for the scoping and EIA phases of the project, 

including interactions with key authorities. This includes arranging and facilitating public and 

authority meetings to provide sufficient opportunity for IAPs to raise their issues or concerns 

Compile a comprehensive database of all IAPs 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collate all comments from IAPs on the scoping reports and the EIRs 

Compile the draft and final scoping reports 

Commission specialist investigations if necessary 

Compile the draft and final EIR 

Correspond with IAPs as and when required 

Draft a public participation report 

Prepare, advertise and distribute the environmental authorisation once received. 

1.9 Purpose of the EIA phase 

The purpose of the EIA phase is to: 

 

 

 

 

 

Provide the findings and recommendations of any specialist report or report on a specialised 

process 

Provision of description of all environmental issues and assessment of the significance of each 

issue and the mitigation thereof 

Provide assessment of each identified potentially significant impact 

Produce the draft EIA report containing inter alia all of the above for the proposed Waste site 

project 

Provide feedback to IAPs on the EIA process and findings from the specialist 

The objectives are discussed further in Section 8. 

1.10 Details of current and previous specialist studies 

The specialist studies commissioned for the 2002 EMPr amendment as well as the specialist study 

that are currently undertaken for the mine covered: 

Previous specialist studies 

Socio-economic specialist report (see Appendix I 3) 

Ecology (see Appendix I 4) 

Air Quality Study (see Appendix I 5) 

Water Management (see Appendix I 6) 

Soils and Land Capability (see Appendix I 8) 

Current specialist studies 

Geo-hydrological report (Appendix I 1) 

Operational report (Appendix M) 

Closure plan (Appendix I 2) 



Noise survey report (Appendix I 7) 

Archaeology and Cultural Resources (Appendix I 9) 

2 Description of proposed project 

2.1 Project overview 

AAMM is proposing the development of a waste site within the mine (Mogalakwena) at Mokopane 

area. The waste site will have a footprint of about 4.6 hectares. The waste to be disposed of at the 

proposed landfill site will be mainly non-hazardous and domestic waste which cannot be recycled. 

Although paper, plastic, wood and metals are sorted for recycling at the various sections of the mine, 

additional sorting will be carried out at the waste site. 

The mine plans to temporarily store hazardous waste and salvageable items which contains 

hazardous substances in containers in a demarcated enclosed area on the site (less than 10 tonnes 

per day). It is envisaged that hazardous waste will comprise fluorescent tubes, laboratory effluent 

and soil contaminated with fuel or chemicals, and will total a maximum of 150 cubic metres per 

annum. 

The mine, as part of its commitment to sound environmental management, also plans to establish a 

soil remediation site in the same area. A limited amount of about 20 tonnes of 

hazardous/contaminated soil will be transported to the new site where it will be bio-remediated. The 

purpose of this site is to bio-remediate soils that have been polluted with hydrocarbons elsewhere on 

the mining footprint area. The establishment and management of this site are based on three years 

of experimental trials on this subject. 

The waste site is to be operated by the mine together with a contractor specialising in waste 

management. 

2.2 Project location 

The proposed project site is located on the farm Zwartfontein 818 LR, within the foortprint of AAMM 

mine near Mokopane in the Limpopo Province. Mokopane falls under Mogalakwena Local 

Municipality which has its administrative offices in Mokopane. Zwartfonetin farm is located in the 

Eastern side of the mine (see Figure 2-1). 

Mogalakwena is part of the Waterberg District Municipality which has its headquarters in Modimolle, 

approximately 100km to the south west. Polokwane, is the largest economic centre is situated at 

about 60km to the north eastern side of the project along the N1. The mine site is in the centre of 

settlement activities. It is surrounded from all direction by a number of villages, viz. Ga-Mapela in the 

southern side, Ga-Molekana in the eastern side, Sekuruwe and Mohlotlo are towards north, Ga- 

Tshaba and Ga-Modipana and Ga-Mapela 2 are located in the north western side as well as Ga- 

Mapela –West which is situated in the western side of the mine. 



Figure 2-1: Locality map for the proposed Waste site project 



2.3 Structure of the Waste Site 

The waste site will comprise landfill cells, a salvage yard, a bioremediation site, Dirty water dam, a 

sorting area and a temporary hazardous storage facility that will be demarcated in an enclosed area 

on the site. 

2.3.1 Landfill 

The landfill will contain cells (trenches) at which the remains of the general waste after sorting will be 

disposed of. The trenches of the landfill will be located in the northern side of the site. In total, about 

twelve cells will be constructed at the landfill (for further information refer to Appendix H for the layout 

of the project). Each cell will have a depth of about 2, 5 m. Each cell will further be subdivided into 

two trenches. Initial trench of the cell will be dumped into until it becomes full before the second 

trench is constructed. The construction of the second trench on a cell will commence when the initial 

trench is 50 percent full. Initial trench of a cell will have a width of about 5000cm and a length of 

about 35 000cm. The second trench will have a width of about 5000cm and a length of about 

20 000cm. 

Four procedures have been proposed for the phases of landfill cells. These are: 

Procedure No1, trench excavation (construction phase) 

 

 

In situ materials will be excavated to a depth of 2,5 m below the natural ground level 

The stockpile materials to be placed in a position for ease of reuse and covering 

Procedure 2, disposing of waste (operation phase) 

 

 

 

 

Waste to be placed in far end of trench to a maximum depth of 1200 m (uncompacted) 

Waste to be compacted to a depth of 600 m 

Waste to be covered with 150 mm of material from excavation 

Waste to be covered once per week. This is necessary because of the massive deficit of top 

soil available on site for rehabilitation purpose. The existing site is covered at this frequency. 

Procedure 3, rehabilitation (concurrent closure phase) 

 

 

 

 

Final waste layer will be compacted to thickness of about 600 mm i.e. 400 mm below natural 

ground level. 

Balance of excavated materials from trench returned to provide a minimum cover of 500 above 

natural ground level 

The final layer to be compacted by driving vehicle over the layer and be shaped to provide 

drainage away from trench 

After shaping, topsoil to be returned and levelled over site 

2.3.2 Stockpiling 

A designated area of the sand stockpile will be located in the southern side of the Bioremediation 

site, immediately west of the waste cells. The sand stockpile will be used for emergency coverage of 

hazardous waste. The stockpile generated from the digging of the dumping trench will be placed in 

the eastern side of the trenches. Those stockpiles will be used as stormwater berm and reused as 



covering of waste materials. In situ materials will be excavated to a depth of 2.5m below Natural 

Ground Level (NGL) and stockpile will be placed as close as possible to the opened trench, at a 

position for ease of reuse as covering layers in trenches. 

2.3.3 Temporary storage of hazardous waste 

The temporary storage of hazardous waste will be located at the southern side of the salvage yard. 

Its size will be about 0.1582 ha. It is also bordered by the Dirty Water Dam (DWD) which is in the 

western corner of the site (see 2.7.4 for further details). 

2.3.4 Dirty water dam 

DWD will be situated at the south western corner of the site. Its size will be about 5832 m 2, with a 

depth of approximately 2, 5 m. Water from this side is considered dirty and therefore all the berms 

around the Waste site will lead to the DWD. The collected water from the DWD can be used to keep 

bioremedated waste wet. Alternatively, the water from the DWD will be used for dust suppression at 

the site. The dam will contain a pump station which will be used to pump out the water from the dam 

when necessary or flooded. The water will be pumped into a truck which will do the suppression. 

When flooded, the water will be discharged into the existing Pollution Control Dam (PCD) located by 

the workshop complex across the tributary of Mohlosana River in the south western side of the 

Waste side 

2.3.5 Bioremediation 

A designation area for bioremediation of contaminated soil will be located in the western side of the 

sand stockpile and the bioremediation area just north of the DWD and the temporary storage of 

hazardous waste. The size of the bioremediation area is approximately 0.3192 ha. More details 

regarding how bioremediation will be conducted are provided in Section 2.7.3. Bioremediated soil will 

be used for covering waste in the landfill and for rehabilitation work. 

2.3.6 Salvage yard 

A salvage yard will be located in the north western side of the Waste site, right at the end of the road 

that enters the site. The size of the salvage yard will be approximately 1.6ha. Waste metal and 

machine parts will be stored here on a temporary basis. 

2.3.7 A waste sorting area 

The size of the Waste sorting area is approximately 0.0798 ha. The trucks that will deliver the waste 

to the Waste site will offload it at the waste sorting area. This area is located in the eastern side of 

the temporary storage of hazardous waste. All kinds of sorting will be done here. Refer to Section 

2.7 regarding how waste will be handled. Waste paper, plastic, metal and glass will be collected and 

sent off site with our waste contractors. All waste removed from site will be weighed. 

2.4 Type of waste that AAMM generates 

The waste that the mine generates includes the following: 

Scrap metal 

 

Waste metals 



General waste 

 

Tins, glass, papers and plastics, amongst other general waste. 

Contaminated soil 

 

Soil contaminated with hydrocarbons 

Hazardous waste 

 

Hydrocarbons; 

o 

waste oil, grease and sludge 

 

Chemicals; 

o 

Discarded chemical from the laboratory 

 

Lead waste; and Fluorescent tubes 

2.5 Sources of waste 

All these types of waste have different point sources. The scrap metal comes from mine machinery, 

general waste is generated by mine offices, canteen and other mine operations, the contaminated 

soil come from vehicle s which are on mine operation sites and the hazardous from workshops, 

stores and laboratories. 

2.6 Transportation of waste 

One tractor and a trailer will collect waste from different sections of the mine. The waste will be 

loaded into the 8 tonne truck which will transport it to the Waste site and remove waste again from 

the Waste site and transport it to the town at the contractor’s site. The sprinter truck will deliver 

trolley bins with waste and again transport emptied trolley bins back to their location around the 

mine. 

A limited amount of about 20 tonnes of hazardous/contaminated soil will be transported to the new 

site where it will be bio-remediated. Bioremediation will occur at the southern side of the salvage 

yard (see layout of the project contained in Appendix H). The current contractor on a weekly basis 

will transport hazardous materials for disposal to a registered hazardous waste site. The nonrecoverable 

metal is transported by contractors for recycling, sale or disposal. 

2.7 Handling of waste at the waste site 

2.7.1 Scrap metal 

The scrap metals will be sorted at the salvage yard. The recoverable metals are re-used by the mine 

and the non-recoverable metal is transported by contractors for recycling, sale or disposal. Scrap 

metals will therefore not be disposed of at the waste site. 

2.7.2 General waste 

The general waste that will be taken to the waste site will comprise sorted and unsorted waste. 

Some sorting will be done at source but unsorted waste will be sorted at the waste site. The 

recyclable materials will be stored at the waste site prior to being got transported away under 

contract. The unrecyclable general waste will be buried at the landfill on a cell by cell basis according 

to an engineering design. 



2.7.3 Contaminated soil 

Soil that is contaminated with hydrocarbons or other hazardous substances will be collected from the 

point source and taken to the waste site. This type of bioremediation is called ex situ. The 

technologies that will be practiced include combination of 2 bioaugmentation and 3 landfarming which 

will involve 4 solid phase bioremediation process. 

At the waste site, the contaminated waste will be bio-remediated to get rid of the hazardous 

substances. The treated contaminated soil will be used to cover waste at the landfill and for 

rehabilitation purposes at the tailings dams and waste rock dumps. However, the reuse of the 

treatment contaminated soil will solely depend on the reduction of hazard rating from extreme rating to lower 

rating or general waste and such should be approved through waste delisting procedures. 

Approximately 500kg per day of contaminated soil will be bioremediated and will be treated in 

monthly batches. The soil will need to be wetted and turned on a daily basis. A machine such as 

bobcat will be used for this purpose. 

Bioremediation will occur in the northern side of the sand stockpile (see layout of the project 

contained in Appendix H). 

2.7.4 Hazardous waste 

Hazardous waste from all point sources will be stored in a bunded hazardous temporary storage 

area at the waste site. The concrete stands will house skips and oversize industrial waste. Any 

waste oil will be collected in sumps. The current contractor on a weekly basis will transport 

hazardous materials for disposal to a registered hazardous waste site. The site currently used for 

this purpose is Holfontein in Gauteng and the current contractor is by Waste-Tech. A simplified 

Waste site flow chart provided in Figure 2-3. 

2 Biaugmentation is the introduction of a group of natural microbial strains or a genetically engineered variant to 

treat contaminated soil or water 

3 Landfarming is a simple method where contaminated soil are excavated and spread on a pad with a built in 

system to collect any “leachate” or contaminated liquids that seep out of contaminated soaked soil 

4 Solid phase bioremediation is a process that treats solid in above-ground treatment areas equipped with 

collection systems to prevent any contaminant from escaping the treatment. 



Figure 2-2: Anglo American Mogalakwena Mine Waste flow Chart 



2.8 Project layout 

The project layout as presented in the DSR and FSR is provided in Appendix H. Based on the 

current climatic water balance for the site, it is believed that the site would be classified as a general 

communal site (G:C:B-), or the smallest site described in terms of DWAF’s Minimum Requirements 

for Waste disposal by Landfill. The proposed landfill site has been designed to accommodate an 

estimated 1000 cubic metres of waste per annum, with a life expectancy of 25 years. AAMM has 

proposed that the site be constructed as an unlined earth structure, in three phases, at 10-year 

intervals. 

The findings from the Geotechnical investigation conducted for the Blinkwater Tailing dam at 

Mogalakwena mine indicate that siting the Waste site in this area would not pose major risk to the 

sensitive areas. The tailing dam is situated at about 400 m away in the northern side of the Waste 

site. The identified geological features such Klein Sandsloot River which has been interpreted as a 

fault zone with a highly fractured and jointed rockmass is situated at about 500 m away in the north 

eastern side of the Waste site. This is therefore assumed that the Waste site would not have any 

impact on this. 

The majority of soils comprise clayey sands (SC) with similar engineering characteristics. Other less 

prominent soils include transported clayey gravels with sand (GC), low plasticity clays (CL), high 

plasticity clays (CH), silts with sand (ML) and silty sands (SM). The underlying soils are expected to 

be moderately dispersive and collapsible. The texture of the clayey sand (SC) will reduce seepage of 

the effluent from the Waste site. Seepage is likely to occur however according to Geohydrological 

study, the lining of the normal operational cells is not considered to be crucial as the seepage that 

might be generated from these cells will not have a greater impact than that already experienced 

from the tailings facilities. 

The landfill site will be operated on a cell by cell basis and regular compaction and covering will be 

done to ensure a longer life and for health reasons. All cells will be excavated to a depth of between 

1.5 and 2.5 meter below ground level (m.b.g.l.), depending on where the hard rock is encountered. It 

is planned to only have a limited number of cells open at any one time to limit the seepage or influx 

from surface water. 

2.9 Project phasing and timing 

The project phases and timing of construction, operation and decommissioning are set out in the 

table below: 

Project Stage 




Timeframe 

4-5 months 


25 years 





3-5 years 

4-5 years 

The construction activities will commence after having obtained a Waste licence from the 

Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). 

2.10 Infrastructure that will be required for the project 

Table 2-1 presents the infrastructure that will be required for the project. 

Table 2-1: Infrastructure required for the proposed waste site 

Proposed 

Infrastructure 

Access and haul roads 

Power lines 

Telecommunications 

Fencing and security 

Offices or workshops 

Medical facility 

Waste storage 

Transport of materials 

Commencement date of 

construction 

Description 

Gravel roads will be built around the site, linking with the existing mine road 

network. 

Existing power lines will supply any power requirements for the operation of the 

landfill. 

Communication with the site will be provided via cell phone and radios 

The landfill site will be confined within the mine area and access will therefore 

be limited to the contractors operating the site. 

A room and a toilet for the guards will be built at the landfill site. 

First aid facilities will be established on the site. The AAMM clinic will be 

available for the contractors’ medical examinations prior to them working on 

the site, while the Mapela (Vaalkop) Clinic will be available for routine medical 

situations. 

General waste will be disposed of in cells at the site. Hazardous waste will be 

temporarily stored in containers in a bunded area at the landfill site before 

being transported to Holfontein hazardous waste disposal site in Springs, 

Gauteng. Contaminated soil will be stored and treated in the separate area at 

the landfill site. The remediated soil will be used for rehabilitation elsewhere on 

the mine. Some sorting of recoverable waste will be done at the site. 

All waste materials will be transported by road to and from the landfill site. 

Construction will start as soon as all necessary permits from the authorities are 

in place. 

2.11 Construction and duration of the process 

Activities and duration during construction of the Waste site are shown in Table 2-2. 

Table 2-2: Activities and duration during construction 



Activity Description Duration / 

Scheduling 

Clearing and 

grubbing 

Removal of 

topsoil 

Soft 

excavation 

Hard rock 

excavation 

(If required) 

Runoff 

control and 

erosion 

protection 

Mechanically removing all vegetation including trees, grass, 

boulders and shrubbery by means of graders and/or bulldozers 

over the construction site area. This includes site office, access 

roads as well as the working area. The material will either be 

disposed or stockpiled for future use if the material is suitable for 

vegetating. The material will be removed using dump trucks. 

Mechanically removing the fertile layer of soil which supports the 

vegetation above it over the clear and grub area. It is generally 

accepted that this layer is approximately 150mm thick and will be 

removed with graders, scrapers and bulldozers. This material will 

either be disposed or stockpiled for future use if the material is 

suitable for vegetating. The material will be removed using dump 

trucks. 

This is the layer of soil that can be removed with conventional 

machinery and with little degree of effort. Excavators and TLB’s 

(Tractor Loader, Backhoes) will be used for this operation. The 

excavated material will either be stockpiled and used as backfill 

material or disposed of if it is unstable or if there is an excess of 

material. The material will be removed using dump trucks. 

This is the layer of hard soil/rock that requires more specialised 

excavation machinery and is generally more time consuming and 

expensive to remove than soft excavation. Excavators attached 

with a removable pecker bit will be used to break the material if it 

is in small quantities. If there is a large area of rock, blasting will 

normally be easier, more time and cost efficient. Blasting will 

require a specialist to come to site to drill holes in the rock after 

excavators have cleared all the soft material to expose the rock 

face. The blaster will design a blast pattern which is dependent on 

the rock material and depth of the blast required. Once the holes 

have been drilled and charged, blast mats or backfill material is 

placed over the blast area to prevent fly rock injuring people and 

damaging property. This material will then be removed as per soft 

exaction once the blast has taken place. Safety is imperative and 

strict safety methods and risk assessments must be put in place 

for a safe blast. 

Where necessary, storm water will be managed in storm water 

drains. Appropriate erosion control measures will be designed and 

constructed. 

This will be the first 

physical activity on 

the site. It can 

probably be 

completed within a 

month 

This will not take 

more than another 

month following 

clearing and grubbing 

This will be done in 

stages as cells are 

constructed. The first 

cell is likely to be 

ready within 3 months 

of the start of 

construction 

This may not be 

required at all. If it is it 

will be on an ad hoc 

process. 

Design will take place 

before construction 

and measures will be 

implemented during 

the construction 

phase. 

2.12 Operation and duration of the process 

Activities and duration during operation of the Waste site are shown in Table 2-3. 

Table 2-3: Activities and duration during operations 



Activity Description Duration / Scheduling 

Transport of 

waste to the 

waste site 

Handling of 

waste at the 

Waste site 

Waste 

disposal 

Different types of waste coming from different point source at 

the mine will be transported to the Waste site. 

The scrap-metals will be sorted at the sorting area and are not 

considered further here. The general waste that will be taken 

to the waste site will comprise sorted and unsorted. Some 

sorting will be done at source and some at the waste site. 

Recyclable material will be stored at the waste site and get 

transported by the contractor for recycling. Soil that is 

contaminated with hydrocarbons will be collected from the 

point source and taken to the waste site. At the waste site, it 

will be bio-remediated to get rid of the hazardous substances. 

The treated contaminated soil will be used to cover waste at 

the landfill to rehabilitate the tailing dams and waste rock 

dumps. Hazardous waste form all point source will be stored in 

a bunded hazardous temporary storage area at the waste site. 

The non-recoverable and unrecyclable scrapped and general 

waste will be disposed of at the landfill. Hazardous material will 

be removed by Waste-Tech weekly for disposal to a registered 

site in Gauteng. 

On-going during the 

operational life of the site. 





2.12.1 Employment 

The proposed waste site will create some additional jobs opportunities during construction. However, 

the Waste site will be managed by a waste contractor, so it is unlikely that there will be any new jobs 

on the mine during the operational phase. 

2.12.2 Monitoring of pollution at the waste site 

Groundwater monitoring system is in place at AAMM. The groundwater monitoring on all boreholes 

at the mine is conducted on a monthly basis. Currently there are six boreholes (S - shallow and D- 

deep) around the Waste site. Table 2-4 shows the monitoring point identification, monitoring point 

description, coordinates of the location of the points as well as frequency of sampling on all points. 

The baseline groundwater results are available and are contained in Figure 4-3. These boreholes 

currently monitor groundwater pollution for the existing infrastructure. However, due to their 

closeness position to the proposed waste site, they will be subsequently utilised to also monitor 

pollution for the Waste site. 

The whole site will be designed to ensure that there is no dirty water run-off into the environment. 

Clean water will be diverted around the landfill site. There is a pollution control dam adjacent to the 

landfill site; all polluted water from the Waste site will be diverted to it. 

Table 2-4: Groundwater monitoring system at the Waste site (monitoring point, location and 

frequency of sampling 

Monitoring point 

identification 

Monitoring point 

description 

Co-ordinates 

Frequency of 

sampling 

P120 S 

New landfill site on 28˚ 55' 27.28" E 23˚ 58' 9.56" S Monthly 

P 120 D Zwartfontein 

28˚ 55' 27.28" E 23˚ 58' 9.56" S Monthly 

P121 S 28˚ 55' 22.81" E 23˚ 58' 9.63" S Monthly 


Zwartfontein 818 LR (PPL 

Wellfield) 


P 121 D 28˚ 55' 22.81" E 23˚ 58' 9.63" S Monthly 

P 122 S 28˚ 55' 22.96" E 23˚ 58' 5.47" S Monthly 

P 122 D 28˚ 55' 22.96" E 23˚ 58' 5.47" S Monthly 

The locations of the monitoring points are provided in Figure 4-9. 

2.12.3 Accommodation / housing 

Existing camps within the mine will be used for accommodating personnel that could be coming from 

elsewhere rather than from the surrounding communities. 

2.13 Water requirements 

2.13.1 Source of water 

Existing water pipelines that are nearby will be linked to in order to supply the Waste site. There are 

new boreholes that are drilled for the purpose of abstraction. The abstraction volume for the PPL 

well field is licensed for 2ML per day. All potable water for consumption must fall within that licensed 

volume. The boreholes are listed in Table 2-5 below and refer to Figure 4-9 for the location of the 

monitoring points. The closest one to the proposed Waste site is P131. 

Table 2-5: Newly-drilled boreholes for purposes of abstraction 

Abstraction 

point 

identification 

P126 

P127 

P128 

P130 

P131 

Abstraction point 

description 

Closest to gate at Game 

Reserve 

Across river at Game 

reserve 

Across river on road to 

P105 

Closest to new office block 

opp. orange trees 

Next to new landfill site 

opposite helipad 

Co-ordinates 

28° 55' 

13.8"E 

28° 54' 

50.8"E 

28° 54' 

54.3"E 

28° 55' 

11.1"E 

28° 55' 

19.6"E 

Depth 

(m) 

S.W.L. 

mbgl 

Blow 

yield 

(l/s) 

23° 58' 03.2"S 52 2.24 4.0 

23° 58' 23.3"S 

23° 58' 24.9"S 

64 2.47 3.2 

73 3.2 3.0 

23° 58' 17.4"S 70 1.07 3.5 

23° 58' 12.6"S 64 2.32 3.6 

The volumes of water that the newly constructed boreholes yield are given in Table 2-6. 

Table 2-6: Boreholes yield information 

Farm Infrastructure Description 

Timing: 

start date 

Status 

Authorisation 

Water use volume 

2011 IWWMP 

Average Maximum 

Potential 

abstraction 

borehole P126 

Potential 

abstraction 

borehole P127 

Potential 

abstraction 

borehole P128 

A: Abstraction 

of 2Ml/d 

(Including on 

the farms 

Vaalkop 819 

LR, 

Zwartfontein 

818 LR, and 

Sandsloot 236 

KR) 

The maximum 

1/12/2011 

1/12/2011 

1/12/2011 

Total wellfield 

abstraction volume is 

licenced and limited to 

2Ml/day. 

New boreholes are 

alternative abstraction 

points to the existing 

boreholes. 

31.536 

Ml per 

annum 

31.536 

Ml per 

annum 

31.536 

Ml per 

annum 

63 

Ml per 

annum 

63 

Ml per 

annum 

63 

Ml per 

annum 



Potential 

abstraction 

borehole P130 

volume which 

will be 

abstracted from 

any one of 

these boreholes 

is 86 400 litres 

per day. If all 

five were to be 

used at the 

same time, the 

maximum 

volume taken 

would total 432 

000 litres per 

day. 

1/12/2011 

31.536 

Ml per 

annum 

63 

Ml per 

annum 

Potential 

abstraction 

borehole P131 

This would 

mean that the 

existing 

boreholes in the 

PPL Wellfield 

would still be 

allowed a 

volume of 1 568 

000 litres per 

day without 

exceeding the 

limit set by the 

WUL. 

1/12/2011 

31.536 

Ml per 

annum 

63 

Ml per 

annum 

2.13.2 Water for construction 

There are three well fields within AAMM (see Table 2-7). Additional water sources that can be used 

for construction purposes include stormwater dams and pits. Water requirements for construction of 

the temporary storage of Hazardous waste will be obtained from the well fields or the additional 

water sources. 

Table 2-7: Well fields within AMMM 

Infrastructure Farms Authorised by the 2007 WUL, no. 

27059655 

Blinkwater wellfield 

Commandodrift 

wellfield 

PPL Wellfield 

Blinkwater 820 LR and 

Rietfontein 240 KR 

Molendraai 811 LR, 

Moordkopje 813 LR, 

Commandodrift 811 LR 

Vaalkop 819 LR, 

Overysel 815 LR, 

Zwartfontein 818 LR 

and Sandsloot 236 KR 

Abstraction of 1.8Ml/d to diminish to 1Ml/d 

as per agreement to supply water to the 

municipality for community use. 

Abstraction of 1.0 - 1.4Ml/day 

Abstraction of 2Ml/day 

2.13.3 Water for consumption 

There will be about six people during construction phase and about six during operation phase. 

Therefore approximately 27.375 m 3 /month and (328.5 m 3 /annum) of potable water will be required 

during construction and during operation. 



As a minimum, 150 litres/person/day will be provided for washing, ablution and consumption 

purposes as per the Water Institute of Southern Africa Guidelines. Drinking water, if supplied 

separately i.e. bottled water, should be a minimum of 2 litres/person/day. 

Dust suppression occurs continuously. The same trucks that currently suppress the dust will also 

spray the Waste site and bioremediation when necessary. Minimal amount of water will be needed to 

suppress dust at the Waste site given the small size of the site. The water for this is obtained from 

the open cast pits. AAMM has a Water Use license to pump water out of the pits and reuse in the 

process. 

2.13.4 Water for sanitation 

Potable water will be required for ablution facilities, as required by law. Porta toilet toilet be utilised 

for sanitation. When full, the contents will be collected and disposed of at the Mokopane Sewage 

Treatment Works. Very limited amount of water will be required for hand wash. 

2.13.5 Water for bioremediation 

Raw water will be required for cleaning and for wetting soils during bioremediation. About 500kg per 

day of contaminated soil will be bioremediated and will be treated in monthly batches. The soil will 

need to be wetted and turned on a daily basis. 

2.14 Power supply 

Power requirement will be limited to what is required for the running of the waste site. The power will 

be obtained from the existing power supply at the office complex within AAMM. 

2.14.1 Source of power 

Electricity will be obtained from the existing powerlines at the workshop. 

2.15 Solid waste 

General waste such as plastics, bottles, food, etc. will be generated during construction and should 

be disposed of appropriately. Hazardous waste such as contaminated soil from leaking vehicles 

should be collected and stored temporary with other hazardous waste in order to be disposed of 

appropriately at a registered hazardous landfill such as Holfontein in Springs. All general waste that 

will be produced during construction should be disposed of in the existing landfill at the mine. 

2.16 Vehicle access 

The existing road will provide access to the Waste site. 

2.17 Decommissioning, closure and duration of the processes 

Activities and duration during decommissioning and closure of the Waste site are shown in the Table 

2-8 below. 

Table 2-8: Activities and duration during decommissioning and closure 

Activity Description Activity 



Rehabilitation of the Waste 

site 

Demolition of disused 

infrastructure 

Disposal of waste materials 

after demolition 

The operation will cease. The whole landfill will 

be rehabilitated by covering the whole 

disturbed areas with soil materials. The landfill 

will be rehabilitated to an agreed land use 

potential, compatible with the post mining land 

use of the surrounding area, currently specified 

in the EMP. 

All disused infrastructure will be demolished 

when the waste site has reached its capacity. 

Waste materials will be disposed of at a 

permitted waste facility site 

Rehabilitation of the 

Waste site 

Demolition of disused 

infrastructure 

Disposal of waste 

materials after 

demolition 

3 Need and desirability of the project 

The current landfill is nearing its capacity. For AAMM to continue managing their waste properly 

there is a need for a new facility that can handle general waste and provide temporary storage for 

hazardous waste, a bioremediation facility and a waste sorting area. The waste site is essential to 

the AAMM services in term of management of waste since the existing landfill has reached its 

capacity. 

The waste site will comprise a landfill, a salvage yard, sorting area and a temporary hazardous 

storage facility that will be demarcated in an enclosed area on the site. Without this facility waste 

management on the mine will not be adequately managed 



4 Description of the baseline environment 

This section of the report details the baseline environment for the proposed Waste site Project. This 

has been compiled on the basis of availability and applicability of the information obtained from the 

previous AAMM EMP’s, EMP Amendments and Integrated Water and Waste Management Plan 

(IWWMP). 

4.1 Climate 

AAMM has a typical summer rainfall climate, receiving the majority of its rainfall in summer in the 

period between October and April and having a cool and dry winter. 

The mean annual rainfall for the area in which the mine is situated varies from about 575 mm/annum 

to nearly 700 mm/annum, depending on topography. During the rainy season a maximum of 8 to 12 

rain days per month is typically expected, whilst in the dry season a maximum of 1 rain day may be 

expected per month. The rainfall is mainly in the form of thunderstorms. Hail, which is often 

associated with thunderstorms, does occur during the hot summer months. Frost is rare, and may 

occur during June or July. Fog is rare. 

The region in general has an average maximum monthly temperature of 26.3 °C and an average 

minimum monthly temperature of 13.0 °C. 

The main prevailing wind directions on the site are vary from south-south westerly (approx. 12 %) to 

south-south easterly (approx. 14%) with the southerly wind vector being the predominant wind 

prevailing approximately 21 % of the time. Northerly winds north prevail for


dyke-like; the wider north part has the shape of a sheet. From south to north the floor rocks to the 

Platreef constitute progressively older rocks of the Transvaal Supergroup and eventually constitute 

Archaean granite and gneiss. The Platreef is overlain by Main Zone gabbro norites. This contact is 

fairly uniform, but disturbed in places where interlayered norites and pyroxenites are evident. The 

Main Zone is present and reaches a thickness of 2200m which is thinner thick than in the eastern 

and western limbs. Cyclic units of magnetite, magnetite gabbro, gabbro and anorthosite 

(approximately 1500m thick) occur above the Main Zone are thought to represent the Upper Zone. 

The geology of the Platreef (Figure 4-1) is complex comprising three to four feldspathic pyroxenites 

alternating with heterogeneous zones of interlayered rocks of both sedimentary and igneous origin. 

Sedimentary rocks in these zones include cordierite spinel hornfels, clinopyroxenites, calc-silicates 

and graphite-bearing serpentinites and igneous rocks include serpentinized peridotites and 

pyroxenites. These rocks have all been serpentinized to varying degrees. The most abundant rock 

type in the heterogeneous zones is the hornfels which is thought to have originated from pyritic black 

shales (Aqua earth, 2012). 



Figure 4-1: Geology of the area 



4.4 Soil and land capability 

The soils are of moderate to poor quality due to their moderate natural fertility, soil structure, soil 

chemical properties, depth and rockiness in places. The soils vary from shallow, rocky sandy loams 

to deep, weakly or moderately structured sandy clays. Free lime occurs throughout the site. The 

surface rockiness and variable depth, together with the marginal mean annual rainfall and other 

climatic conditions, attributes to the low agricultural potential of the soils. In spite of the poor quality 

of soil some areas are used for subsistence agricultural purposes including livestock grazing. 

The historical land capability (arable land, grazing land and wilderness land) within the mine 

boundary has undergone a permanent change with the operation of AAMM. No arable land, grazing 

land or wilderness land within the disturbed area is currently available as the mine site is fenced and 

inaccessible to surrounding communities. 

A summary of the current land capability is provided in Table 4-1. 

Table 4-1: Summary of current land capability 

Proposed affected 

areas 

Arable land 

(ha) 5 

Grazing land 

(ha) 

Wilderness 

(ha) 

Stream (ha) 

Village (ha) 

Waste residue facility – 

West 

Waste residue facility - 

East 

192.8 144.4 0 26.9 0 

21.6 431.4 278.3 59.1 334.5 

Pit area 173.9 222.7 0 16.0 0 

Tailings dam 46.7 389.3 43.9 0 0 

Plant 40.0 0 0 0 0 

TOTAL 475.00 1,187.80 322.20 102.00 334.50 

4.5 Ecology 

AAMM falls into the Savanna Biome. Vegetation types within this biome include Mixed Bushveld and 

Clay Thorn Bushveld (Acocks (1953) - Springbok Flats Turf Thornveld). The study area is already 

disturbed through activities such as overgrazing, collecting wood for fuel purposes, trampling and 

dryland crop production activities. From a regional perspective, the Flora is not considered 

significantly sensitive. 

The rocky areas and streamsides are in a slightly better condition. The hills of the proposed project 

area show affinities with the Floras of the Waterberg and Pietersburg Plateaus, while the plains are 

characterised by Mixed Bushveld and Clay Thorn Bushveld. 

Certain plants in the project area have adapted to cope with the soil conditions related to the 

ultramafics and mafics (chrome bearing rocks) of the project area. These plants do not compete well 

5 Note: Although classified as ‘arable’ the arability is low to moderate, at best. 



with plants in normal soils and are thus generally of very restricted occurrence. In the present state 

of the environment, these species exist in marginal habitats such as shallow soils underlain by rock 

or calcrete, or close to streams, where the land use is minimised. 

The seven broad vegetation units identified are indicated in Figure 4-2. The characteristics of these 

vegetation units are summarised in Table 4-2. This information was gathered in the dry season and it 

is thus unlikely to represent the full complexity of the flora in the area. The project site contains water 

course fringing vegetation as it is located at about 223 m away from the Mohlosana River. It is 

composed of open shrubs with sparse grasslayer. However the project is not anticipated to cause a 

huge impact on existing vegetation given the small size of the project site. 

Due to the well-known practice of hunting undertaken by local communities, it is unlikely that the 

open veld areas will support any significant and/or viable wildlife populations. However, the cluster 

of inselbergs (units 4 & 5 in Table 4-2) acts as a biotic corridor between the Waterberg and 

Pietersburg Plateau. These inselbergs provide refuge areas for several animal species, habitat and 

nest sites for cliff nesting bird species and are important from a biodiversity perspective. A pair of 

Black Eagles was observed in the area, but it is unlikely that they would remain once development 

starts. The Mogalakwena River, for which the project area forms an important catchment area, acts 

as a refuge area for fish species during periods of ephemeral flow. (Ecological Specialist Report for 

PPRust, 2002). 



Table 4-2: Description of vegetation units 

Unit no. Description & status Structure Dominant species Alien invasive species Important species 

CL 

Cultivated lands 

(incl. old fields used for 

grazing) 

Degraded 

Low status & value 

Open shrubland (2 m 

avg.) 

Sporadic trees 

Herb / grass layer 

Acacia tortilis 

Urochloa mossambicensis 

Eragrostis barbinodis 

Dichrostachys cinerea 

Acanthospermum 

hispidum 

Gomphrena celosioides 

Tagetes minuta 

Sclerocarya birrea ssp. caffra 

1 Lopholaena-Terminalia 

open woodland 

Degraded 

Low status & value 


avg.), with sparse grass 

layer and sporadic trees 

Lopholaena coriifolia 

Terminalia sericea 

Sclerocarya birrea 

Zinnia peruviana 


2 Mixed bushveld 

Status unknown 

Trees (5 m avg.) 

Shrubs sparse 

Grass layer 

unknown unknown Unknown, but edaphically 

adapted species are predicted 

here. 

3 Dichrostachys – 

Urochloa - Acacia 

shrubland 

Encroached, 

Moderate status & 


avg.), with dense grass 

layer 



Themeda triandra 

Bothriochloa insculpta 

Flaveria bidentis 

Corchorus schimperi or aff. 

Ledebouria sp. 


Potentially high value 

4 Rhus – Euphorbia - 

Clerodendrum woodland 

Open to Closed 

woodland (3 - 4 m avg.) 

Rhus leptodictya 

Euphorbia ingens 

Achyranthes aspera 

Agave americana 

cf. Euphorbia griseola/louwii 

Faurea saligna 

Degraded, 


potentially high value 

Clerodendrum glabrum 

Aloe marlothii and grewia 

vernicosa sometimes dominant 

in disturbed areas 

Open, gravelly areas occur in 

some level sites. 

Agave sisalana 

Boerhavia diffusa 

Zinnia peruviana 

Verbesina encelioides var. 

encelioides 

Lithops lesliei is suspected to 

occur in open gravelly areas. 

Scadoxus puniceus 




5 Albizia - Croton – 

Combretum woodland 

Open to Closed 

woodland (3 - 4 m avg.) 

Albizia tanganyikense 

Croton gratissimus var. 

gratissimus 

none apparent 

Berchemia zeyheri 

Erythrophysa transvaalensis 

may occur here 

Degraded, 


potentially high value as 

a habitat. 

Combretum molle 

Coleochloa setifera 

Englerophytum magalismontanum 

Euphorbia malevola may 

occur here 

Faurea saligna 

Scadoxus puniceus 

6 Watercourses & 

fringing vegetation 


avg.) with sparse 

grasslayer 

Acacia tenuispina 

Acacia luederitzii var. retinens 

Lycium cinereum 

Xanthium strumarium 

Ricinus communis 

Acacia caffra 

Acacia karroo 

Combretum erythrophyllum 

Degraded, 


potentially high value as 

a habitat. 

Ehretia rigida 

Corchorus schimperi or aff. 

Nuxia gracilis may occur here 

Olea europaea ssp. africana 

Ziziphus mucronata 

7 Secondary woodland of 

old building / mining sites 

Degraded, 

Open woodland (2 –3 m 

avg.) 



Agave americana 

Agave sisalana 


Low status and value 



Figure 4-2: Vegetation cover map in relation to the proposed project area 



4.6 Surface water 

AAMM is situated in the Limpopo River Catchment Area in quaternary drainage region A6IG. The 

general gradient and drainage of the plain is east to west. Erratic seasonal flow occurs in the two 

main rivers draining the area, namely; in the Mohlosane (Klein Sandsloot), which flows between the 

PPRust South and Zwartfontein pits and the Groot Sandsloot River, which flows around the 

Sandsloot pit. 

Vaalkop Dam, situated to the south east of the development in the catchment of the Groot 

Sandsloot, was built to supply water to a nearby irrigation scheme. The area within which the mine is 

located is divided into sub-catchments according to the watersheds and confluence of streams. 

Streams in the area are highly seasonal and only flow after larger rainfall events. 

The highest point in the catchment of the Mohlosane is approximately 1280 mamsl. The average 

watercourse slope is about 1:100 (or 1 percent), but the upper reach of the Mohlosane (upstream of 

the mining activity) has a slope of in excess of 1:50 (2 percent). The catchment is characterised by 

steep granite koppies on the northern catchment boundary and close to the confluence with the 

Mogalakwena River. The total catchment area is 56.2 km 2 . Land use in the catchment of the 

Mohlosane consists primarily of stock grazing and subsistence farming activities. Dry land cultivation 

of primarily maize does occur. The two TSF’s for the existing mining activities at MPM is also 

partially situated in this catchment. The Groot Sandsloot catchment can generally be described as 

flat, sloping gently to the west between the contours of 1020 metres above mean sea level (mamsl) 

and 1220 mamsl with an average gradient of 1:16. The river runs in a south westerly direction 

draining into the Mogalakwena River which drains in a north westerly direction along the base of the 

Waterberg Mountains. The Waterberg Mountains are the key topographical feature of the site rising 

from the flats at 1060 mamsl to a maximum height of 1746 mamsl, with an average gradient of 1:3 

(SRK IWWMP Update Report, 2011). Currently MPM has surface water monitoring points on the 

Mohlosane River and Groot Sandloot River which can be seen in Figure 4-4. 

Summary of hydrology at the project site is presented in Figure 4-3. Water is a scarce resource in 

the AAMM area with most communities being dependent on groundwater for their basic needs. 

Surface water is, however, used for farming and livestock watering, although this is severely limited 

by the temporary nature of flow in the rivers. 

The 1:50 year and 1:100 year floodlines for the Mohlosana River have been determined (SRK report 

no. 305804/Water Management 2, 2002) and are presented in Appendix I 6. The waste site is 

situated outside the 1:100 year floodline of the Mohlosana River. 



Figure 4-3: Summary of hydrology at the project site (Aqua earth, 2012) 



Waste site project 

Figure 7.6: Surface water monitoring points in relation to proposed project area. 

Project No. 347793 

Figure 4-4: Surface water monitoring points in relation to proposed project area 


pH 

Electrical Conductivity 

Suspended Solids 

Calcuim 

Magnesuim 

Soduim 

Potassium 

Sulfate 

Chloride 

Floride 

Nitrate 

Iron 

Manganesse 

Vanaduim 


4.6.1 Surface water quality 

The closest current surface water monitoring point to the proposed waste site is situated on the 

Mohlosane River (located at about 261 meters away from the Waste site) downstream of the 

Blinkwater Tailings dam and is presented in Figure 4-4. In line with the NEMA Precautionary 

Principle, the guideline value for the most sensitive user/condition for each constituent monitored, an 

identified resource protection value (IRP), has been used for the water quality assessment. 

Available surface water quality data from AAMM (2008 – 2011) has been compared to the IRP 

values for surface/raw water. The Mohlosana River water quality monitoring point MRU indicates 

exceedances of the median values for sodium and chloride. Refer to Figure 4-5. Trend analysis 

(Figure 4-6) indicates fluctuations in sodium and chloride with concentrations increasing mostly 

during the dry season and decreasing with the rainy season due to the dilution effect. However, a 

generally increasing trend is noted for both parameters over a four year period (2008 to 2011) 

10 

1 

0.1 

0.01 

0.001 

Constituents 

Median 95%ile IRP Limit 

Mogalakwena Mine scoping report for the 

proposed waste site 

Moholosana River monitoring point (MRU) water quality 

chart (2008 – 2011) 

Project No. 

347793 

Figure 4-5: Mohlosana River monitoring points water quality chart 


Cl and Na in mg/l 

18/01/2008 

18/03/2008 

18/05/2008 

18/07/2008 

18/09/2008 

18/11/2008 

18/01/2009 

18/03/2009 

18/05/2009 

18/07/2009 

18/09/2009 

18/11/2009 

18/01/2010 

18/03/2010 

18/05/2010 

18/07/2010 

18/09/2010 

18/11/2010 

18/01/2011 

18/03/2011 

18/05/2011 


250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

Chloride as Cl Sodium as Na Linear (Chloride as Cl) 

Linear (Sodium as Na) 

Linear (Sodium as Na) 

Mogalakwena Mine scoping report for the 

proposed waste site 

Upstream Moholosana River monitoring point data trend 

analysis (2008 – 2011) 

Figure 4-6: Upstream Mohlosane River monitoring point data trend analysis 

Project No. 

347793 

Of critical significance is the fact that water quality in the Mohlosane River was raised as an issue in 

the public consultation process for this project. Monitoring of the water quality during the 

construction and operational phases of the waste disposal site will therefore be critical provided 

water is present in the river during the construction phase. The existing surface water monitoring 

programme schedule will monitor impact from the landfill site during the operational phase. 

4.7 Ground water 

The numerous fault zones in the mining area act as preferential flow paths for groundwater. Further 

details on groundwater are provided in the geo-hydrological report contained in Appendix I. The 

geology underlying the site has been classified, according to Parsons (1995) and DWAF minimum 

requirements (1998) using the information derived from the drilling and aquifer testing, as a minor 

aquifer system (Aqua Earth, 2011). 

The area has a thin soil cover of black silt clay that overlies weathered and fractured norite and 

pyroxenite. The bedrock is weathered to a silt clay or sandy silt between 1 m and 35 m thick. 

Beneath pockets of weathering, at depths greater than 30 m, slightly weathered, fractured hard 

rocks, that may contain both the unsaturated and saturated zones, occur. 

Groundwater is the primary source of water in the area and local communities are dependent on it 

for domestic purposes, including drinking, cooking and bathing, stock watering and small-scale 

irrigation. Water is abstracted from borehole situated in the villages. 

4.7.1 Ground water quality 

MPM has an extensive groundwater monitoring programme which is detailed in the Integrated Water 

and Waste Management Plan (SRK Report IWWMP Updated Report, 2011). A number of 



observation boreholes have been drilled in the past to obtain background information on the 

groundwater levels and qualities in the vicinity of the proposed landfill site. 

Water quality is influenced by the underlying geology and the impact of human activities in the 

surrounding communities. Groundwater monitoring boreholes have been drilled around the proposed 

landfill site. Refer to Figure 4-7 for the location of monitoring boreholes in relation to the project area. 

These are P120 6 S and 7 D, P121 S and D and P122 S and D. 

Groundwater quality observations from Aqua Earth (2010) study include: 

 

 

 

 

 

Groundwater quality trends indicate that the main area of concern regarding the mining area is 

the Tailings Dam Complex. 

Groundwater pH is alkaline throughout the boreholes. The neutralisation of the pH is due to the 

naturally occurring carbonate minerals which are present on the mine. In general there is no 

significant increase or decrease in the samples if pH is considered. Long term pH trends indicate 

that all the boreholes are well within acceptable SANS241:2006 standards. 

The majority of the boreholes, except 8 RWD 6, RWD 7, RWD 16 and P123, fall within the 

acceptable limits for drinking water according to the SANS 241: 2006 standard for electrical 

conductivity. RWD 6 and RWD 7 are situated downstream of the AAMM (Vaalkop) tailings 

storage facility. 

Majority of the boreholes directly surrounding the mining areas show elevated electrical 

conductivity and Total Dissolved Solids values indicating that mining activities are adding to the 

salt loads of the groundwater in the Mogalakwena section. 

All of the boreholes except RWD 11, P118s, P3, HO3-2317, Hse-118B, Hse-10821 and Hse- 

10390 have acceptable nitrate concentrations for Drinking water according to the SANS241: 

2006 standard. The elevated concentrations of the mentioned boreholes could be attributed to 

two factors: 

o 

o 

close proximity to rural areas were sewage effluent from the community could seep into 

the groundwater and thereby increase the nitrate concentrations 

explosives used during mining activities. 

6 S – Shallow borehole 

7 D – Deeper borehole 

8 RWD – Return Water Dam 



Figure 4-7: landfill position and position of the groundwater monitoring boreholes 



In order to understand the significance and possible seepage from the landfill site a scenario was run 

with the existing groundwater model for a period of 10 years with initial concentrations at the landfill 

site of 100mg/l of salts. This was done to get an idea of the scale and impact from the landfill 

compared to the tailings storage facilities. The results indicate that with relative to the bigger tailings 

facilities, the impacts from the landfill site will be minimal. Further details are provided in 

Geohydrological report contained in Appendix I 1. 

The waste site monitoring boreholes present groundwater quality for 2010 and 2011 that falls within 

the SANS241:2006 Class I limits for drinking water (Refer to Figure 4-8). 



Mogalakwena Mine – Proposed Waste Site 

Figure 4-3 

Project No. 

347793 

Figure 4-8: Groundwater quality results from boreholes adjacent to the proposed landfill site 

4.7.2 Groundwater level and flow direction 

Regionally, the water table ranges between 5 – 20 m below ground level, however for the contiguous 

boreholes (P120S P121S and P122S) are fairly shallow with depths varying from 3 to 8 meters 



below ground level and groundwater flow corresponds to the larger regional flow directions and is 

towards the south southwest direction, at a velocity of less than 1 m/day (see Figure 4-9). The 

formations below 50 m contain very little water and below 250 m may be considered dry. Further 

details on groundwater are provided in the geo-hydrological report contained in Appendix I. 

Figure 4-9: Location of project’s adjacent boreholes and direction of groundwater flow 



Figure 4-10: Background boreholes and groundwater levels from 2011 Groundwater modelling (Aqua earth, 2012) 



4.8 Air quality 

Dust deposition measurements are usually performed over monthly average sampling periods in 

accordance with procedures recommended by the South African Nation Standards (SANS). SANS 

also stipulates dust deposition rates that are permitted for residential and industrial regions, and a 

series of levels above which interventions or mitigation is required. 

Dust monitoring was undertaken by SGS Consultants in 2013. There are 14 dust monitoring sites at 

the mine of which 9 locations have single dust buckets and 5 sites have single and four directional 

dust buckets. The results of the dust monitoring is used to evaluate compliance with the SANS 

guideline criteria and evaluate long-term trends. Please refer to Table 4-3 for 2011 monitoring data 

and their description. Bucket P34 is the one closer to the proposed River diversion site. The dust 

fallout is measured in rate mg/m 2 /day. Dust fallout standards are presented in Table 4-4. Figure 4-11 

presents a description of the dust fallout results for the data taken in 2013 and is compared to the 

SANS 1929:2005. 



Table 4-3: Air quality data collected from January 2013 until May 2013 

Bucket January February March April May Comments 

P34 

T.S 

P21 

P31 

P9 

P46 

PPRN 

GTS 

42 47 50 74 131 

27 27 11 2 22 

45 73 22 55 41 

150 91 145 179 165 

39 55 20 33 33 

93 248 324 282 415 

21 ND ND ND 267 

44 52 67 61 220 

MORGAN 124 

This measuring point is close to the dirt road 

leading from the pollution control dam at South 

Concentrator to the Mine Residue Dumps. 

This measuring point is close to the return water 

dam. The closest sources of dust pollution are 

from the Mine Residue Dumps and the North 

Concentrator from a North - South direction 

The closest source of dust pollution is the Mine 

Residue Dam extension and from on-going 

construction at the Blinkwater Tailings Dam. The 

Area started impounding tailings in August 2010) 

The closest source of dust pollution is the North 

Concentrator 

Next to the provincial dirt road passing Seritarita 

school. The closest mining activity is the 

Zwartfontein South Pit 

Most of the dust pollution was picked up from a 

Southerly direction. i.e. from communal land 

Next to the provincial dirt road as well as the Mine 

Top Soil Dumps 

High readings from an easterly direction i.e. from 

the Blinkwater Tailings Dam extension 

Located in Ga-Tsaba village near the provincial 

dirt road and agricultural land. Mine Waste Rock 

Dumps lie to the east. 

36 70 69 140 

TEX.S 29 32 40 22 98 In Ga-Tsaba village near the provincial dirt road 

and agricultural land. Mine Waste Rock Dumps lie 

to the east. 



TE.S 35 23 24 22 214 In general most of the high readings for this point 

are from the South, indicating that the most likely 

source is the existing Vaalkop Tailings Dam 

ZW.ND.S 61 45 61 ND 214 Next to the provincial dirt road passing Seritarita 

School. The closest mining activity is 

Mogalakwena South Pit, where no mining activity 

has taken place due to the build- up of pit water. 

GTRDS 83 ND ND 42 94 The closest mining activity is about 400m away. It 

is suspected that this dust is mainly due to mining 

activities as communal infrastructure is far off. 

NB 0 ND ND ND 98 The closest source of dust is the Northern Waste 

Dump 



Table 4-4: Dust fallout standards, targets, action and threshold dust deposition (SANS 

1929:2005) 

Level Dust fallout rate mg/m 2 /day Permitted frequency of exceedances 

Target 300 

Action residential 600 Three within any year, no two sequential months 

Action Industrial 1200 Three within any year not sequential months 

Alert threshold 2400 

None First exceedance requires remediation and 

compulsory report to authorities 

Mogalakwena Mine scoping report for the proposed River 

diversion project 

Dust monitoring results ( 2013) 

Project No. 

416186 

Figure 4-11: Dust Monitoring results 

All existing roads to the mine are tarred, as is the main road traversing the mining infrastructure. The 

remainder of the roads on the mine are untarred, but these are chemically treated to inhibit dust 

generation by motor vehicles and wind. AAMM has established the Air Quality Management Plan 

(AQMP) that has been completed in 2011. The data and the plan are measured by SGS 

Consultants. Bucket P34 is the one that is closer to the proposed River Diversion sites. The AQMP 

demonstrates the improved dust records over the past three years, which have occurred due to 

proactive measures such as extending “Dust a Side” road networks and installing dust suppressants 

in the concentrators. Regular inspection/audits is conducted by LDEDET officials on the existing site; 

he assists with advice on practicality of construction and managing the new sites. 



Figure 4-12: location of dust buckets in relation to the project site 



4.9 Site of archaeological and cultural interest 

The surface of the terrain (Waste site) is covered in dense vegetation, especially grass. This area 

was formerly ploughed (see locality map) and un-inhabited. It is now a piece of land wedged inbetween 

other mining activities, i.e., new administrative buildings, workshops, water pipelines, haul 

roads and a large tailings dam that is located to the north and north-east of the terrain. 

No heritage material of any nature exists at the terrain (See Appendix I9 for further details). The 

current view of the site is presented in Figure 4-13 below. 

Figure 4-13: The current view of the site 



4.10 Noise 

The surrounding project area has a suburban character, where the major contributing noise sources 

are currently limited to the following activities: 

 

 

Limited traffic on the local gravel roads; 

Natural sounds, i.e. bird song, crickets chirping and wind noise in the vegetation. 

There is a marked absence of mechanical noise associated with industrial activities, despite the 

relative proximity of the existing AAMM mining operations. 

In April 2013 Anglo American Platinum Limited appointed Nerscho Company to undertake a noise 

study the proposed Waste site area. Noise compliance was evaluated against international 

guidelines and South African legislation (Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act 85 of 1983, the 

Environmental Conservation Act, Act 73 of 1989 as well as the South African National Standard 

(SANS 10103:2008) for “the measurement and rating of environmental noise with respect to land 

use, health, annoyance and to speech communication”. 

MPM is the most dominant existing feature in the environment under investigation and as such is a 

very significant source of industrial noise in the area in general. The noise emissions are mainly 

caused by the mining operations including hauling of ore and waste rock in particular, and operation 

of the two concentrator plants. Other sources of noise are road traffic, both localised and on the main 

routes, communal activities and natural sounds. 

The topography between MPM and the nearest villages is in essence flat, i.e. there is no natural 

acoustic screening against the propagation of noise. However, man-made structures such as the 

tailings storage facilities and waste rock dumps do provide effective acoustic screening for the 

shielded areas. 

The sound level meter was calibrated prior to and after all set of measurements the instrument with 

the calibrator. In case of the latter, no deviation of greater that one-decibel was encountered. 

Measurements were taken during the day (06:00–22:00) and night (22:00–06:00), in accordance 

with the procedure described in SANS 10103: 2008. 

A windscreen supplied by the manufacturer of the instrument was used during measurements to 

eliminate the effect of any wind. 

Analysis of noise level 

Once the results were recorded they were compared as follows: 

 

 

 

Sound levels for during the day- and night time 

Current sound levels recorded during day time versus its OEL 

Current sound levels recorded during night time versus its OEL 

Based on measurement results and the subjective impressions gained during field work, the present 

representative ambient noise levels in the areas surrounding the proposed project area were 

estimated as summarised in Table 4-5 below. 

. 



Table 4-5: Measurement data 

DAYTIME 

Loc 1 

Loc 2 

Loc 3 

Loc 4 

NIGHTTIME 

Loc 20 

Loc 18 

Loc 19 

Loc 17 

POSITION 

GPS 

COORDINATES 

End of tar road to helipad area S 23,96967 

South E 028,92310 

Next to gravel road S 23,96837 

East E 028,92498 

TIME 

(MIN) 

TWA MIN MAX L Aeq 8 hr PEAK NOTES 

10:00 30.1 35.0 57.6 46.9 75.0 

Trucks passing in distance. 

Birds singing 

10:08 28.5 32.0 55.1 45.2 74.8 Vehicle passing 

Next to double pole power line and 

electric fence S 23,96939 10:02 30.0 34.7 59.8 46.8 84.2 

West E 028,92127 

Next to storm water channel S 23,96744 

North E 028,92359 

POSITION 

GPS 

COORDINATES 

End of tar road to helipad area S 23,96967 

South E 028,92310 

Next to gravel road S 23,96837 

East E 028,92498 

10:01 30.0 33.8 59.5 46.9 82.2 

TIME 

(MIN) 

Truck idling, reverse hooter in 

distance 

Reverse hooter and vehicles 

in distance 

TWA MIN MAX L Aeq 8 hr PEAK NOTES 

10:00 25.3 38.8 47.8 42.1 84.6 


Birds singing 

10:00 19.6 30.4 55.2 36.4 92.8 Vehicle passing 

Next to double pole power line and 

electric fence S 23,96939 10:00 22.0 35.2 47.9 38.8 76.8 

West E 028,92127 

Next to storm water channel S 23,96744 

North E 028,92359 

10:02 19.0 30.9 52.9 35.8 81.2 

Truck idling, reverse hooter in 

distance 

Reverse hooter and vehicles 

in distance 



Table 4-6: Day time ambient noise levels 

Description Measuring position Standard Daytime Noise sources 

End of tar road to helipad 

area MP 1 55.0 46.9 

South 

Next to gravel road 

East 


Birds singing 

MP 2 55.0 45.2 Vehicle passing 

Next to double pole power 

line and electric fence MP 3 55.0 46.8 

West 

Next to storm water 

channel MP 4 55.0 46.9 

North 

Truck idling, reverse hooter 

in distance 

Reverse hooter and 

vehicles in distance 

Figure 4-14: Day time ambient noise level 

In all instances the daytime sound levels were approximately 5 to 10 dB higher at daytime. The 

excessive ambient noise levels emitted were primarily due to the plant mining operations in the 

vicinity. These measurements did not vary significantly between the measuring positions. All daytime 

measurements however were significantly lower than the OEL. 

Table 4-7: Night time ambient noise level 

Description 

Measuring 

position Standard 2013 Noise sources 

End of tar road to helipad 

area MP 1 45.0 42.1 

South 

Next to gravel road 

East 

Trucks passing in 

distance. Birds 

singing 

MP 2 45.0 36.4 Vehicle passing 

Next to double pole power 

line and electric fence MP 3 45.0 38.8 

West 

Next to storm water 

channel 

MP 4 45.0 35.8 

Truck idling, reverse 

hooter in distance 

Reverse hooter and 

vehicles in a distance 



North 

Description 

Measuring 

position Standard 2013 Noise sources 

Figure 4-15: Night time ambient noise levels 

The night time measurements were also significantly lower than the OEL. As there is no community 

that lives in the surrounding area, the excessive noise is not anticipated to cause any of noise 

related effects effects. 

4.11 Regional socio-economic structure 

The information for this section of the report was taken from the Mogalakwena Local Municipality 

Draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for 2011/2012 and the Socio-economic Assessment Toolkit 

(SEAT) Report 2011 for Anglo American Platinum Limited: Mogalakwena Platinum Mine. 

4.12 Regional Context of the Mogalakwena Municipality 

Mogalakwena Local Municipality (MLM) is situated in the western portion of the Limpopo Province, 

within the Waterberg District Municipality (WDM). It functions largely as the interface between the 

WDM and the Capricorn District and is surrounded by the largely deep rural areas of Lephalale Local 

Municipality to the north and west. To the east lies the city of Polokwane, to the south Mookgophong 

and Modimolle local municipalities (see Table 4-5 below for villages in proximity to the existing mine 

and proposed development). 

Table 4-8: Villages in proximity to the existing mine and proposed development 

Mapela Villages 

Danisane 

Fothane 

Ga-Tshaba 

Ga-Molekana 

Hans 

Old Ga Pila Village 

Skiming (Old and New Skiming) Leruleng 

Mashahleng 

Matopa 

Ga-Seema 

Distance from MPM 

0-10 km 

10-15 km 



Ga-Sekhaolela 

Old Ga-Puka 

Kwa-Kwalata 

Mamaala 

Mesopotamia 

Armoede 

Rooibokfontein 

Sekuruwe 

Ga-Chokwe 

Matlou 

Sterkwater 

Phafola 

Magope 

Mosoge 

Ga-Mabusela 

Ga-Rawele 

Lelaka 

Ga-Mabuela 

Ramorulane 

Mmatlhogo 

Mokopane Villages 

Ga-Mokaba 

Malepetleke 

Tshamahansi (Ga-Hlongwane, Ga-Macheke, Ga- 

Baloyi) 

Ga-Magongoa 

Masodi 

Sandsloot 

Mosesetjane (Ga-Ledwaba, Ga-Kgobudi, Ga- 

Sekgoboko) 

Ga-Madiba 

Ga-Mitchell 

Moshate/Vaaltyn (Masehlaneng, Maroteng, 

Moshate) 

Mountainview 

Sekgakgapeng 

15-20 km 

20-25 km 

25-30 km 

30-35 km 

Distance from MPM 

0-10 km 

10-12 km 

12-20 km 

20-30 km 

30-35 km 

Mogalakwena consists of 38 proclaimed townships and 109 villages. With about three or four 

exceptions, all the townships are located in Mokopane/ Mahwelereng area. Rebone Township is the 

biggest one outside the urban core. It has more than 3000 stands of which 50% is still vacant. The 

rest of the settlements are distributed in the area between the N11 and R518. 

The municipal area also covers a range of smaller settlements in the area between Mokopane and 

Rebone about 100km to the north along the N11 and Marken along the R518. The N1, N11, and 

R518, together with the Mogalakwena River and mountains provide very strong structural elements 

that shaped the residential and infrastructure development in the municipal area. 

4.13 Administrative Structures 

The Mogalakwena Local Municipality has various administrative structures in place to help the 

municipality run more efficiently. The main administrative structures are addressed below. 

4.13.1 Institutional and Organisational Structure of Mogalakwena Local 

Figure 4-14 below outlines the Institutional and Organisational Structure of Mogalakwena Local 

Municipality. 



Waste site 

Figure 4-14: Institutional and 

Organisational Structures of Mogalakwena 

Local Municipality 

Project No. 

347793 

Figure 4-16: Institutional and Organisational Structures of Mogalakwena Local Municipality 

4.13.2 Roles and Responsibilities 

Figure 4-15 below outlines the roles and responsibilities of each of the departments within the MLM. 

Each of these departments is tasked with a specific role and responsibility to ensure that the needs 

and services of the people in the MLM are addressed effectively. 



Waste site 

Figure 4-15: Roles & responsibilities of each 

department within the Mogalakwena Local 

Municipality 

Project No. 

347793 

Figure 4-17: Roles and Responsibilities of each of the departments within the Mogalakwena 

Local Municipality. 

4.13.3 Ward Committee Management 

Local municipalities are divided into wards with a democratically elected ward councillor for each 

ward. Each ward has a ward committee to relay the communities concerns/ issues to the 

municipality. There are 32 wards within MLM. Additionally there are 320 ward committee members 

throughout the municipality which equates to 10 members per ward. 

4.13.4 Community Development Workers (CDWs) 

CDWs are deployed by the municipality to improve community participation and intergovernmental 

relations. Currently there are 39 of them (28 appointed, 10 learners and 2 deceased). 

4.13.5 Traditional Authority Leaders (TAL) 

There are nine traditional leaders in the MLM. The municipality has a sound relationship with the 

TAL. Figure 4-16 shows the various TAL’s in the municipality and outlines which areas these TAL 

cover. 



Waste site 

Figure 4-16: Traditional authority leaders 

Project No. 

347793 

Figure 4-18: Traditional authority leaders 

4.13.6 Traditional Leadership 

MPM communities are led by two traditional authority councils i.e. Mokopane and Mapela. Each of 

these traditional councils (Mokopane and Mapela) has council members who are related to the 

Kgoshi (Bakgomana) and they advise the chief. The Mapela traditional council has 28 headmen 

leading 28 villages and the Mokopane traditional council had 18 headmen leading 18 villages. In total 

the area has 46 villages. The Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act (Act 41 of 

2003) make clear the role of the traditional leaderships in democratic and cooperative governance. 

The Act envisages the active involvement of the traditional leadership in the formulation and 

implementation of the municipalities IDP. The traditional communication structure is show in Figure 

4-17 below. 

Waste site 

Figure 4-17: Traditional communication 

structure 

Project No. 

347793 



Figure 4-19: Traditional communication structure 

4.13.7 Community Needs per Settlement 

MLM‘s Draft 2011/2012 IDP identifies the main needs in the municipal area which has been 

identified per settlement and are broken up into the following categories: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roads and storm water 

Water and sanitation 

Electricity 

Land and cemeteries 

Solid waste and environmental management 

Education 

Health and welfare 

Housing 

Communication 

Transport 

Crime prevention, safety and security 

Sports, arts and culture 

Local Economic Development and employment 

For a full list of each of the communities that require the above mentioned needs see Mogalakwena 

Local Municipality Draft 2011/2012 IDP. 

4.14 Demographics 

The local municipal area is largely undeveloped (from a services and infrastructure point of view), 

and it’s occupied by large ‘semi –urban’ and/ or rural population and land is mainly owned by white 

commercial farmers. The local population is predominately rural, with only 30% staying in urban 

areas. According to the MLM Draft 2011/2012 IDP approximately 69% of villages and towns 5000 

people within the district municipality are located in MLM. 

The MLM contains over 50% of the WDM‘s population, which was 614157 in 2007. According to 

Stats SA’s 2007 Community Survey, MLM’s population totals 330644 persons comprising 75313 

households. The average household size is 4.4 persons, although this can be as high as 10 persons. 

About 91% of the population are black, 8% white and 1% Asian. The majority of this populace is 

female (52%). Between 2001 and 2007, the population increased by 10% (about 32224 people). 

More recently, the MLM registered a population growth of 27%, the second highest in the district. 

According to the MLM’s Draft 2011/ 2012 IDP, there has been a significant increase in households 

on the ground especially in rural areas, where there are significant backlogs in services such as 

electricity provision, housing needs, roads, access to water, sanitation needs, etc. The Draft 2011/ 

2012 IDP also reports that people are moving from the traditional black towns and rural areas to 

settle in Mokopane, and that there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor households in 

the area. 

The 2007 Stats SA Community Survey found that the majority (36%) of the population in MLM was 

aged between 0 and 14 followed (35%) by those aged between 15 and 34. This translates into a 

high dependency ratio due to a high percentage of the population not within the economically active 

age group. The WDM EMF (2011) indicates that densification is taking place in several areas 



throughout the district, including in Mokopane’s urban areas and surrounding villages. This 

settlement pattern is attributed to an influx of workers in search of employment opportunities 

specifically in the mining sector notably MPM. Figure 4-18 is a graphical representation of the 

Mogalakwena Municipality Population. 

NUMBER 

200 000 

180 000 

160 000 

140 000 

120 000 

100 000 

80 000 

60 000 

40 000 

20 000 

0 

Male 

Female 

0 - 4 

YRS 

5 - 14 

YRS 

15 - 35 - 

34 YRS 64 YRS 

65+ 

YRS 

TOTAL 

AGES 

Waste site 

Figure 4-17: Mogalakwena Municipality 

population 

Project No. 

347793 

Figure 4-20: Graphical representation of Mogalakwena Municipality Population 

4.15 Ethnicity and language 

The Mokopane area falls in the sphere of influence of the Langa Ndebele and its associated Kgoshi. 

Five kingdoms in the vicinity of the town are Kekana (Moshate), Langa (Mapela), Lebelo (Garasvlei) 

and Langa (Bakenburg). The area is dominated by Northern Ndebele speaking people, and Sepedi, 

Se-Ndebele and Tsonga are the most common spoken languages amongst the black ethnic groups. 

English and Afrikaans are mainly spoken by the white ethnic group in the local area. 

4.16 Economic activity 

Mining, agriculture and tourism sectors serve as the backbone of the economy in the Waterberg 

District Municipality (WDM EMF, 2011). Despite having the largest population in WDM, MLM is the 

third largest contributor (16%) to the District’s Gross Domestic Production (GDP). MLM has a range 

of primary, secondary and tertiary economic activities, which is reflected in the town of Mokopane. In 

2005, the GDP contribution and formal employment in the MLM was relatively evenly spread 

between economic sectors, with mining making the largest GDP contribution at 19.8% (WRM EMF, 

2011). The MPM is the biggest single economic contributor to the area and employs the largest 

number of people. The dominant formal employer in the MLM is the government services sector in 

2005. The Limpopo Province generates only about 6% of the total number of job opportunities in this 

sector in South Africa. The local mining industry is mainly based on platinum. The availability of 

platinum resources on the Vaalkop farm is abundant. Although gold is limited, it is the only precious 

metal found in the area. Sufficiently available ferrous and base metals consist of nickel, vanadium 

and tin, with titanium and molybdenum found on a limited scale. Available minerals constitute barites, 

phosphate, granite, crysotile, brick-clay, limestone, andalusite and fluorspar. Although the mining 



sector is limited around Mogalakwena, this may change in the future with the planned expansion of 

MPM, the extraction of methane gas from Springbok flats and the discovered kimberline pipes just 

north of the town of Mokopane. 

Although the area is one of South Africa's richest agricultural areas producing wheat, tobacco, 

cotton, beef, maize, peanuts and citrus, and shown the most growth in the past decade, this sector 

makes the lowest contribution to the municipal economy (WDM EMF, 2011). Mokopane is an 

established retail and financial services node. Although having a proclaimed industrial area, 

Mokapane’s industrial sector has not shown significant growth in recent years. The MLM area also 

has a number of tourism resources, which form the basis of its tourism sector. These include: 

Makapan World Heritage Site; Entabeni Game Reserve; and the George Masebe Nature Reserve. 

There are also a number of game farms and game lodges in the area. 

4.17 Income and Poverty levels 

Poverty levels in the MLM area were estimated to be 44.6% in 2007, with the majority residing in 

black households. Poverty is attributed to a number of factors, including a lack of skills, 

unemployment, limited education opportunities and high unemployment. Due to the sustained levels 

of poverty over the years, most poor families depend on social and institutional grant allocations. In 

2007, the Stats SA Community Survey estimated that 54% of the population in the local municipal 

area were unemployed. 

According to the Community Survey (2007) just over 52% of households in the municipal area 

earned less than R3, 200 per month, which reflected national the averages. There are limited 

sources of income for the communities in the area with employment in the formal economic sector 

mainly in mining employment on neighbouring farms and migrant work. Communities in the area 

largely depend on subsistence and stock farming as their primary economic source. The communal 

land tenure system (with permission to occupy from the Kgoshi) is the prevailing practice on the 

Mapela tribal farms. 

The operation of MPM is associated with a number of economic benefits, which contribute to the 

generation of improved economic and job opportunities. Between 2007 and 2011 the MPM 

contributed R46.8 million to infrastructure development and poverty eradication in the area, as part of 

MPM’s Local Economic Development Programme (MPM SLP, 2010). The mine provides both 

temporary and permanent employment opportunities. The mine draws, at least partly, the required 

labour from surrounding villages. Further opportunities exist through the employment of local 

contractors (using local labour) where possible as well as through the outsourcing of non-core 

activities during the operation phase. Unemployment levels are high and there is a significant level of 

dependence on MPM. 

4.18 Education 

There are 285 schools in the Mogalakwena municipal area of which a total of 159 schools have 

access to water supply. Only 205 schools have access to electricity. From the total number of 

schools, 234 schools are recorded to be having sanitation facilities. There is a further need to 

provide 80 schools with electricity, 126 require water supply whereas 51 still need to be provided 

with sanitation facilities. The learner-teacher ratio is at 32.2 per class. It is important to note that only 

17% of the population has grade 12 education and only 3.2% achieved tertiary education 

qualification. This is problematic and places the economy in a difficult position. There is a clear 



mismatch in terms of economic growth per market sector and the available skills base to be 

employed in those growing sectors (Draft2011/2012 IDP). 

4.19 Health 

There are a number of health care facilities in the Mogalakwena Local Municipality area. Some of 

these are formal clinics whilst others are mobile clinics. Figure 4-19 shows the health care facilities 

in the Mogalakwena Local Municipality. This shows that there are eight clinics and four mobile clinics 

serving the Mapela local area with a population of approximately 61482. 

Waste site 

Figure 4-19: Health care 

facilities in Mogalakwena 

Municipality 

Project No. 

347793 

Figure 4-21: Health care facilities in the Mogalakwena Municipality 

4.19.1 HIV 

HIV has taken epidemic proportions as it has increased from less than 1% in 1990 for South Africa, 

to well above 10% since 1995. The prevalence of HIV also differs significantly between 

municipalities, districts and provinces. Information regarding HIV prevalence per local municipality is, 

however not always readily available. 

The population in the Limpopo Province displays an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of around 25% well 

above the national average of 5%. This places a significant burden on healthcare services in the 

area. Available district municipal information indicates that the HIV prevalence rates for the 

Waterberg District increased from approximately 5% in 1996 to 14, 3% in the Waterberg District 

Municipalities and 9, 6% in the Mogalakwena and Mookgophong Municipalities in 1999, where after 

survey results showed a further increase in 2000 to 10, 3% and 10, 2%, respectively in these 

municipal areas. The smaller increase between 1999 and 2000 is positive and hopefully the 

prevalence of HIV is in the process of stabilising. Indications are also that with current technology 

HIV positive people are unlikely to live for more than 8 years. The relatively high HIV prevalence is 



likely to have a major impact in the near future on economic development in this area if the following 

facts are considered: 

HIV prevalence by education group indicates that the highest prevalence occurs with people with 

better education and that it is amongst the highest for people with tertiary education. There was also 

an increase between 1999 and 2000 in the education groups Grade 1-7 and Grade 8-12. The 

biggest increase was for people with tertiary qualifications from 9, 1% to 13, and 6% for the province 

as a whole. 

The age group 20-24 and 25-29 years registered the biggest increases in HIV prevalence for the 

period 1999 to 2000. A decrease was registered for the age group 30-34 years. An increase was 

registered again for the age group 35-39 years. 

It is evident from this information that the economically active population, and more specifically 

education groups with the highest schooling grades and tertiary education, are most effected (Draft 

2011/2012 IDP). 

4.20 Local Economic Development and Employment 

Economic growth and development is an important part of every region within South Africa. It creates 

employment and an improvement in living standards for the people to ultimately become active 

participants in the economy. In order to foster and promote economic growth and development, 

municipalities develop local economic development strategies to systematically create measures for 

growth. 

Depicting the local economy of the municipal area based on the LED Strategy of the municipality, the 

municipality has both comparative and competitive advantages in agriculture, mining and tourism. In 

order to determine the people’s living standards as well as their ability to pay for basic services such 

as water and sanitation, the income levels of the population are analysed and compared to the 

income levels of Limpopo. The Draft 2011/ 2012 IDP notes that generally education levels are low in 

the local municipal area which will translate to high number low-skilled labourers. Since education 

levels are low, income earned is concentrated in the lower brackets, which suggests that the general 

population is poor. In addition there is a tremendous amount of people who have no income and 

hence, that poverty is a major problem in the municipal area. 

The MLM identified that one of the key social problems facing MLM is poverty. The unemployment 

figures in the municipality vary between 45% and 70% of the economically active population (people 

between ages 15 and 64). Women and especially rural women form the greatest number affected by 

the lack of job opportunities as well as other social problems (Draft 2011/2012 IDP). 

4.21 Housing and services infrastructure 

In 2007 the Department of Local Government and Housing estimated that the housing backlog in 

Mogalakwena Local Municipality was 8211 units across housing typologies (traditional, informal and 

backyard. 

There are significant backlogs in sanitation provision in the district and access to electricity and 

waste collection is limited mainly to urban areas. This situation is being exacerbated by the influx of 

job seekers into towns such as Mopoane. In 2009 the Waterberg District Municipality reported that 

over 57000 households lacked sanitation and 7108 households did not have access to electricity in 

the Mogalakwena Local Municipal area. Observations of the villages surrounding the mining area 



indicate that most dwellings are brick and mortar houses. The majority of the households make use 

of pre-paid card system to obtain electricity supplied by ESKOM. 

4.22 Social infrastructure and services 

The Mogalakwena area has an established social infrastructure, which includes schools, clinic and 

police stations. According to the Draft 2011/2012 IDP, the municipality has a total of 482 various 

educational facilities. Mokopane has 14 primary schools, 12 secondary schools and 19 combined 

schools. There are also one FET college and 5 Basic Education and Training Centres in the town. 

About 94.5% of the population in Mogalakwena is within 30 minutes walking distance to a school. 

That translates into a maximum distance of 2.5km. 3.5% of all people in the municipal area are 

between 30 minutes and 60 minutes from schools and only 1.7% more than 60 minutes. 

The Municipality manages one fully established community library based in Mokopane. The 

Municipality also provides the library services to the three satellite areas (Bakenberg, Tauetswala & 

Makobe (Bakgoma)) however; there is still another library in Mahwerlereng which is still under 

construction. 

The Mogalakwena Municipality is serviced by 3 Hospital, 26 Clinics and 12 Mobile Clinics. The Draft 

2011/2012 IDP indicates that more than 80% of the population is within 2hours from health facilities. 

The Municipal area consists of 4 police stations, namely Gilead Police Station, Mahwelereng Police 

Station, Mokopane Police Stations, and Tinmyne Police Station. Driving time from police stations: - 

The analysis shows that more than 96% of the population is within a 30 minute drive from a police 

station. The most inaccessible areas coincide with the areas with high conservation potential and 

also the most sparsely populated areas. 

During the period of April 2009 until March 2010 a total of 6538 crimes were registered in the 

Mogalakwena police stations and 6851 crimes were registered during April 2010 until March 2011. 

There is an increase of 313 reported crimes. The following social infrastructure is present in the 

vicinity of the proposed Debottlenecking Project: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Primary and secondary schools 

Mapela Clinic and Phafola Clinic 

George Masebe Hospital 

Police station 

Post office 

Numerous general dealers and tuck shops 

Community/ tribal Hall 

Recreational facilities. 

Community structures and committees in and surrounding the project area include: the development 

forum, women’s league, pensioners association, taxi association, youth forums, policing forums, 

savings clubs and burial societies. The Dutch Reformed Church, Roman Catholic Church, Assembly 

of God and the Zion Christian Church are the religious denominations in the area. 



5 Potential environmental impacts 

A summary of the potential environmental impacts associated with this project is given in Table 5-1. 

Table 5-1: Anticipated impacts associated with the Waste site 

Environmental aspect 

Geology 

Topography 

Soils 

Loss of soil and land 

Fauna and Flora 

Surface Water 

Water flow 

Water quality 

Groundwater 

Groundwater availability 

Water quality 

Air Quality 

Noise 

Archaeology 

Socio-economic 

Waste site construction and operation 

No impact anticipated. 

A footprint of 4.6 ha positioned on a flat area will have no significant 

impact due to the limited height of the final waste deposit. 

Possible impacts on soil anticipated as a result of the Waste site 

construction and operation. These include soil sterilisation, increased 

potential for erosion and soil contamination. 

The whole area that will be covered by the landfill will be lost. 

No significant impact is anticipated due to the small size of the footprint. 

Limited disturbance of the surface flow due to storm water control 

measures. 

Contaminated runoff from the Waste site footprint area, if not adequately 

controlled. 


Seepage of potentially contaminated water into the ground water system. 

There may be deterioration in air quality as a result of windblown dust 

during the construction and operation phase as well as the movement of 

vehicles. 

Noise may be generated during the construction and operation of the 

Waste site as well as through vehicular movement 


Jobs will be created for managing the waste disposal and recycling, and 

for decontaminating the soil. 

5.1 Cumulative impacts 

All of the above-mentioned potential impacts will be considered in terms of the current baseline 

environment and an assessment of cumulative impacts will be undertaken. It is not anticipated that 

cumulative impacts will be significant, given the disturbed nature of the area. 

Cumulative impacts to be assessed in the EIR will include: 

 

 

 

 

 

Contamination of soil due to the closeness of waste containment facilities which is the tailing 

dam and the Waste site 

Impact on surface water quality 

Impact on groundwater quality 

Air quality impact in the form of dust from the moving vehicles on the mine gravel roads network 

and the construction vehicles as well as the construction activities at the Waste site 

Noise impact from combined noise coming from vehicles that will be entering and leaving the 

work shop as well as from the construction vehicles at the Waste site. 



6 Public participation 

The public participation process was undertaken in accordance with requirements as set out in 

Regulation 54 of the EIA regulations. AAMM had five projects running concurrently with the Waste 

site at the mine. The other projects were the Tailings Retreatment Plant (TRP), River diversion, 

Road re-alignment and upgrade as well as a Conveyor or a railway line. To have public participation 

for each project was deemed unnecessary as all these projects belong to one applicant and they are 

occurring within AAMM premises. Therefore, a single combined public participation consultation was 

conducted for all the projects. The process followed to conduct public participation is presented in 

Figure 6-1 below. 

Figure 6-1: Public participation steps for the consolidated EIA process being undertaken for 

the Waste site projects 



6.1 Public Participation Process during Scoping and Impact 

Assessment Phase 

6.1.1 Notification of interested and affected parties 

The opportunity to participate in the EIA and to register as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) 

was announced during October 2011 by means of sending out Background Information Documents 

(BIDs) , placing site notices, placing advertisements (7 October 2011) in newspapers and conducting 

a public meeting and a meeting with the relevant authorities (19 October 2011).Lists of authorities 

that have been notified about the project are provided in Table 6-1 and 6.2. The mode of 

communication with the stakeholders is explained in Section 6.2 – 6.6. 

6.1.2 Identification of District and Local Municipality 

The project area is located within the jurisdiction of the Waterberg District Municipality and the 

Mogalakwena Local Municipality of the Limpopo Province. Details of the contact people for these 

municipalities are given in Table 6-1. 

Table 6-1: Contact details of the District and Local Municipality 

Municipality Contact Person Contact Details 

Waterberg District 

Municipality 

Mogalakwena Local 

Municipality 

Mokopane Letsoalo 

(Municipal Manager) 

Mr William Kekana 

(Municipal Manager) 

Tel: 014 718 3300 

Email: mletsoalo@waterberg.gov.za 

Tel: 015 491 9604 

Email: kekanasw@mogalakwena.gov.za 

6.1.3 Identification of relevant Governments Departments 

Environmental authorisation for the Waste Site Project is required from the DEA. The contact details 

of the DEA and the relevant commenting authorities are provided in Table 6.2 

Table 6-2: National, provincial, as well as local authorities who have been notified of the 

availability of the DEIR 

Authorities receiving 

copies of S&EIR reports 

(National and provincial 

authorities) 

Department of Environmental 

Affairs (DEA) 

Department of Minerals and 

Energy, Limpopo Province 

(LDMR) 

Department of Water Affairs, 

Limpopo Province (LDWA) 

Limpopo Department 

Economic Development, 

Environment and Tourism, 

Limpopo (LDEDET) 

Contact people 

Ms Thizwikoni 

Ramavhona 

Mr. Azwihangwisi 

Mulaudzi 

Contact details 

Tel 012 310 3146 

Email 

tramavhona@environment.gov.za 

Tel 015 287 4763 

Email 

Mr. Ben Sengani Tel 015 295 3249 

Email 

Azwihangwisi.mulaudzi@dmr.gov.za 

senganib@dwaf.gov.za 

Mr Joel Ngoasheng Tel 015 290 7183 

Email 

NgoashengTJ@ledet.gov.za 



6.1.4 Consultation with authorities and landowners 

An authorities meeting was originally scheduled for 6 May 2010 and the Limpopo Department of 

Economic Development Environment and Tourism (LDEDET), Department of Mineral Resources 

(DMR) and Department of Water Affairs (DWA) were approached to attend. The meeting did not take 

place as during telephonic communication with the DMR, DMR declined the initial meeting and 

requested that a scoping report be submitted for them to review. LDEDET advised later that the 

application for the project should be lodged with the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) 

because the waste site will contain a temporary storage of hazardous waste. Application was 

therefore made to the DEA for a Waste License and the letter of acceptance for the project obtained 

from DEA is contained in Appendix F 1. 

Landowner consultation regarding the project was held on 8 September 2011. The landowner is the 

Langa tribe; AAMM and SRK met with Kgoshi David Langa and other Mapela Tribal Authority’s 

representatives to inform them and obtain their views on the project. Minutes and attendance 

register from this meeting is contained in Appendix D 5. 

6.1.5 Background information document 

The Background Information Document (BID) was sent out to the registered IAPs on 27 September 

2011. A copy of the BID is contained in Appendix D 1. Refer to Table 6-3 for the venues where BIDs 

were placed. 

Table 6-3: Public places at which BIDs were made available 

Public place Locality Contact person Telephone 

Mokopane Public Library Van Riebeeck Weg, Mokopane Refilwe Modisha 015 491 9729 

Mogalakwena Local Municipality 54 Retief Street, Mokopane Mr Kekana 015 491 9604 

Mapela Tribal Hall Close to the mine Mr Mothiba 015 413 0036 

6.1.6 Site notices 

Site notices were erected at several places in the study area. Appendix D 2 provides the text and 

photos of the site notice. 

6.1.7 Advertisement 

Newspaper advertisements were placed in the Noordelike Nuus and Bosvelder newspaper. Copies 

of the advertisements that were published are attached as Appendix D 3. 

6.1.8 Public participation meetings 

The public meeting for the project was conducted on 19 October 2011 at Mapela Tribal Authority 

hall. 

6.1.9 Registered interested and affected parties 

The registered IAPs are listed on Appendix E. These stakeholders were involved in the public 

involvement component of the project. 

6.1.10 Obtaining comments from the IAPs 

During scoping, the following opportunities were made available for stakeholders to comment on the 

project: 



Information sharing meeting held on the 19 October 2011 

 

Obtaining and documenting registration and comment sheets. 

Copies of comments received during the public meeting are contained in Appendix D 4. 

Submission of Scoping and EIA Reports to Authorities 

The Final Scoping Report was distributed to competent and commenting authorities detailed in Table 

6-2. The Final Scoping Report was approved by DEA on 15 August 2012. The acceptance letter is 

contained in Appendix F 3. 

During impact assessment phase, the stakeholders were notified of the availability of the Draft EIA, 

at venues that were accessible by the key stakeholders via emails. The same procedure will be 

followed during the Final EIA and again they will be notified via email and short message service 

(sms). Follow-ups regarding comments on the report were conducted on 23 July 2013. The record of 

the telephonic consultation is contained in Appendix D 7. 

Public participation on the project after the public meeting did not result in many comments being 

received. No comments were received on the Draft Scoping report and Final Scoping report or on 

the Draft EIA. The public participation conducted though is considered sufficient. Therefore a 

feedback meeting on the Final EIA is deemed unnecessary due to the poor participation experienced 

during both project phases. Feedback meeting may however be undertaken if required but it will 

depend on the IAPs involvement on reviewing the Final EIA. 

7 Comparative assessment of alternative identified 

Evaluation of alternatives 

Table 7-1 presents evaluation of alternatives 

Table 7-1: Evaluation of alternatives 

Alternative 

Location 

Process/Activity/ 

Operation 

Scheduling 

Inputs 

Demand 

No-Go Option 

Details 

The site proposed for the establishment of the waste disposal facility was selected on the 

basis of practical considerations relating to the availability of the area, waste transport 

requirements and other logistical considerations. The site is proposed subject to review 

in the light of environmental constraints which may be identified. 

Waste disposal procedures are well known. Subject to sound engineering design and 

management evaluation of alternative technologies is not considered necessary. The 

decision not to consider the establishment of a hazardous waste disposal site is founded 

on the availability of the facility at Holfontein and the complexity of establishing a site for 

the mine in isolation. Disposal of general waste off site, by contrast, is not considered 

necessary. 

The facility is required immediately. Any delay will result in the inability of the mine to 

manage current waste production. 

No input alternatives are available. 

The demand is the result of the need to effectively manage waste at the mine 

No-go is not an option 

7.1 Consideration of alternative 

AAMM has considered alternative site locations. Two location alternatives (LAs) were identified as 

per the requirement of EIA regulation 28 (j). Both sites are located within the footprint of the AAMM 

on the farm Zwartfontein farm 818 LR at Mokopane in Limpopo Province. The location of the sites is 

presented in Figure 7-1. 



7.1.1 Location alternative 1 (LA1) 

LA1 is located on the northern side of the mine; it is contiguous to the proposed waste rock 

dump.This site is regarded as less feasible because of its proximity to the waste rock dump. 


LA2 is situated in the vicinity of the workshop. It is adjacent to the workshop in the western side. 

7.2 Process for location alternative selection 

Factors included in the selection of the location alternatives included engineering and project design 

criteria. The process for determination of location alternatives was as follows: 

 

 

 

Initial determination of a development site was carried out by the AAMM engineering team. The 

site which was selected is shown as LA 1 (see Figure 7-1). 

A site visit was conducted on 19 June 2007 by authority and AAMM team, an official 

representative from LDEDET (Grace Rasesepa), Amina Ismail from SRK Consulting as well as 

the project team from AAMM at the time. 

The LDEDET official indicated that LA1 be selected as an alternative site with LA2 as the 

preferred site to avoid complexities of the proposed waste rock dump. 

7.3 Advantages and disadvantages 

The environmental advantages and disadvantages of each of the sites are compared in Table 7-2 

below: 

Table 7-2: Comparison of implication of development proceeding with LA1 or LA2 

LA 1 

Disadvantages 

LA2 

Advantages 

Safety 

Activities associated with the dump 

represent a safety risk which will be 

compounded by the existence of a 

waste disposal site in this area. 

This site is relatively far away from 

activities associated with the WRD. 

Cost 

implications 

Cost implications for this site are 

relatively high, particularly since a new 

access road will have to be constructed. 

There will be a cost advantage for 

this site because some of the 

associated infrastructure already 

exists. (e.g.: electricity will be 

obtained from the existing 

powerlines at the workshop and an 

existing road will provide access. 



Figure 7-1: Location of alternative Waste sites LA1 and LA2 (preferred one) 



7.4 No-go option 

Should the project not be approved, it would mean that the proposed Waste site would not get 

implemented. The proposed project would determine proper handling of waste at AAMM because 

without a dedicated facility (Waste site) to handle both general waste and hazardous waste, there is 

a possibility for potential risks to occur on the environment. Impacts that will be associated with the 

no-go option would include: 

 

 

 

Impact on soil due to inappropriate management of general waste 

Improper temporary storage of hazardous waste can pollute both surface water and 

groundwater water 

Sustainability initiatives of carrying out recycling and reuse of recyclable items would not get 

implemented 

In general, it is essential to have this facility because without it, waste management on the mine will 

not be adequately managed. 



8 Objectives, approach and methodology for the EIA 

A brief overview of the EIA process was presented in section 1-7 and is also detailed in this section 

of the report. 

8.1 Description and timing of the EIA process 

The EIA process has incorporated the following components to date: 

 

 

 

 

Submission of the EIA application. An application to conduct a full EIA was originally lodged with 

LDEDET in 2006. It should be noted that the proposed project has been in process since 2006. 

A number of situations hampered the progress of this project from the time when the application 

was lodged with LDEDET. It has been hugely delayed due to the unavailability of the important 

information that could have made it to go ahead at that time. The regulation followed when 

lodging the application with LDEDET was the previous EIA regulations, the one that was active 

before 2006 EIA amendment regulations were promulgated. However, the project has been 

actively resumed as from 2011 and the 2010 amended EIA regulations have been followed 

when lodging the application with DEA. 

Development of draft and final scoping reports for the EIA process. These reports were made 

available for review by registered IAPs. The purpose of the scoping phase of the project was to 

get IAPs to raise issues which need to be addressed in the environmental assessment phase of 

the EIA process. The scope of study for the EIA was incorporated into the scoping reports and 

revised according to inputs received from IAPs during the draft scoping report review process. 

The draft Scoping report was released to the public for forty days, as from 29 February 2013 

until 10 April 2012. The final scoping report was submitted to DEA for their approval on 28 April 

2012. Appendix G contains the plan of study for the EIA and list of key deliverables. A letter 

acknowledging receipt of the FSR was received from the DEA on 15 August 2012. 

The development of the EIR. The EIA process has assessed the likelihood, extent and duration 

of potential impacts resulting from the proposed development. The EMP has been incorporated 

into the report and provides guidelines for the avoidance, minimisation and mitigation of impacts 

for the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the project. The public was given 

an opportunity to comment on the draft EIA for forty days, as from 13 June 2013 until 23 July 

2013. IAPs have 21 days from the release of the Final EIR (this report) (1 st August 2013) in 

which to review and comment on the report. The competent authority (DEA) has 60 days to 

acknowledge the receipt of this report, and either grant or refuse authorisation of the report or 

notify the EAP should any amendments required. 

Environmental Authorisation and appeals period. Once the Environmental Authorisation is 

issued by the DEA, the EAP will have 12 days from the date of issue to notify registered IAPs of 

the decision and communicate the appeals procedure. Appeals by IAPs will need to be lodged 

with DEA. 



8.2 Project schedule 

The scheduling of the EIA process is shown in Table 8-1below. 

Table 8-1: Envisaged project schedule 

Activity 

Date 

Waste License Application June 2011 

Public review of the Final Scoping Report 17 April 2012 – 9th May 2012 

Submit Final Scoping Report to authorities for review 14th May 2012 

Comment period for EIA Report 13th June 2013 – 23 rd July 2013 

Finalise EIA Report and update issues and responses 

report 

24 th July 2013 – 31 July 2013 

Public review of the Final EIA Report 1 st August 2013 – 23 August 2013 

Submit Final EIA Report to authorities for review 31 st July 2013 

Upon receipt of the environmental authorisation, SRK will notify IAPs of the DEA’s decision and the 

appeal period will commence. 

8.3 Objectives and approach of environmental assessment phase of 

the EIA process 

The specific objectives of this phase of the EIA process (i.e. environmental assessment phase) are 

to: 

 

Define the preferred project site through: 

o 

Consideration of issues raised by IAPs during the scoping phase 

 

 

 

 

 

Initiate specialist studies based on the issues raised by authorities and other IAPs during 

scoping 

Consider the likelihood, duration and intensity of impacts identified by specialists 

Provide recommendations for avoidance, minimization and mitigation of negative impacts and 

measures to enhance benefits stemming from the project 

Prepare environmental management procedures for the construction, operation and closure of 

the Waste site 

The approach to the development of this Final EIR is based on the following: 

o 

o 

o 

The regulatory requirements and the need for authorization in terms of the legislation noted 

in Section 1.6.1 -1.6.3 of this report. 

The involvement of regulatory authorities at key points in the study: meeting with key 

authorities; invitation to authorities for open days; notification during the consultation stage 

of the project; notification of the availability of draft reports for review 

The need for a flexible and appropriate public involvement programme. 

 

Record and address comments received from IAPs, including the authorities, on the Draft EIR, 

and prepare a final EIR for submission to the Competent Authority (DEA). 



8.4 The public participation process 

The public participation process is being conducted by SRK and has been an integral part of the EIA 

process. The approach and method is detailed in the public participation materials contained in 

Appendix D. 

The activities undertaken for the scoping phase, which were detailed in the DSR and FSR, are 

provided in Appendix D of this report. 

Table 6-2 lists the venues where the Final EIR will be available for IAP review. 

8.5 Development of the Draft EIR 

The development of this Final EIR report has involved the following activities: 

 

 

 

Review of Specialists’ report conducted in 2006 for EMPr amendment for the mine 

Compilation of an issues report based on IAP responses to the DSR and FSR contained in 

Appendix D 6. 

Identification of issues requiring further specialist investigation based on experience of the EAP, 

feedback from authorities and other IAPs. The previous specialist investigations as well as new 

specialists’ investigations were referred to for the carrying out of the EIA phase of the project: 

o Geo-hydrological report (Appendix I 1) 

o Operational report (Appendix M) 

o Closure plan (Appendix I 2) 

o Socio-economic specialist report (Appendix I 3) 

o Ecology (Appendix I 4) 

o Air Quality Study (Appendix I 5) 

o Water Management (Appendix I 6) 

o Noise survey report (Appendix I 7) 

o Soils and Land Capability (Appendix I 8) 

o Archaeology and Cultural Resources (Appendix I 9) 

 

 

 

Assessment and evaluation of the potential impacts 

Compilation of an EMP containing the remediation/management measures proposed by 

specialists and the EAP 

Preparation of Draft EIR for IAPs and authority review. 

8.6 Availability of the EIR 

This Final EIR will be made available for public and IAP review as from 1 st August 2013 until 23 

August 2013 at the venues listed in the table below: 

PUBLIC PLACE LOCALITY CONTACT PERSON TELEPHONE 

Mokopane Public Library Van Riebeeck Weg, Mokopane Refilwe Modisha 015 491 9729 

Mogalakwena Local Municipality 54 Retief Street, Mokopane Mr Kekana 015 491 9604 



Mapela Tribal Hall MPM Mine Office Mr Mothiba 015 413 0036 

082 568 0595 

Mogalakwena Platinum Mine Mine Office Ms Khensani Baloyi 015 418 2496 

Mapela MPCC Mapela Community Ms Andrina Mabusela 082 359 1649 



9 Environmental impact assessment 

A number of issues related to the proposed project covering areas including, water, social and 

economic aspects have been identified through the public participation process and by the EAP. 

The impacts listed in Section 9.1 below cover all project phases, namely preconstruction and 

construction, operation as well as decommissioning and closure. Section 9.2 provides a description 

of the methodology employed in carrying out the impact assessment, while Section 9.3 provides an 

overview of the alternatives assessed. Sections 9.4 and 9.5 detail the findings of the impact 

assessment process for the location alternatives. 

Section 9.1 immediately below provides the list of impacts which have been assessed, and their 

respective codes. It should be noted that cumulative impacts are described in Section 5.2 where a 

qualitative overview is provided. Table 10-1 presents a summary of the impacts for all project 

phases, the relative significance of the individual impacts assessed. 

9.1 List of potential impacts 

Social (S) 

 

S1: Occupational health and safety 

Soils and land capability (SL) 

 

 

 

 

SL1: Sterilization of soils 

SL2: Loss of land capability and potential 

SL3: Increased erosion potential and sedimentation 

SL4: Contamination of soils 

Water quality and quantity (W) 

 

 

W1: Reduction in groundwater quality 

W2: Reduction in surface water quality 

Air Quality (AQ) 

 

AQ 1: Air quality impacts from construction and operation 

Noise (N) 

 

N1: Increased noise during construction and operation 

Improved waste management at Mogalakwena mine (IWM) 

 

IWM1: Ownership of a dedicated facility for managing all sorts of waste at AAMM 

The impacts listed above are assessed for the different phases of the project, from preconstruction 

through to decommissioning. 



9.2 Methodology for assessment of impacts 

Environmental impacts which could result from the project activities are described in this section. 

The following terms are used in describing the environmental impacts: 

 

 

 

 

Environmental issues – an “environmental issue” is an environmental concern encompassing a 

number of similar or related impacts that have been grouped under the issue heading; 

Environmental impact – a discrete (definable) interaction between a project activity and one or 

more components of the environment (biophysical and social); 

Natural and existing mitigation – natural conditions, conditions inherent in the project activities 

and existing management measures that alleviate (control, moderate, curb) impacts; 

Significance – the significance of the unmanaged and managed impacts is assessed through the 

consideration of the probability of the impact occurring, the extent of the area over which the 

impact will be experienced, the timing of the onset and the duration of the impact, and the 

intensity/severity of the impact. 

The environmental impact assessment has been undertaken according to SRK Consulting’s 

standard criteria for impact assessment which are detailed below. 

The first stage of impact assessment is the identification of environmental activities, aspects and 

impacts. This is supported by the identification of receptors and resources, which allows for an 

understanding of the impact pathway and an assessment of the sensitivity to change. 

The above terms, used in relation to significance, are defined in Table 9-1. The cut-off points have 

been defined in relation to characteristics of mining, but those for Probability, Severity/Intensity and 

Significance are subjective, based on rule-of-thumb and experience. 

The significance of the impact is then assessed by rating each variable numerically according to 

defined criteria as outlined in Table 9-1. The purpose of the rating is to develop a clear 

understanding of influences and processes associated with each impact. The severity, spatial scope 

and duration of the impact together comprise the consequence of the impact and when summed can 

obtain a maximum value of 15. The frequency of the activity and the frequency of the impact 

together comprise the likelihood of the impact occurring and can obtain a maximum value of 10. The 

values for likelihood and consequence of the impact are then read off a significance rating matrix as 

shown in Figure 9-1. 

The results are tabulated for each identified impact. In the tables, a negative significant rating 

(results) indicates a negative impact while a positive rating indicate a positive impact, or benefit. 

The assessment of significance has been undertaken twice. Initial significance should be based on 

only natural and existing mitigation measures (including built-in engineering designs). The 

subsequent assessment takes into account the recommended management measures required to 

mitigate the impacts. 

Some of the specialist consultants have used variations of these procedures. 


LIKELIHOOD (Frequency of activity 

+ Frequency of impact) 


Table 9-1: Criteria for assessing significance of impacts 

SEVERITY OF IMPACT 

RATING 

Insignificant / non-harmful 1 

Small / potentially harmful 2 

Significant / slightly harmful 3 

Great / harmful 4 

Disastrous / extremely harmful 5 

SPATIAL SCOPE OF IMPACT 

RATING 

Activity specific 1 

Project specific (within the project boundary) 2 

Local area (within 5 km of the activity boundary) 3 

Regional 4 

National 5 

CONSEQUENCE 

DURATION OF IMPACT 

RATING 

One day to one month 1 

One month to one year 2 

One year to ten years 3 

Life of operation 4 

Post decommissioning / permanent 5 

FREQUENCY OF ACTIVITY / DURATION OF 

ASPECT 

Annually or less / low 1 

6 monthly / temporary 2 

Monthly / infrequent 3 

Weekly / life of operation / regularly / likely 4 

Daily / permanent / high 5 

RATING 

LIKELIHOOD 

FREQUENCY OF IMPACT 

RATING 

Almost never / almost impossible 1 

Very seldom / highly unlikely 2 

Infrequent / unlikely / seldom 3 

Often / regularly / likely / possible 4 

Daily / highly likely / definitely 5 

Figure 9-1: Significance Rating Matrix 

CONSEQUENCE (Severity + Spatial Scope + Duration) 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 

3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 

4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 

6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72 78 84 90 

7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84 91 98 105 

8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 88 96 104 112 120 

9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90 99 108 117 126 135 

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 



Table 9-2: Positive / negative migration ratings 

Colour 

Code 

Significance 

Rating 

Value 

Negative Impact Management 

Recommendation 

Positive Impact Management 

Recommendation 

Very high 126-150 Improve current management Maintain current management 

High 101-125 Improve current management Maintain current management 

Medium-high 76-100 Improve current management Maintain current management 

Low-medium 51-75 Maintain current management Improve current management 

Low 26-50 Maintain current management Improve current management 

Very low 1-25 Maintain current management Improve current management 

The impacts described below under the various environmental components are assessed for the 

different phases of the project, from preconstruction through to decommissioning and closure. 



9.3 Overview of location alternatives assessed 

Section 7 provides background on the alternatives assessed in this EIR, namely location alternatives 

LA1 and LA2, and the process for identification of these alternatives. The location alternatives are 

briefly summarized in Sections 9.3.1 and 9.3.2 immediately below. 


LA1 is located on the northern side of the mine; it is contiguous to the proposed waste rock 

dump.This site is regarded as less feasible because of its proximity to the proposed waste rock 

dump 


LA2 is situated in the vicinity of the workshop. It is adjacent to the workshop in the western side. 

9.4 Impact assessments for LA1 

The potential impacts for LA1 and LA 2 except for the Occupational Health and Safety Impact which 

is assessed for LA 1 separately were rated by the EAP as having the same level of significance. All 

other impacts are rated for both sites together. 

9.4.1 Social 

LA1- S1: Health and safety 

The social impacts for the LA1 are considered more severe from a social perspective due to this site 

being in close proximity to the proposed Waste Rock Dump (WRD). The activities that are 

associated with the WRD represent a safety risk which will be compounded by the existence of a 

waste disposal site in this area. 

Potential safety hazards during preconstruction, construction and decommissioning include: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Road accidents involving vehicles of both WRD and the Waste site 

Injuries from machinery, equipment, construction vehicles and vehicles which will be going to 

both sites to dispose of the rocks and wastes during operations 

Health risks to people at the Waste site from rocks falling or rolling from the WRD. 

Health risks due to unpleasant odours that can pose problems such as irritation and respiratory 

ailments 

Spread of diseases by flies to human beings from uncovered wastes at the landfill 

Scavengers could contract illness if they become in touch with hazardous waste 

Threat to the stability of the Waste site due to the heavy rocks that will be getting disposed of at 

the nearby WRD site. 

The operational project could pose risks to the health of the public if not properly managed and if 

members of the public trespass on to the site. The unauthorized access during the operational phase 

can potentially cause hazards to scavengers in a form of illness by becoming in contact with 

hazardous waste. Since 24 hour security guard and a security fence will be in place on site, the 

likelihood of incidents occurring is considered to be low. 

Pre-construction/construction/decommissioning 

Construction 



Impact without mitigation: 

Severity Spatial extent Duration of 

impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 1 1 4 5 

Result: Low (-45) 

Comment / mitigation: 

Institute and maintain 24 hour security and access control to the site 

Set up signage warning of onsite hazards 

Clearly demarcate construction areas 

Construct and maintain perimeter security fencing Emergency procedures 

Develop and implement emergency response procedures species control should be carried out 

Impact with mitigation: 


impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


Operation 

3 1 3 4 2 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 2 4 4 3 

Result: Medium-low(-63) 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Set up signage warning of on-site hazards 

Clearly demarcate operational areas 

Maintain and upgrade perimeter security fencing as required 

Verify the technical competency of staff operating and managing the facility 

Implement and carry out regular review of emergency response procedures 

The gate should be kept locked to prevent scavengers gaining access and to avoid disposal of 

unsuitable materials, gate should be kept closed and allow a vehicle to enter and leave the site. 

Disposed waste should be compacted and covered daily to avoid spread of dirt by flies to 

surrounding people 

Heavy vehicle should drive over the covered trench in order to achieve full compaction that will 

reduce voids in the waste thus reducing chance of channelling which promotes infiltration and rapid 

migration of leachate formed. This will also reduce the risk of fires and discourages the vermin, 

control litter, reduce the amount of cover required and increase site life 

Fences should be regularly inspected and kept in good state of repair 





impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


2 1 3 4 3 

Decommissioning 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 1 1 4 5 



 

 

Management measures must be put in place to ensure that construction vehicles and equipment 

are kept in a good working condition. Measures will be included in a construction conduct 

management programme contained in the EMP. 

Detailed emergency preparedness and response plan that complies with national legislation and 

industry standards must be developed prior to commencement of operation. 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

1 1 2 4 2 

Result: Very low (-24) 

9.5 Impact assessments associated with LA2, which differ from 

impacts which are the same for both sites 

9.5.1 Social 

LA1- S1: Health and safety 

The operational of the Waste site could pose risks to the health of the public if not properly managed 

and if members of the public trespass on to the site. The hazards posed through unauthorized 

access during the operational phase potentially include sickness if they touch hazardous waste. 

Since 24 hour security and a security fence will be in place on site, the likelihood of incidents 

occurring is considered to be low. 

Potential safety hazards during preconstruction, construction and decommissioning include: 

 

 

Health risks due to unpleasant odours that can pose problems such as eye irritation and 

respiratory ailments 

Spread of diseases by flies to human beings from uncovered wastes at the landfill 

Scavengers could contract illness if they become in touch with hazardous waste 


Construction 


Severity Spatial extent Duration of Duration of Frequency of 



impact activity impact 

3 1 1 4 5 





Clearly demarcate construction areas 

Construct and m maintain perimeter security fencing Emergency procedures 

Develop and implement emergency response procedures out 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

1 1 2 4 2 




Operation 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 2 4 4 3 

Result: Medium-Low (-63) 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Clearly demarcate operational areas 

Maintain and upgrade perimeter security fencing as required 

Verify the technical competency of staff operating and managing the facility 

Implement and carry out regular review of emergency response procedures 

The gate should be kept locked to prevent scavengers gaining access and to avoid disposal of 

unsuitable materials, gate should be kept closed and allow a vehicle to enter and leave the site. 

Disposed waste should be compacted and covered daily to avoid spread of dirt by flies to 

surrounding people 

Heavy vehicle should drive over the covered trench in order to achieve full compaction that will 

reduce voids in the waste thus reducing chance of channelling which promotes infiltration and rapid 

migration of leachate formed. This will also reduce the risk of fires and discourages the vermin, 

control litter, reduce the amount of cover required and increase site life 

Fences should be regularly inspected and kept in good state of repair 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 2 3 4 3 

Result: Medium-low (-56) 




impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 1 1 4 5 



Ensure that all requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act are adhered to. 

Designated security officers should be assigned to areas that require guarding. 

Excavations and works area must be demarcated. 

Sufficient covering materials should be made available for final covering up of the landfill 





impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

1 1 2 4 2 


9.6 Impacts rated equally for the two (LA1And LA2) sites 

9.6.1 SL4: Contamination of soils 

The construction vehicles such as trucks, excavators, bulldozers could result in oils and lubricant 

leaks and spills which could contaminate surface soils during the pre-construction and construction 

phase. Depending on the size and source of the spill or release, liquid and gaseous phase petroleum 

hydrocarbons may remain mobile for long periods of time, threatening to pollute groundwater. 

Incidents causing contamination of soil could result in all project phases from poor maintenance of 

vehicles, structural failure of hazardous storage vessels etc. 


Construction 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 3 5 3 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management measures must be put in place to ensure that construction vehicles and equipment are 

kept in a good working condition. Measures will be included in a construction conduct management 

programme contained in the EMP. 

No waste is to be buried or burned on site or buried outside the landfill area 

Contaminated soil should be considered and treated as hazardous and should be temporary stored 

with other hazardous waste in the designated area 

Appropriate disposal facilities to be provided at construction camps on site 



prevent the use of procedures, processes, activities or substances that pose an unacceptably high 

risk to the environment; and 

prevent discharges or emissions that pose an unacceptably high risk to the environment. 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 1 5 2 

Result: Very (-28) 



Operation 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 3 5 2 



 

 

 

 

 

Maintenance and monitoring systems must be regularly checked to ensure that are working 

effectively. 


industry standards must be implemented, and annually updated based on performance and 

technical developments 

Contaminated soil should be considered and treated as hazardous and should be temporary stored 

with other hazardous waste in the designated area 

prevent the use of procedures, processes, activities or substances that pose an unacceptably high 

risk to the environment; and 

prevent discharges or emissions that pose an unacceptably high risk to the environment. 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


1 1 3 5 1 




impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 3 5 3 



 

 

Management measures must be put in place to ensure that construction vehicles and equipment 

are kept in a good working condition. Measures will be included in a construction conduct 

management programme contained in the EMP. 





impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

1 1 2 5 2 




9.6.2 W1: Deterioration of groundwater quality 

If the Waste site is not properly managed, it has potential to cause adverse impact in the 

environment and could potentially pollute groundwater. A landfill is a threat to water supplies 

because when water percolates through waste, it picks up a variety of substances such as metals, 

minerals, organic chemicals, bacteria, viruses, other toxic materials etc. This contaminated water is 

called leachate. If the leachate is not contained and migrates from a site, the chemical and physical 

properties of the substances and the soil, as well as the hydrogeological conditions around the site, 

will determine the extent of contamination. An uncontrolled leachate can reach ground or surface 

water and could contaminate water supply wells. 

The dirty water dam has potential of polluting groundwater if not properly designed and managed. 

Pre-construction / construction/ operation/decommissioning 

Construction 


Severity Spatial extent Duration of impact Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 2 2 4 4 


Comment / mitigation : 

Implement regular maintenance of vehicles, and 

Implement groundwater management strategy to prevent risk of water pollution 



activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 2 2 4 3 


Operation 



activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

4 3 4 5 4 

Result: Medium-high (-99) 


 

 

 

 

The migration of leachate or spillage into the ground and groundwater regime around the 

temporary hazard storage area must be prevented 

Temporary storage site must be surfaced with a firm waterproof base that is protected from the 

ingress of storm water from surrounding areas. 

There must be an effective drainage system to a waterproof spillage collection area, where any 

spillage can be recovered and suitably treated. This area must be clearly demarcated and should 

not be accessible to unauthorised persons. 

Dirty Water Dam should be lined to prevent any seepage from and it should comply with DWA 



 

 

 

 

 

 

standards for constructing PDCs. 

Monitoring of existing groundwater monitoring points should continue as per current monitoring 

schedule. 

Once the hazardous storage facility has been installed the effectiveness of existing monitoring 

borehole position should be re-evaluated and the monitoring refined to incorporate the 

unsaturated zones around the landfill site. In this regards a minimum of 3 boreholes should be 

drilled to not deeper than 8 to 10m, down gradient from the landfill site. 

The surface of the sorting area should be water repellent if hazardous materials or materials 

containing hazardous substances will be sorted 

Prevent discharges that pose an unacceptably high risk to the environment. 

Clean and dirty water should be separated 

Construct and maintain bunding for hazardous storage area 



activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 2 4 5 4 

Result: Medium low (-72) 




impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


2 2 2 4 4 


 

 

Rubble from hazardous bunded areas should be dismantled and disposed of at a hazardous landfill 

Rehabilitate disturbed areas and the landfill area by re-vegetating it using appropriately chosen 

indigenous grasses 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


2 2 2 4 3 

9.6.3 W2: Deterioration of surface water quality 

During preconstruction and construction phases of the project, there could be impacts on surface 

water quality primarily due to increases erosion, sedimentation. Furthermore, the use of construction 

vehicles (trucks, excavator etc.) poses a risk for leaks of oils and lubricants which could contaminate 

surface and groundwater during preconstruction and construction phases. Depending on the size 

and source of the leak and the depth to the groundwater, the groundwater could be polluted. During 

operation, flooding can further cause mixing of clean and dirty water if management strategy is not in 

place. The spills from the temporary storage of hazardous waste can pollute immediate surroundings 

if not properly managed and ultimately contaminate surface water resources. The untreated effluent 



discharge from septic tanks can pollute surface and eventually contaminate surface water resulting 

in a public health and environmental pollution risk. 

Pre-construction/construction 

Construction 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 2 2 4 4 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maintenance of vehicles is to be carried out 

The surface of the sorting area should be impermeable and bunded if hazardous materials or 

materials containing hazardous substances will be sorted 

The temporary storage of hazardous waste to be hard-surfaced and bunded, it must include 

measures for collection of leaks and spills 

The temporary storage of hazardous waste should be routinely monitored 

When hazardous waste containers are full they must be taken to the licensed hazardous landfill 

Regular groundwater monitoring 

Construct bunding around the temporary storage of hazardous waste 

Dirty Water Dam should be lined to prevent any seepage from and it should comply with DWA 

standards for constructing PDCs. 

Water discharging to the environment during all project phases from any cleaning activities that will 

occur at the temporary storage of hazardous waste and sorting area should comply with DWA water 

quality standards 

Ensure legislative requirements are met for sanitation 

Clean and dirty water is to be separated 

Vehicle storage and maintenance areas to be hard-surfaced, to include measures for collection of 

leaks and spills 

Carry out rehabilitation following leaks and spills 

Undertake removal of contaminated soils that is not bioremediated to suitable licenced hazardous 

landfill sites 

Contaminated soil should be treated as hazardous and should be temporarily stored at the 

temporary storage of hazardous waste before being transported with other hazardous waste to the 

Hazardous landfill in Holfontein. 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


2 2 2 4 3 



Operation 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 3 4 5 4 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maintenance of vehicles is to be carried out 

The surface of the sorting area should be water-repellent if hazardous materials or materials 

containing hazardous substances will be sorted 

The temporary storage of hazardous waste to be hard-surfaced, it must include measures for 

collection of leaks and spills 

The temporary storage of hazardous waste should be routinely monitored 

When hazardous waste containers are full they must be taken to the licensed hazardous landfill 

Regular inspection of groundwater condition 

Construct bunding around the temporary storage of hazardous waste 

Water discharging to the environment during all project phases from any cleaning activities that will 

occur at the temporary storage of hazardous waste and sorting area should comply with DWA water 

quality standards 

Ensure legislative requirements are met for sanitation 

Clean and dirty water is to be separated at point source 

Vehicle storage and maintenance areas to be hard-surfaced, to include measures for collection of 

leaks and spills 

Carry out rehabilitation following leaks and spills 

Undertake removal of contaminated soils that is not bioremediated to suitable licenced hazardous 

landfill sites 

Contaminated soil should be treated as hazardous and should be temporarily stored at the 

temporary storage of hazardous waste before being transported with other hazardous waste to the 

Hazardous landfill in Holfontein. 

Place hessian/geofabric attached to rows of stakes to prevent sediment washing downstream of the 

site during operation 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


2 1 3 5 3 




impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 



2 2 2 4 4 



 

 

 

 

The landfill trenches to be fully compacted and covered 

The disturbed soils surface to be graded and be free-draining 

Rehabilitate the areas to its original state and revegetate using appropriately chosen indigenous 

grasses 

Continue monitoring until it can be demonstrated that vegetation is self-sustaining and no erosion 

channels exist 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


2 2 2 4 3 

9.6.4 AQ 1: Air quality impacts 

Air quality can generally be defined as an issue of health concern. The most common form of air 

pollution around the mine is dust which is nuisance to human beings. Sources of air pollution within 

the mine include dust coming from moving vehicles along the gravel roads and exhaust diesel 

emission from diesel fuelled vehicles. 

Air quality issues which could arise during preconstruction, construction and decommissioning 

include dust from movement of construction activities and transport vehicle emissions. Dust 

generation is expected to be concentrated over short lived episodes associated with preconstruction 

(land clearing/ trench opening). During construction, the windblown dust is expected to be low and 

primarily from vehicle movement on site as well as to and from site. It is possible that there could be 

very minor localised air quality impacts from leaks and spillages. 

During operation, it is possible that air quality impacts could arise from spillages, vehicle emissions, 

and dust from movement of vehicles but these can be anticipated to be much lower than during the 

other project phases. During all project phases, the operation of private vehicles transporting 

employees resident on the site could to contribute to dust levels. 

Depending on the prevailing wind directions, the main receptors are likely to be the workshop on the 

west of the Waste site. Health impacts from dust can be expected to be low to negligible if mitigation 

measures are implemented. 


Construction 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 3 3 4 4 

Result: Low-medium (-72) 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maintain current vehicle speeds 

Dust suppression measures on the roads should be implemented; measures should include 

watering of roads, application of chemical dust suppressants and/or paving roads 

Disturbance of the area should be limited to the footprint area 

Rehabilitate disturbed areas as soon as possible 

Remain on designated roads/tracks 

Rehabilitate after construction and decommissioning. Where possible, re-vegetation of the landfill 

should be undertaken with indigenous vegetation immediately after construction is completed in 

areas that will not be used during the operational phase 

Soil stockpiles should be covered where possible to minimise dust or dust management strategy 

should be applied to the soil stock piles area 

Limit speed at the site to < 40 km/hr and enforce code of conduct for operation of vehicles 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 2 4 3 


Operation 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 3 4 4 3 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







Rehabilitate after construction and decommissioning. Where possible, re-vegetation of the landfill 

should be undertaken with indigenous vegetation immediately after construction is completed in 

areas that will not be used during the operational phase 






impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


1 1 4 4 2 






impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 3 3 4 4 

Result: Medium low (-72) 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







Rehabilitate after decommissioning. Where possible, re-vegetation of the landfill should be 

undertaken with indigenous vegetation immediately after construction is completed in areas that 

will not be used during the operational phase 






impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 2 4 3 


9.6.5 N1: Increased noise 

Noise impact is likely to be at its greatest during preconstruction, construction and decommissioning. 

During operation, noise levels will be reduced to the waste transportation vehicles that will be 

travelling to and from the site. However since no community lives in surrounding area, the excessive 

noise would not cause any major noise effects. The noise survey however may need to be repeated 

within 24 months, or sooner upon any changes at the Waste site and the adjacent plant, as these 

may modify the noise character or change the ambient noise level. 

Pre-construction / construction/ decommissioning 

Construction 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 3 4 4 4 





 

 

 

 

Implement regular maintenance of vehicles 

Avoid construction activities between 6pm and 6am 

Enforce strict speed limits for vehicles moving on the property 

Develop and put into effect a code of conduct for employees 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 2 4 4 4 

Result: Medium - low (-64) 

Operation 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 3 4 4 4 




Avoid construction activities between 6pm and 6am 





impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

1 2 4 4 4 





impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

3 3 4 4 4 




Avoid decommissioning activities between 6pm and 6am 







impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 2 4 4 4 


9.6.6 -IWM1: Waste management dedicated facility 

All sort of waste coming from all areas of the mine will be taken to the Waste site. At the Waste site, 

they will get sorted; instead of disposing of all waste at the landfill, the reusable and recyclable 

materials will be sorted aside and the rest will then be disposed of at the cells of the landfill. The 

hazardous waste will be temporarily stored in bunded areas and will be transported to Holfontein 

hazardous landfill only when the containers are full and save the mine cost for regularly transporting 

hazardous waste to Holfontein unnecessarily because currently they do not have licensed temporary 

hazardous waste storage. Some contaminated soil will also be bioremediated at the site and be used 

for rehabilitation. These mean that this facility will enable AAMM to properly manage waste. 

Operation 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 2 4 4 

Result: Low (+40) 


 

 

 

 

Un-reusable and unrecyclable materials should be disposed of properly 

Un-reusable and unrecyclable materials should be reused and recycled 

Temporary storage of hazardous waste should be managed properly and must also be daily 

inspected 

Remediated contaminated spoil as much as possible to reduce hazardous waste that needs to be 

disposed of properly 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 2 4 4 

Result: Medium high (+40) 




impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 

2 1 2 4 4 

Result: Very high (-40) 




 

 

New site for constructing a another waste site should be determined 

Another strategy for managing waste when this one closed should investigated. 



impact 

Duration of 

activity 

Frequency of 

impact 


2 1 2 4 4 

9.7 Cumulative impacts from the development 

The section outlines the cumulative impacts which have been identified for each of the project 

stages, namely: preconstruction/construction; operation and decommissioning. Cumulative impacts 

which could arise are the following: 

 

 

 

 

 

Contamination of soil impacts. The Waste site is bordered by the tailing dam in the northern 

side. Both of these facilities could pose a risk of contaminating soil since they both contain 

waste. There could be cumulative negative impact on soil if spillages occur from the tailing dam 

and the Waste site. The impacts can be mitigated through careful implementation of waste 

management strategy such as constructing hard surface for the temporary storage of hazardous 

waste also construct bunding areas around other areas at the waste site to contain any waste 

from polluting the surroundings. 

Impacts on surface water quality. If soil is contaminated, there is a significant possibility that a 

surface water resource such as water at Mohlosana River could be contaminated especially if 

the incident occurs during rainy season as the pollutants could be washed away to the nearest 

water course. That is why it is important that clean water is separated from dirty water at both 

tailing dam and the Waste site. At the tailing dam, a return water dam is constructed to contain 

the effluent from the tailing dam. At the waste site stormwater management strategies will also 

be implemented all around the site to contain all dirty waters. 

Impacts on groundwater quality. A cumulative impact on groundwater quality could occur if 

waste at the tailing dam and the Waste is not properly managed. Similar to surface water, the 

impacts could be mitigated if any contaminated soil gets treated effectively as quickly as 

possible because this could prevent such waste from seeping underground and eventually 

pollute groundwater 

Impact on air quality. A cumulative negative impact on air quality through dust generation will 

arise especially during constructions from the combined movement of vehicles to and from the 

Waste site and from the ones moving along the contiguous mine road networks as well as from 

the construction areas at the Waste site. The mine already has dust management strategies and 

this will be adopted during construction phase as well as during the other phases of the project 

should it necessary to do so. 

Socio economic impact. Cumulative benefits for the area are important considering such 

realities that many people from the surrounding communities rely on AAMM for employment. 

Currently there are several proposed project at AAMM other than the Waste site through which 

the surrounding communities may benefit from by getting some temporary and permanent jobs. 



Without the proposed development proceeding (the no-go alternative), the positive and negative 

impacts relating to operation of the Waste site will not arise. In particular the benefits from having a 

dedicated waste management facility that will effectively manage all different kinds of waste and the 

sustainability initiatives involving sorting of waste (recycling and reuse) that will also results in 

environmental benefits on air, water and health quality will not be realised 

10 Environmental impact statement 

The environmental impact statement has been provided in tabular format in Table 10-1 below: 



Table 10-1: Summary of impacts 

Significance rating 

Impact 

Code 

Preconstruction /construction Operational Decommissioning 

Without mitigation With mitigation Without mitigation With mitigation 

Without 

mitigation 

With mitigation 

Social (S) 

Occupational 

health and safety 

impacts 

LA1-S1 

LA2-S1 

Low 

(-45) 

Low 

(-45) 

Low 

(-42) 

Low 

(-24) 

Low-medium 

(-63) 

Low- medium 

(63) 

Low 

(-42) 

Low-medium 

(-56) 

Low 

(-45) 

Low 

(-45) 

Very low 

(-24) 

Very low 

(-24) 

Increased noise 

LA1 and LA2-N1 

Medium-high 

(-80) 

Low-medium 

(-64) 

Low-medium 

(-72) 

Low-medium 

(-56) 

Medium high 

(-80) 

Low-medium 

(-64) 

Ownership of a 

dedicated facility 

for sustainably 

managing waste at 

AAMM 

LA1 and LA2- 

IWM1 

Low 

(+40) 

Low 

(+40) 

Low 

(-40) 

Low 

(40) 

Soils and land capability (SL) 

Contamination of 

soil 

LA1 and LA2-SL4 

Low 

(-48) 

Low 

(-28) 

Low 

(-42) 

Low 

(-30) 

Low 

(-48) 

Low 

(-28) 

Water quality and quantity (W) 



Significance rating 

Impact 

Code 

Preconstruction /construction Operational Decommissioning 

Without mitigation With mitigation Without mitigation With mitigation 

Without 

mitigation 

With mitigation 

Deterioration of 

groundwater quality 

LA1 and LA2-W1 

Low 

(-48) 

Low 

(-42) 

High 

(-99) 

Medium-high 

(-72) 

Low 

(-48) 

Low 

(-42) 

Deterioration of 

surface water 

quality 

LA1 and LA2-W2 

Low 

(-48) 

Low 

(-42) 

Medium-high 

(-81) 

Low 

(-48) 

Low 

(-48) 

Low 

(-42) 

Air Quality (AQ) 

Air quality impacts 

from construction, 

operation and 

decommissioning 

LA1 and LA2- 

AQ1 

Low-medium 

(-72) 

Low 

(-35) 

Low-medium 

(-63) 

Low 

(-36) 

Low-medium 

(-72) 

Low 

(-35) 



11 Environmental management plan 

The purpose of the Environmental management programme (EMP) is to ensure that social and 

environmental impacts, risks and liabilities identified during the Environmental Impact Assessment 

(EIA) process are effectively managed during the planning and design, preconstruction/ construction, 

operation and decommissioning of AAMM’s proposed Waste site project. The EMP specifies the 

mitigation and management measures to which AAMM is committed, and shows how the Project will 

mobilise organizational capacity and resources to implement these measures. The EMP also shows 

how mitigation and management measures will be scheduled. 

The key objectives of the EMP are to: 

 

 

 

 

 

Formalize and disclose the programme for environmental and social management; and 

Provide a framework for the implementation of environmental and social management initiatives 

Present guiding principles and generic measures for the detailed development of the final EMP, 

which will include detailed method statements. 

Provide mitigation measures 

Specify roles and responsibilities for implementing the EMP. 

Best practice principles require that every reasonable effort be made to reduce and preferably to 

prevent negative impacts, while enhancing positive impacts/benefits. These principles have guided 

the EIA process. Some potential negative impacts have been avoided through careful design and 

location of facilities. 

Work underpinning the EMP has complied with EIA Regulation requirements, and has included a 

public participation process. The EIA has listed potential impacts associated with the proposed 

Project identified mitigation measures for potential negative environmental and social impacts and 

formulation of the EMP against the negative impacts. 

The EMP covers information on the management and/or mitigation measures that will be taken into 

consideration to address impacts in respect of: 

 

 

 

 

Planning and design 

Pre-construction and construction activities 

Operation 

Decommissioning. 

It is necessary to highlight that the EMP is a living document that must be periodically reviewed and 

updated. This EMP will also be publicly disclosed during the public participation process, and an 

opportunity will be offered to participating stakeholders to comment on it. 



11.1 Key definitions used in this EMP 

The key definitions used in the EMPr are listed in Table 11-1 

Table 11-1: Key definitions used in the EMPr 

Active construction 

area 

Construction area where soil-disturbing activities will occur 

during the construction period. 

Bunding 

Construction site 

Contractor 

DEA 

Environmental 

Consultant 

HSE management 

Operational controls 

AAMM 

Plan 

The works 

An impervious collection system m for the containment of spillages that may 

occur from the operation and failure of the temporary storage of hazardous 

waste 

The area involved in a construction project as a whole. 

The company commissioned to construct the Waste site and its associated 

infrastructure. 

Department of Environmental Affairs (competent authority for the project). 

An independent environmental consultant with experience in the management 

of construction contracts. 

Approach that addresses health, safety and environmental considerations in 

the management cycle of the Project, i.e. policy, planning and design, 

implementation (preconstruction, construction and operation), monitoring and 

corrective action, and review. 

Mechanisms used to effect the EMPr requirements 

Refers to Anglo American Limited -Mogalakwena Mine. 

Sets out the intended method and/or specific measures required to mitigate 

and/or enhance the negative and positive impacts of the Project. A plan usually 

focuses on one project phase, i.e. pre-construction and construction, operation 

or closure. 

All areas within which the Contractor’s activities will take place, including the 

construction site, access roads, campsite and the like. 

11.2 Drafters of the EMPr 

This EMPr was prepared by Olga Nemulenzi. It was reviewed by Andy Smithen. Olga Nemulenzi is 

an environmental scientist at SRK. She holds a Master of Environmental Science degree from the 

University of the Witwatersrand. She has four years of environmental project experience and has 

worked on a number of EIAs and EMPs. 

Andy Smithen is a principal consultant and a partner at SRK. He has BSc in Civil engineering and an 

MSc in Agricultural engineering and has been involved in environmental Management for 26 years. 

He reviews many of the EIAs and EMPs prepared by SRK. 

Mr Andy Smithen and Olga Nemulenzi have sufficient qualifications and experience required to 

prepare the EMP for the AAMM Waste site project. 



11.3 Approach to environmental impact management 

Responsibility for the EMP will reside in the Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (S, H, E and Q) 

Manager who reports directly to the Project Manager. The HSE Manager will be supported by an 

Internal Environmental Officer. Table 11-2 presents the range of approaches that will be used to 

manage potential project activities. 

Table 11-2: Approaches to impact management 

Avoidance 

Prevention 

Preservation 

Minimisation 

Mitigation 

Enhancement 

Rehabilitation 

Restoration 

Compensation 

Avoiding activities that could result in adverse impacts and/or resources or areas 

considered sensitive 

Preventing the occurrence of negative environmental impacts and/or preventing 

such an occurrence having negative impacts 

Preventing any future actions that might adversely affect an environmental resource 

Limiting or reducing the degree, extent, magnitude or duration of adverse impacts 

through scaling down, relocating, redesigning and/or realigning elements of the 

project 

Measures taken to minimize adverse impacts on the environment 

Magnifying and/or improving the positive effects or benefits of a project 

Repairing affected resources, such as natural habitats or water resources 

Restoring affected resources to an earlier (possibly more stable and productive) 

state, typically ‘background’ or ‘pristine’ condition 

Compensating for lost resources, and where possible, the creation, enhancement or 

protection of the same type of resource at another suitable and acceptable location 

The HSE management cycle has five broad components: 

 

 

 

 

 

Policy; 

Planning and design; 

Project implementation (covering the construction and operation phases); 

Checking and corrective action; and 

Management review. 

12 Responsibility and accountability 

12.1 Corporate structure 

The environmental management structure pertinent to the proposed development is provided in 

section 12.2 below. 



12.2 Environmental management structure 

AAMM will maintain general responsibility for the implementation of the EMPr during planning and 

design, construction, operation and decommissioning/closure. AAMM is accountable for ensuring 

that resources are made available to effectively implement the EMPr and necessary environmental 

management measures arising from the project. Figure 12-1 shows the proposed organizational 

structure for the AAMM Waste site Project, showing the reporting lines of staff to be involved in 

environmental management of the project. The Project Manager will take responsibility for the dayto-day 

running of the project and will oversee the detail of implementation of the EMPr. 

Project Manager 

Independent 

Environmental 

Specialist (ES) 

Liaison Officer (LO) 

Health, Safety and 

Environment 

Manager 

Environmental 

Officer (EO) 

Figure 12-1: Proposed organizational structure for AAMM Waste site Project showing the 

position of staff involved in environmental management 

Table 12-1 provides details on the functions of each staff member. The environmental, health and 

safety management of the project will be the responsibility of the Health, Safety and Environment 

(HSE) Manager who reports directly to the Project Manager. The HSE Manager will be supported by 

an internal Environmental Officer (EO). 

Environmental monitoring will be undertaken by the EO, and independent audits of environmental 

performance will be conducted from time to time by independent environmental specialists (IES). 



Table 12-1: Responsibilities of staff involved in environmental management at AAMM Waste 

site 

Position Reporting line Responsibilities 

Safety, Health, 

Environment and 

Quality Manager 

Environmental 

Officer 

Independent 

environmental 

specialists 

Project Manager Develop policies and procedures on the 

environmental, social, health and safety 

issues 

Oversee implementation of the EMPr 

Review and analysis of monitoring results and 

preparation of short reports to Project 

Manager 

Planning of training programs for personnel in 

accordance with labour protection 

requirements 

Community consultation and liaison (as 

necessary) 

Implementation of environmental 

management programme/action plans 

Preparation of annual environmental and 

social report 

Inspection/audits of environmental protection 

requirements by employees and subcontractors, 

including the ECO 

Obtaining and maintaining all necessary 

environmental permits 

HSE Manager Preparation of environmental monitoring 

reporting and any permit applications (if any) 

Running of day-to-day requirements for EMPr 

implementation 

Overseeing of construction process and 

ensuring the implementation of avoidance 

and mitigation measures 

Conducting monitoring and review of EMPr 

implementation by contractors 

Project Manager /HSE 

Manager 

 

Periodically commissioned to assist with 

specific tasks such as: 

o review of information 

o advice on specialist issues 

o assistance with annual monitoring report 

o conducting of environmental auditing 

Liaison officer Project Manager Liaison with AAMM 

Consultation with local community as 

necessary 

Chairing community forum (if any) 

Management of community complaints 

12.3 Management contractors 

 

Management of working conditions and 

labour issues 

Responsibility for implementation of some of the EMPr commitments will be transferred to 

contractors. However, AAMM fully recognises that it is not absolved from those management 

responsibilities. Ultimate responsibility for meeting all commitments lies with AAMM. 

AAMM will commit contractors to meeting the relevant responsibilities by means of specific 

conditions in the contracts of appointment. Where there is concern over the capacity of contractors 



to undertake specific activities according to the system stated here, AAMM will provide additional 

training to improve the capacity of the contractors. 

Activities of contractors will be overseen by the Project Manager and staff as appropriate. 

12.4 Contractor arrangement during construction and operator 

The following construction phase contractor arrangements will be made to support EMPr 

implementation: 

 

 

Contractors will have certain key environmental line functions included in their job descriptions 

and performance criteria. Critical among these is the Construction Manager. 

The Construction Manager will be accountable for environmental (including social) management 

during the construction phase. Specific responsibilities for the Construction Manager will 

include: 

o 

o 

o 

Effective implementation of the EMPr 

Regular performance reviews 

Corrective and/or remedial action where this may be required. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regular (at least monthly) liaison between the Construction Manager, the Project Manager and 

the HSE Manager and his/her team must be carried out. At the commencement of the 

construction phase, weekly meetings should occur. Meetings should review implementation of 

EMPr requirements, highlight issues of concern, identify required interventions and prescribe 

corrective actions and schedule, and allocate budget and appoint responsible parties. AAMM’s 

environmental unit and safety unit must receive minutes of meetings and should be invited to 

attend meetings at least once a quarter. 

A code of practice for construction teams will be prepared and implemented. This code will guide 

the management and behaviour of construction teams. The code will include items relating to 

health safety and community relations. The code of practice for construction workers will include 

HIV/Aids counselling 

Information on the implications of construction will be disseminated before construction starts 

Information on the construction phase and its activities will be disseminated to AAMM and the 

Langa settlement prior to construction. 

Contracts will be key tools in managing many potential negative impacts such as transport 

related incidents. They will specify required environmental and social practices. 

Prior to commencing disposing waste into the trenches, sorting waste at the sorting area and 

operating the temporary storage of hazardous waste, AAMM will establish operational 

procedures to give effect to measures to avoid and mitigate identified impacts. 

12.5 Training awareness and compliance assessment 

All new employees and contractors will attend an induction session/s that will include health and 

safety, environmental and community awareness and emergency response procedures AAMM will 

use written (newsletter/posters/toolbox talks) and verbal (as part of routine briefings) communication 

methods to raise awareness on a range of health, safety and environmental issues. This will be done 

in both Sepedi and English languages (as appropriate) to ensure that all members of the workforce 

are made aware. 



12.6 Monitoring and compliance assessment 

During the construction phase, AAMM will be entitled to monitor and inspect contractors’ written 

records to demonstrate compliance with the EMPr. This compliance monitoring will verify that the 

responsible parties are implementing the specifications contained in the EMPr. Compliance will 

mean that the contractor is fulfilling contractual obligations. 

 

 

Georeferenced photographic records of the predevelopment environment should be collected 

and recorded, and during the construction and operation decommissioning process photographs 

are taken at the same points and in the same direction to verify the condition of the onsite and 

surrounding environment. See Table 14-1 for further detail. 

To determine the effectiveness of the EMPr, AAMM plans to use a series of internal and external 

inspections and audits: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Internal environmental inspections for the construction and operational phases will be 

carried out at least monthly, and all environmental aspects should be inspected at least once 

during the year. The internal inspection will be performed by the Environmental Coordinator 

in association with the HSE Manager. 

Minor non-conformances will be discussed during the inspection and recorded as a finding in 

the inspection report. Major non-conformances will be formally reported as an incident and 

will be subject to the incident reporting and handling procedure (see below). 

Inspection results will be summarised in the annual report and disclosed at the company’s 

management meetings. 

The HSE Manager will arrange for external inspections and will provide any assistance 

required/requested by relevant authorities in this regard. Independent external 

environmental, health and safety audits will be conducted by competent and independent 

external professional/s at least once every two years. Any negative findings arising from the 

authority’s inspection or the external audit will be treated as an incident and dealt with in 

accordance with the incident reporting and handling procedure (see below). 

12.7 Incident handling and reporting 

An incident can arise from the following: 

 

 

 

 

Significant non-conformance with the EMPr identified during an internal inspection 

Any non-conformance identified by either the authorities or an external audit 

Accidents or spills resulting in potential or actual environmental harm 

Accidents or near misses that did or could result in injury to staff, visitors to site or the 

surrounding communities 

Significant complaints received from any source. 

All incidents will be formally recorded on the relevant form (to be developed) and noted in the 

incident register. This register will specify at least: 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature of the incident 

Date and time it occurred and who reported it 

Actual or possible consequence of the incident 

What actions are being taken to address/remedy the incident 

Date incident closed and who authorised closure (once incident has been adequately 

addressed). 



12.7.1 Checking and corrective mode 

Checking and, if necessary implementing corrective action should be implemented to ensure that 

required EMPr management activities are being implemented and desired outcomes are achieved. 

The four key activities are: 

 

 

 

 

Monitoring selected environmental quality variables as defined in the objectives and targets. 

Monitoring of EMPr implementation must be structured and presented for review on an ongoing 

basis so that if objectives and targets are not met, corrective action can be taken. 

Regular inspections of the operational controls and general state of the operations. An ongoing, 

pragmatic inspection regime must be followed which to identify transgressions so that mitigation 

can be quickly and effectively implemented. 

Internal audits to assess the robustness of the EMPr or to focus on a particular performance 

issue. When inspection reports highlight problems, an internal audit can be used to ascertain the 

source of the problem and to define action to prevent its recurrence. 

External audits to provide independent verification of the efficacy of the EMPr to include the 

Contractor’s HSE performance. 

12.7.2 Corrective actions 

There are several mechanisms for implementing corrective action, both during the construction and 

operational phases. The main mechanisms to address transgressions include: verbal instruction (in 

the event of minor transgressions from established procedure, usually following a site inspection); 

written instruction (identifying source/s of problems, usually following an audit) and contract notice 

(following possible breach of contract). 

12.7.3 Reporting 

The findings of all of the above will be structured into instructive reporting that provides information 

to all required parties on HSE performance, together with clearly defined corrective action where this 

is seen to be required. Reporting will include the provision of information on the HSE performance to 

external stakeholders including relevant authorities and surrounding communities as applicable. 

12.7.4 Management review 

Management review must take place quarterly, both during the construction and operational phases. 

The purpose of the management review is for senior project management to review the 

environmental management performance during the preceding period and to propose measures for 

improving that performance in the spirit of continuous improvement. 

12.7.5 Liaison 

Throughout the project, ongoing liaison will be maintained with authorities, AAMM and communities 

to ensure the following: 

 

 

Advance warning of any project activities that may have some adverse impact on other mining 

activities, e.g. warning of water pollution due to hazardous waste spillages that have potential to 

contaminate both surface water and groundwater. 

On-going feedback on the environmental performance of the project and resolution of any issues 

arising. 



12.7.6 Monitoring and safety 

Monitoring of the Waste site, and any associated infrastructure, is essential to ensure safe and 

efficient operation. The following measures will be instituted to ensure on-going monitoring of the 

Waste site’s operation and safety: 

 

 

Monitoring of groundwater and surface water will be integrated into the overall mine water 

monitoring system. 

The facility will be patrolled on a regular basis to ensure that there is no tampering with, or 

potential risk, to the other mining activities. 

13 Overview of development activities 

The EMPr addresses the planning and design, pre-construction and construction, operational and 

closure phases of the proposed project. 

13.1 Planning and design 

Planning and design is necessary to ensure that mitigation and impact management can be 

effectively implemented in the context of the HSE approach. Planning involves the following 

activities: 

 

 

 

 

Identifying and defining the various environmental aspects and related potential positive and 

negative impacts that can result from the company’s activities. 

Establishing a procedure to identify legal and other requirements to which the organisation is 

subject. 

Identifying and defining appropriate mitigation and management measures, including those 

reinforcing positive impacts. 

Establishing and maintaining documented, scheduled environmental objectives and targets at 

each relevant function and level within the organisation. 

In the case of this project, the environmental aspects and potential impacts will mainly emanate from 

the following: 

 

 

 

 

 

Trenching of the landfill cells 

Spillage from the septic tank operations 

Mixed waste at the sorting area 

Operation of the temporary storage of hazardous waste 

Perimeter fencing and security infrastructure to include anti-theft systems. 

The Waste site is proposed to contain a salvage yard where waste will be sorted before being 

disposed of. As part of waste management strategy for AAMM, they are intending to reuse and 

recycle all the reusable and recyclable materials and then disposed of what cannot be reused or 

recycled. Waste site will contain a temporary storage of hazardous waste which if not properly 

managed could have potential to pollute the environment in general. A septic tank will be used for 

ablution purpose however if it is not properly managed it could overfill and spill the sewage into the 

surrounding which could potentially also contaminate the surroundings and the environment in 

general. Leachates from the cells of the landfill need to be properly handled if the geology of the soil 

has high permeability potential 



Impacts have been described and rated in terms of their potential significance. The management 

measures presented in this EMPr have been developed in response to these impacts. Performance 

standards providing a measure of the effectiveness of the defined mitigation is included as part of 

the project monitoring. 

The anticipated negative impacts which could arise with mitigation during preconstruction and 

construction, operation and closure of the Waste site include the following: 

 

 

 

 

 

Impact on quality of surface water and groundwater 

Noise from construction 

Impacts on public and workers safety 

Impact on soil (contamination of soil) 

Impacts on existing operation due to air pollution in the form of dust. 

Anticipated positive impacts/benefits from the preconstruction and construction, operation and 

closure of the Waste site include the following: 

 

 

Having a dedicated facility for the overall management of waste at Mogalakwena mine 

Reduced water pollution from improper handling of waste 

13.2 Pre-construction and construction 

The EMPr puts in place measures to avoid and mitigate impacts and optimize benefits arising from 

activities during the pre-construction (e.g. establishment of access roads, campsites and clearing of 

the construction site) and construction phase (e.g. construction of required infrastructure) of the 

Project. The principal focus of Project management for pre-construction and construction will include: 

personnel and contractor management and training; conduct and site management; landowner 

relations with AAMM; maintenance of complaints register; emergency preparedness; and 

management and mitigation of impacts such as surface runoff, noise, dust, safety and pollution). 

Assignment of responsibility and contractor management is especially important during the 

construction phase, when contractors are used to build the facility. Contractors may be used on an 

on-going basis for a range of maintenance and other functions. Contractors will be held to the 

highest HSE performance requirements to ensure they meet national and international standards. 

13.2.1 Operation 

The operation of the Waste site will involve a temporary storage of hazardous waste, operation of 

salvage yard, bioremediation site, Porta toilet for sanitation purpose and disposal of un-reusable and 

unrecyclable waste. For the purpose of the EMPr there are three principal mechanisms for the 

implementation of management and mitigation measures: 

 

 

 

Facilities – such as surface runoff management 

Procedures – such as a waste management procedure 

Assignment of responsibility and Contractor management – contractors may be used 

periodically for maintenance and other functions. Contractors will be held to the same 

performance requirements that govern AAMM. 

The mechanisms for effecting the EMPr requirements are collectively called ‘operational controls’. 

Such operational controls require that a responsible party, a budget and an implementation schedule 

be specified and allocated, to further enable and facilitate implementation. Finally, but importantly, 



roles and responsibilities need to be defined for the EMPr. These roles include dedicated HSE 

management roles as well as the HSE responsibilities of other company personnel (ultimately all 

personnel will have a HSE role). 

13.2.2 Construction phase 

Preconstruction activities will include the formalization of agreements with AAMM, land surveying, 

establishment of a construction campsite, building of access roads and clearing of vegetation at the 

development site. 

Pace of construction 

It is anticipated that construction will take approximately a year. 

Construction process 

The construction process will incorporate the following activities: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clearing of the site, site earthworks/grading and, upgrading of access roads of the site’s access 

roads if deemed necessary; 

Excavation of landfill trenches; 

Construction of a salvage yard; 

Construction of sorting area; 

Construction of bunding and temporary storage of hazardous waste; 

Construction of support infrastructure including office and security infrastructure; 

Construction of a stormwater management system; and 

Final clean-up and rehabilitation of the site. 

Water and sanitation requirements 

a) Very limited water requirements are anticipated for the construction phase, being restricted to 

such needs as mixing of concrete, drinking water for construction workers, and domestic use at 

the construction camp. These needs will be met through the existing water sources at the 

AAMM. Sanitation requirements for construction workers will be met by portable chemical toilets, 

which will be regularly serviced and emptied at a suitable municipal wastewater treatment works, 

or alternatively at the AAMM wastewater treatment works. 

 

Spills and leaks from fuel will be cleaned onsite immediately, and the temporary storage of 

hazardous waste will take place in the purpose-built bunded area. The surface of the sorting area 

where sorting of waste will be carried out will be hard-surfaced if hazardous materials or materials 

containing hazardous substances will be sorted. 

Testing prior to operation 

Prior to the operation of the Waste site, inspection will be carried out on the surface of the sorting 

area, surface of the temporary storage of hazardous waste and the landfill trenches and other 

infrastructure and equipment, to meet the requirement for waste disposal and handling waste as well 

as management of temporary storage of hazardous waste. 

13.2.3 Operation phase 

The waste site will comprise a landfill, a salvage yard, sorting area and a temporary hazardous 

storage facility that will be demarcated in an enclosed area on the site. The waste to be disposed of 



at the proposed landfill site will be mainly non-hazardous and domestic waste which cannot be 

recycled. Although paper, plastic, wood and metals are sorted for recycling at the various sections of 

the mine, additional sorting will be carried out at the waste site. 

Safety and security 

The site will be fenced and will have a 24hr/day security guard. Fire prevention measures will be 

present and the attendant and guards will be trained in fire and other emergency procedures. There 

will be signage around the site, according to legal requirements. 

Maintenance 

Regular maintenance checks will be undertaken by AAMM technical staff to comply with international 

norms and standards. 

Energy requirements 

Power requirement will be limited to what is required for the running of the waste site. The power will 

be obtained from the existing power supply at the office complex within AAMM. 

Water and sanitation requirements 

There will be few requirements for water, predominantly being for supply of domestic sewerage for 

the security and technical staff. Sewage and wastewater generated at the site office/ security offices 

will be treated via septic tanks or the use of eco toilets as required. 

Storm water flowing both to and from the site will require careful management in order to avoid and 

minimize erosion hazards. Storm water will be prevented from flowing on to the site as far as 

possible. Storm water leaving the site will pass through a detention system to minimize risk of 

flooding and erosion downstream. Berms will be constructed upstream of the site during the 

construction phase using soil removed during site clearing and levelling, to ensure that the site is 

protected from major flood events (See additional measures contained in Table 14-1 of this EMPr) 

Community liaison 

Regular patrols of the Waste site and facilities will take place to ensure that it is properly secured 

and maintained. The AAMM community liaison officer will ensure effective communication with the 

landowner and the affected communities for operational, environmental, safety and security reasons. 

Employment 

During the operational phase, employment opportunities will be limited to contractor who will manage 

the Waste site. Other staff such securities and those who will do sorting at the sorting area will be 

the transferred people who are currently working at the existing landfill. 

13.2.4 Decommissioning and closure 

It is envisaged that the Waste site will be operational for 25 years. The cost for decommissioning and 

closure activities will be incorporated in the Closure plan. The value of funds will be reviewed 

annually to ensure that the value of the fund reflects the prevailing inflationary environment, changes 

to environmental legislation, new technologies for rehabilitation and, if necessary, unforeseen 

residual impacts. 

13.2.5 Schedule 

The project phases and timing of construction, operation and decommissioning are set out in the 

table below: 

Project Stage 

Timeframe 



Project investigation 

Scoping Phase 






2 months 

2 months 

4-5 months 


25 years 

3-5 years 

4-5 years 

The construction activities will commence after having obtained a Waste licence from the 

Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). 

14 Impact mitigation and management 

14.1 Links with EIA 

The EIA identified the potential impacts (after mitigation/enhancement) of the project. This section 

describes the mitigation and management measures required to respond to the potential impacts 

identified. These measures are presented in Table 14-1 below. 

14.2 Impact and mitigation / management measures 

Table 14-1 provides the commitments undertaken by AAMM, and provides managers and staff in 

AAMM and its contractors with a clear framework for EMPr implementation. It also identified the 

project phase for implementation of management / mitigation activities. 

The management / mitigation table is clustered according to aspect (for example water quality). This 

groups related impacts and management / mitigation measures. 



Table 14-1: Mitigation and management measures relating to impacts caused by project activities during all project phases. For further detail 

refer to the relevant sections noted under ‘principles’ and ‘plans’ 

Aspect Impact Management activity Project phase Management principles 

and plans 

Pl/D Prec Con Op De/Cl 

Responsible 

party 

Surface water 

Water quality impacts 

from spillages at the 

temporary storage of 

hazardous waste 

Temporary storage site must be 

surfaced with a firm waterproof base 

that is protected from the ingress of 

storm water from surrounding areas. 

There must be an effective drainage 

system to a waterproof spillage 

collection area, where any spillage 

can be recovered and suitably 

treated. This area must be clearly 

demarcated and should not be 

accessible to unauthorised persons. 

Stormwater management strategy 

should be implemented 

Place infrastructure 100m from any 

wash as well as outside the 1:100 

year floodline (to be undertaken as 

part of the design phase); 

X X X X X 

X 

X X Principles 

X 

4.2.2 Soil conservation 

management 

4.2.3 Water conservation 

management 

Plans 

4.3.1 Design management 

plan 

4.3.2 Construction 

management and control 

plan 

4.3.2 Operational 

management control plan 

$.3.7 Rehabilitation and 

closure plan 

Design team 

Contractor, 

HSE, EO/ IES 

EO/IES 

Implement a post-closure monitoring 

programme, including stability and 

surface water quality monitoring 

X 

Design and construct/install 

measures which will prevent erosion 

from water/waste treatment works 

to ensure that this is adequately 

dissipated to sheet flow 

X 



Construction of specified stormwater 

management design and 

construction measures during the 

preconstruction phase. It must be 

ensured that the associated 

infrastructure e.g. landfill activities 

are managed properly and not in fact 

exacerbating erosion problems. 

Erosion control measures must be 

installed throughout the 

development site. 

X 

Maintenance of the stormwater 

management measures during the 

construction, operational and 

decommissioning/closure phases. 

Routine checks, maintenance and 

revision of erosion control measures 

must be carried out following any 

storm event. 

Any spillages e.g. oil in the facilities 

or during construction or operation 

should be collected and treated to 

remove residual oil down to a level 

of 40 mg/l. 

X 

X X X 

Environmental conditions should be 

included in any construction 

contracts, thereby making 

contractors aware of the necessity of 

preventing accidental spillages by 

the implementation of good 

housekeeping practices and the 

management measures. 

X 

X 

Water quality impacts 

from sorting waste 

materials at the sorting 

area 

Institute water saving measures 

Make use of appropriate technology 

to minimise water use 

X 

Principles 


management 

Plans 

Design team 

Contractor 

(construction) 



prevent development from taking 

place where the associated impact 

will cause unacceptable damage, or 

will pose an unacceptably high risk 

to the affected environmental 

resources; 

Cease, modify or control any act or 

process” causing the pollution; 

comply with any prescribed waste 

standard ,management practice; 

contain or prevent the movement of 

pollutants; 

eliminate any source of the pollution; 

remedy the effects of the pollution. 

X X 4.3.1 Design management 

plan 

X 

X 



plan 



Project Manager 

(operation) 

Ground water 

Contamination of 

groundwater from 

spillages at the 

temporary storage of 

hazardous waste 

The migration of leachate or spillage 

into the ground and groundwater 

regime around the temporary 

storage areas must be prevented 

Carry out groundwater monitoring 

before commencement of the Waste 

site to be aware of the current status 

of the groundwater. 

DWA national groundwater quality 

monitoring should be adhered to. 

X 

X 

Principles 


management 

4.2.8 Communication and 

information management 

Plans 

4.3.4 Labour human 

resources and socials 

responsibility programme 

HSE , EO, LO 

Continue monitoring the 

groundwater to determine potential 

impacts. 

X X X X 

Monitor groundwater water quality 

following the commencement of 

Waste site, to provide early warning 

of potential changes to groundwater 

quality. 



Monitoring of existing groundwater 

monitoring points should continue as 

per current monitoring schedule. 

Once the hazardous storage facility 

has been installed the effectiveness 

of existing monitoring borehole 

position should be re-evaluated and 

the monitoring refined to incorporate 

the unsaturated zones around the 

landfill site. In this regards a 

minimum of 3 boreholes should be 

drilled to not deeper than 8 to 10m, 

down gradient from the landfill site. 

X 

X 

Implement a post-closure 

groundwater monitoring programme 

X 

Air quality 

Air quality impacts from 

dust 

Avoid and mitigate through 

construction control and dust 

suppression during operation and 


4.2.3. Air quality 

management 

Plans 



plan 

Design team 

Project 

manager, HSE, 

EO 

Improved air quality 

Enhanced through efficient siting, 

planning and design construction 

and operation 

X 

Principles 

4.2.3. Air quality 

management 

Plans 

Design team 

Project manager 

HSE, EO 


plan 



plan 





Land capability 

Reduced land capability 

from erosion 

Avoided and mitigated by effective 

maintenance and implementation of 

the stormwater management 

measures 



management 


management 

Design team 

Contractor, 

HSE, EO/ IES 

Plans 


plan 



plan 



Contamination of soils 

from spills 

Avoided and mitigated by design 

and construction of appropriate 

temporary storage of hazardous 

waste, regular vehicle maintenance, 

precautions taken during leak 

prevention 

Prevent discharges that pose an 

unacceptably high risk to the 

environment. 



management 


management 

Plans 


plan 



plan 

Design team 

Contractor, 

HSE, EO, IES 



4.3.5 Health and safety plan 

4.3.6 Emergency 

management and response 

plan 

4.3.7 Rehabilitation and 

closure management plan 

Reduced land capability Mitigation through maintaining 

existing vegetation at the disturbed 

areas that are not overlaid by the 

development infrastructure 

X 

Principles 

4.2.5 Conservation of natural 

habitat 

Design team 

Contractor, 



During rehabilitation following 

decommissioning, entire covering of 

the landfill and removal of the 

concrete foundations at the 

temporary storage of hazardous 

waste will improve the land 

capability of the site in the long term. 

X 

Plans 


plan 



plan 



HSE, EO/ IES 

Environmental and 

human health and 

safety 

Impacts on occupational 

health and safety of 

workers 

Avoided and mitigated through 

adherence to occupational health 

and safety measures. 

These should include the routine 

(daily) use of sun protection 

measures and hand gloves when 

handling waste. 




Plans 


resources and social 

responsibility 

Contractor HSE, 

LO 

4.3.5 Health and safety 



Impacts on safety of the 

public 


security measures preventing 

unauthorized access to the 

construction site and to the Waste 

site during operation 

X X X Principles 



Plans 




Contractor HSE, 

LO 




Pollution from 

construction and during 

operation 

Consideration should be given in the 

choice of materials during the 

planning and design phase to 

maximize opportunity for reuse 

during decommissioning 

Polluted water must be collected in toe 

X 

X 

Principles 


management 


management 

Contractor, 

HSE, EO, IES 



drains, retained on the site and managed 

in accordance with the water 

management legislative requirements. 

Storm water drains must divert or contain 

the peak design storm of 50 year return 

period for the particular catchment area. 

The system must effective separate 

unpolluted water that has not come into 

contact with waste, from polluted water. 

The upslope cut-off drains must divert 

clean storm water around the site and 

into the natural drainage system. 

Provision of sufficient chemical or 

other appropriate toilet facilities on 

the construction site must be in 

place, with waste thus generated 

treated and disposed of at a 

municipal sewage treatment works 

or by the mine sewage treatment 

works at least weekly, or more 

frequently as required 

X 

X 

Plans 


plan 



plan 



4.3.5 Health and safety plan 



The use of the treated contaminated 

soil should be approved through 

waste delisting procedures to ensure 

that reduction of hazard rating from 

extreme rating to lower rating or 

general waste is within acceptable 

level. 

Noise impacts from 

construction 

Avoided and mitigated by noise 

quality management and 

construction control, as well as 

implementation of conduct measures 

for employees and contractors 


4.2.7 Noise management 

Plans 



Contractor, EO 



Crime in attempting to 

scavenge the Waste 

site 


implementation of security 

measures, communication and 

information provision, community 

liaison, as well as labour and human 

resources management 

Principles 



Plans 




Contractor, 

HSE, LO 


Visual impact from 

construction and 

operation 


construction control measures. 

Principles 

4.2.6 Cultural resource 

management 

Contractor, 

HSE, EO 

Plans 





14.3 Management principles 

14.3.1 Rationale 

The majority of mitigation measures outlined in Table 14-1 above cannot be implemented as 

discrete, isolated actions, since there are spatial and causal interactions amongst impacts. Therefore 

it is advisable to implement mitigation and management actions via integrated management guided 

by principles outlined below. The principles apply though all project phases. Principles will include: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soil conservation management 

Water quality management 

Air quality management 

Conservation of natural habitats 

Noise management 

Communication and information 

The individual management plans (below) include initiatives that will be in place for the life of the 

activity. Management and mitigation measures should adhere to legislative requirements, and where 

no legal guidance is provided, industry and/or international good practice should be applied as far as 

is practicable. 

14.3.2 Soil conservation and management principle 

This principle aims to ensure that soil is conserved for rehabilitation through project construction, 

operation and closure. The principles include the following: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The minimum areas required for infrastructure construction shall be cleared of vegetation. This 

applies to the construction right-of-way areas and pump station sites and access roads. 

Measures shall be taken to ensure that topsoil and subsoil excavated from the construction site 

is properly managed. These measures are contained in the construction management and 

control plan in Section 14.4.2. 

Topsoil shall not be disturbed more than is absolutely necessary on the construction site, and 

were possible should be appropriately stock-piled, such as in the form of a berm to minimize 

visual impacts, and/or minimize stormwater impacts. The stockpiled soil can then be reused 

following closure of the site for rehabilitation purposes. 

Denuded areas shall be re-vegetated or otherwise suitably stabilized given the dry conditions 

prevailing, as soon as feasible after construction, where clearing or use has been temporary for 

the construction phase. 

At closure, the site shall be restored to the original land use capability, wherever practicable. 

Vehicles will be limited to travelling on roads. 

This principle aims to ensure that water quality is conserved through preconstruction and 

construction, operation and closures. The water and effluent management principle includes: 

 

Surface water and groundwater management. AAMM needs to comply with any DWA legislative 

requirements for the construction, operation and closure of the facility. Measures shall be 

instituted to avoid and minimize erosion and sediment transport, especially during 

preconstruction and construction activities. Remedial measures shall be implemented by the 



Contractor in the event of erosion resulting in the sedimentation of surrounding areas after due 

consideration of the costs and benefits of such removal activity. 

 

Effluent management. Provision shall be made for suitable sewage facilities for construction 

workers and permanent personnel. An on-site ablution sewerage system will be installed or 

otherwise waste thus generated disposed of to be treated at a municipal sewage treatment 

works or by the mine sewage treatment works. 

14.3.3 Air quality management principles 

This principle aims to ensure that air quality is maintained through Project construction and 

operation. The air quality management principle covers: 

 

 

Dust management and abatement. Areas cleared of vegetation during construction shall be 

minimized as the primary defence against dust generation. Rehabilitation of the construction 

site will take place as soon as possible following the installation of infrastructure. 

Vehicle maintenance shall be implemented to prevent emissions exceeding the permitted 

levels. This is especially pertinent during the construction phase of the project. 

14.3.4 Conservation and natural habitat management principles 

This principle aims to ensure that damage of natural habitats is avoided, minimized and mitigated 

during the construction and operational phases. Wherever possible, the chosen site shall be 

designed to avoid and minimize impacts on natural habitat. Any regulatory requirements relating to 

habitat conservation will be complied with and measures shall include: 

 

 

 

Minimize the construction footprint for the facility / haul roads and access routes / haul roads, 

lay-down areas, borrow areas (if any), campsites and the like. 

The Contractor shall take measures to rehabilitate the construction site following the 

development. 

Measures shall be put in place to avoid and minimize any leaks, spills and incidents which could 

cause damage to natural habitat. 

14.3.5 Noise management principle 

This principle aims to ensure that noise generated by construction and operation activities is kept to 

a minimum and adheres to relevant noise standards. The noise management principle includes the 

following: 

Noise generating equipment will be designed to control and dampen noise emissions. Noise – 

generating equipment will be located at a distance far enough from the nearest noise sensitive 

development (notably North office complex area), to ensure that the increase in ambient noise 

level will comply with ISO standards. 

 

Surrounding landowners, residents and public shall be able to register their complaint / concern 

about noise through a complaints register set up prior to the commencement of construction 

activities. These public complaints should be responded to as a matter of urgency and where 

possible measures must be taken to minimize the noise. A complaints register will be 

maintained. 

14.4 Management plans 

The management plans below need to be implemented during construction, operation, 

decommissioning and closure of the depot. Many of the issues to be addressed in these plans are 



regulated in existing laws, regulations and guidelines; several existing procedures are thus 

documented in standard codes of practice. The EMPr is not static, and as such AAMM recognises 

the need for on-going development and revision of plans to ensure their continued applicability. 

14.4.1 Construction management and control plan 

1. The Contractor shall comply with all relevant laws and regulations concerning water provision, 

sanitation, wastewater discharge and solid waste disposal. The Contractor is referred, in 

particular, to the requirements of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) and related regulations. 

2. The Contractor shall not locate the campsite in any area which is considered sensitive. The 

campsite should also not be within 100m of any watercourse or wash, or in any area where it 

could cause nuisance or safety hazards to surrounding communities, inhabitants or the general 

public. The location of the construction campsite might require prior agreement from AAMM and 

the landowner. 

3. Prior to the commencement of construction, the Contractor shall demarcate the proposed 

campsite which outlines the (a) site layout; (b) topsoil management; (c) sewage treatment; (d) 

solid waste disposal; (e) erosion control (f) fencing; (g) litter management; (h) provision for 

vehicle and plant servicing; (i) management of hazardous materials (including petroleum); (j) 

water supply; (l) rehabilitation; (m)security and (n) access. The information shall be submitted to 

AAMM prior to establishment on site. 

4. The Contractor shall keep the construction campsite clean and tidy at all times. The Contractor 

shall not leave domestic waste uncontained, and temporary storage shall be fenced to keep out 

people and animals. No permanent domestic waste disposal shall be permitted at the campsite. 

All domestic refuse is to be removed weekly to an existing licensed domestic landfill. 

5. The Contractor shall take specific measures to prevent the spread of veld fires, caused by 

activities at the campsite and must inform employees about fire risks. Measures required might 

include creation of a firebreak around the site perimeter when/if fuel load of the veld warrants 

this. 

6. The Contractor shall prevent accelerated erosion from the construction campsite and shall not 

discharge polluted runoff into drainage lines. 

Management of fuels and waste materials 

7. The Contractor shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, permit and approval conditions 

and requirements relevant to the storage, use, and proper disposal of hazardous materials. 

8. The Contractor shall manage all hazardous materials and wastes in a safe and responsible 

manner, and shall prevent contamination of soils, pollution of water and/or harm to people or 

animals as a result of the use of these materials. 

9. The Contractor shall prepare a hazardous materials and waste management plan for submission 

to AAMM prior to establishment on site. This plan shall include, but shall not be limited to, 

measures to prevent: (a) contamination of soils; (b). pollution of water; (c) safe siting and 

storage; (d) containment of lubricants and waste oil during maintenance of vehicles; and (e) 

tampering with storage tanks. 

10. The Contractor shall classify all hazardous materials to be used on site according to recognized 

Codes of Practice such as SABS Code 0228 for the Identification and Classification of 

Dangerous Substances and Goods and the DWA Minimum Requirements for the Handling, 

Classification and Disposal of Hazardous Waste, and shall ensure that the handling, storage, 

transport and disposal of these materials meets the requirements of these Codes. 



11. The Contractor shall not locate fixed fuel storage tanks in any location other than at approved 

plant yards or campsites. Adherence to the specifications should include storage of fuel within a 

bunded area. This is to include an area adjacent to the tanks upon which vehicles must park 

during refuelling. 

12. The Contractor shall not construct fixed fuel storage or service or refuel any vehicle or 

equipment within 100 m of a watercourse, within a floodplain, or where there is the potential for 

spilled fuel to enter a watercourse or groundwater (See water quality management programme). 

Should it not be possible to establish such a facility outside of the 100 m zone, the Contractor 

shall ensure that the necessary precautions are taken to prevent and clean up spillages. 

13. The Contractor shall enclose all fixed storage using a security fence with a lockable gate. 

14. The Contractor shall take all reasonable precautions to prevent fuel and lubricant spills during 

the course of construction. To this end, the Contractor shall ensure that: (a) there is no overfilling 

of diesel bowsers and equipment tanks; (b) regular audits are performed to verify that no leaking 

or defective equipment is brought onto site; and (c) any oils or lubricants discharged during 

routine vehicle servicing on site are captured using drip trays, containers or other appropriate 

containment measures. 

15. The Contractor shall ensure that fuelling and repairs are carried out or supervised by personnel 

familiar with spill containment and clean-up procedures. 

16. The Contractor shall ensure that there is sufficient absorbent material available on site to 

manage accidental spills. The Contractor shall immediately clean up accidental spillages of fuels 

and oils, or other hazardous substances, and shall report the incident to AAMM and the 

measures taken to remediate the spill problem. In the event of a hydrocarbon spill, the spill site 

will either be cleaned by the sites waste contractor or be bio-remediated in situ. 

Management of construction site 

17. Measures shall be implemented by AAMM to manage the visual impact of the construction site 

for the duration of construction, operational and closure phases of the project. The measures 

should be appropriate so as to minimize the visual prominence of the Waste site and associated 

structures. This should be done by measures to include appropriate colour and texture of 

infrastructure where feasible, as well as screening measures including earth berms. Designs and 

implementation for screening measures must be undertaken by appropriately qualified 

contractors prior the commencement of preconstruction activities. The Contractor shall prevent 

littering and the random discard of any solid waste on or around the construction site, as well as 

on any access routes. 

18. The Contractor shall minimise the risk of bush fires when/if the fuel load of the natural veld 

should warrant this. 

19. The Contractor shall prevent trespassing on the site. Public entry to the site shall be prohibited 

and signs to this effect shall be erected at points of potential public entry. 

20. The Contractor shall prohibit and actively monitor and prevent poaching or harassment of wild 

animals by contract employees. Any employee found poaching shall be dismissed. 

21. The Contractor shall prohibit and actively monitor and prevent the harvesting of medicinal or any 

other plants by contract employees. 

22. The Contractor shall ensure that contract employees remain within the construction area and 

approved roads providing access to the area. 



23. The Contractor shall determine safe travelling speeds for the construction area and access 

roads, and shall ensure that these restrictions are enforced. This must include, but not be limited 

to the following measures to apply to both the pre-construction and operational phases: 

a) Erect standard advanced warning “Heavy Vehicles Crossing” and high visibility flashing 

advanced warning signs approaching intersections and provide street lighting if such 

fixtures already installed by the mine are not deemed adequate by the HSE 

b) Speed limit and safe travelling speed compliance by employees 

Emergency preparedness 

24. The Contractor shall develop an emergency plan that will enable rapid and effective response to 

environmental emergencies, in accordance with recognized national and international standards. 

Fire prevention and management 

25. The Contractor shall provide adequate fire-fighting equipment at specified localities on the work 

site to meet any emergency resulting from ignition of a veld fire or hazardous materials. This 

equipment should include, but not be limited to, (a) fire extinguishers; (b) fire resistant clothing 

for fire fighters; and (c) fire-fighting flails. 

Management of dust and noise nuisance 

26. The Contractor shall control dust in the construction area so as to ensure that no detrimental 

effects to surrounding communities, occupants or the general public are caused. Control 

measures to be considered include the use of water bowsers to wet down surfaces that have 

been denuded and which have the potential to generate dust. 

27. If instructed to do so by AAMM, the Contractor shall demonstrate compliance with the noise 

regulations by means of measurement of residual noise levels at receiver points specified by 

AAMM. Measurement shall be in accordance with the requirements of the noise regulations. The 

Contractor shall comply with the legal requirements for the management of noise impact 

specified in the Noise Regulations under the Environment Conservation Act (Act 79 of 1989) and 

ISO15664:2001E. The guidelines of the WHO (2007) should also be followed as applicable. 

28. The Contractor’s employees shall not make recreational use of motorcycles on the site. 

Land owner and occupier relations 

29. The Contractor shall respect the property and rights of the landowner (Langa tribe family). 

30. The Contractor shall comply with all special agreements with AAMM as in terms of relevant 

national legislation. 

31. Access over land, the integrity of fences, the closure of gates, control of veld fires, littering, dust 

control, noise abatement, and contamination of ground and surface waters, damage to 

landscape and vegetation, and all such environmental matters, shall be controlled, as far as 

practicable, by the Contractor in the best interests of the landowner. 

Complaints register 

32. The Contractor shall establish and maintain a register for periodic review by AAMM that logs all 

complaints raised by the landowner, occupiers or the general public about construction activities. 

The register shall be regularly updated and records maintained, including the name of the 

complainant, his or her domicile and contact details, the date and nature of the complaint and if 

any action that was taken to rectify the problem. 

Health management 



33. The Contractor shall comply with all relevant legislative requirements governing worker health 

and safety (e.g. OHS Act (Act 85 of 1993) and related amendments and regulations). 

34. The Contractor and their appointees will be expected to participate in HIV/Aids programmes and 

awareness campaigns that will run through AAMM peer educators. 

Control of access to the construction site 

35. The Contractor shall access the construction site using the access recommended by the AAMM. 

36. In all areas where construction requires gravelling or other methods of improving vehicle access, 

the Contractor shall completely remove these materials after construction and prior to 

rehabilitation of the area. 

37. The Contractor shall restrict the number of entry and exit points for security reasons. The 

Contractor shall ensure that his activities do not compromise the landowners or occupiers 

security. Fencing will be of such a nature and standard that access to the mining area is 

prevented. 

38. The dismantling of gates and fences for the construction site shall be subjected to any special 

conditions obtained from AAMM. 

39. The Contractor shall be vigilant to ensure that animals are not deliberately or accidentally 

harmed. 

Control of vegetation clearing 

40. The Contractor shall not clear any vegetation outside the construction site area. 

41. Where the Contractor has to dispose of vegetation cleared from the construction site, he/she 

may do so with the permission of the landowner or AAMM provided there is no impairment to the 

health and well-being of any person, to water quality, land use and capability or ecological 

stability of the area in which it is discarded. 

42. The burning of vegetation is not permitted at any stage of construction. 

Control of topsoil and subsoil 

43. The Contractor shall store topsoil (defined as the soil above 150 mm) excavated from the 

construction are in a wind row or stockpile which shall be discernibly separate from stockpiles of 

any other excavated materials. 

44. Topsoil shall not be disturbed more than is absolutely necessary on the construction site. 

45. Topsoil shall not be contaminated with anything that might impair its plant-support capacity (e.g. 

aggregate, cement, concrete, fuels, litter, oils, domestic and industrial waste, invasive plant 

seeds). 

46. The Contractor shall stockpile topsoil in a location that will minimize any loss due to erosion or 

mixing with other material. 

47. The Contractor shall ensure that topsoil is stockpiled in a position specified in the design 

document for ease of reuse as covering layers in trenches. 

48. The stockpiling of topsoil for the construction right-of-way is regarded as a vital component of 

successful rehabilitation, and compliance with the requirements will be strictly enforced. In areas 

where topsoil of less than 150 mm is stripped, the Contractor will be required to demonstrate that 

substantial constraints prevailed which made this requirement unattainable. 



49. Waste soil should also be used for the construction of a berm to minimize the risk of the site 

being subjected to flooding during construction and operational phases in accordance to the 

guidelines of the specialist surface hydrologist opinion. 

Control of material supply 

50. The Contractor shall, as far as possible, source all material needed to develop the Waste site 

from the closest stores in the area or from the area that will be recommended by AAMM. 

Control of stone and rock waste 

51. Waste stone and rock (if any) should be retained on the site and used for the construction of a 

berm to minimize the risk of the site being subjected to flooding during construction and for 

covering waste in the landfill trenches during operational as indicated in the site plan. Should 

there be surplus waste soil following the construction of the stormwater control berm, this can be 

kept for rehabilitation for the site during decommissioning and closure of the Waste site. The 

Contractor shall also prepare a method statement for stabilisation and rehabilitation of the landfill 

and temporary storage of hazardous waste as well as berms to AAMM. 

52. The Contractor shall prepare a method statement detailing the proposed location and method of 

disposing or keeping waste rock excavated and construction right-of-way. 

Control of storm water 

53. Storm water generated on site should be managed in such a way that it mimics the 

predevelopment flows. Sediment movement off the site should be limited by ensuring the 

implementation of runoff control measures and the rapid re-vegetation of sites following 

construction related activities. Measures are provided in Table 14-1 of this EMPr. 

Control of impact of construction activities on groundwater 

54. The Contractor shall note the location of all boreholes within a 1km of the construction site. 

55. The Waste site construction will be undertaken in such a way as to avoid and limit damage to 

boreholes from construction. 

Rehabilitation 

56. The site should be cleared of construction materials. The Contractor should remove waste 

materials from the site to appropriate waste disposal sites, either to the existing AAMM landfill 

site. 

57. The Contractor shall remove all temporary works from the construction site and restore and 

revegetate the areas along the perimeter of the site. 

58. The Contractor shall prevent concentrated run-off along, or next to, the construction site or rightof-way, 

and shall do so by shaping the land, establishing vegetation where necessary, and 

taking other appropriate measures to absorb and disperse runoff in accordance with measures 

contained in Table 14-1of this EMPr. 

59. The Contractor shall establish vegetation cover (using species appropriate to the local area) in 

all areas disturbed by the works in the first growing season after construction, and shall maintain 

this cover for the duration of the maintenance period. 

60. Rehabilitation shall be done on any borrow areas (if any), temporary access roads, spoil sites, 

camp sites and the like. 



14.5 Operational management and control plan 

Management of the Waste site (landfill, sorting area and temporary storage of hazardous 

waste) 

61. Measures shall be implemented by AAMM to maintain, and as necessary, upgrade to include 

erosion prevention measures. 

62. AAMM shall ensure prevention of littering and the random discard of any solid waste during 

construction. 

63. AAMM shall ensure compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, permit and approval 

conditions and requirements relevant to the temporary storage of hazardous waste, proper 

management and disposal of waste materials into the landfill. Fuels and other hazardous 

materials should be managed using the principles outlined in the construction management plan 

(See Section 14.4.2). 

64. AAMM shall ensure the prevention of trespassing on the site. Public entry to the site shall be 

prohibited and signs to this effect shall be erected at points of potential public entry. 

65. AAMM shall ensure the maintenance of safe travelling speeds on the waste site and access 

roads, and shall ensure that these restrictions are enforced. Measures included in the 

construction management plan for traffic safety and management must be implemented, 

periodically reviewed and revised as necessary during the operational phase. 

66. Once a landfill cell is full: 

a. final waste layer should be compacted to thickness of about 600 mm i.e. 400 mm below 

natural ground level. 

b. balance of excavated materials from trench returned to provide a minimum cover of 500 

above natural ground level 

c. the final layer to be compacted by driving vehicle over the layer and be shaped to 

provide drainage away from trench 

d. after shaping, topsoil to be returned and levelled over site 

Emergency preparedness 

67. AAMM shall develop and implement and keep up to date an emergency plan that will enable 

rapid and effective response to all types of environmental emergencies in accordance with 

recognized national and international regulations and standards, which will include risks from 

flooding and fire. 

Fire prevention and management 

68. AAMM shall ensure the minimisation of the risk of veld fires should conditions conducive to such 

fires arise. 

69. AAMM shall provide adequate fire fighting equipment at specified localities on the Waste site to 

meet emergencies from fire. 

Management of noise nuisance 

70. AAMM shall comply with the legal requirements for the management of noise impact specified in 

the Noise Regulations under the Environment Conservation Act (Act 79 of 1989). 

Relations with surrounding landowners 



71. AAMM shall respect the property and rights of the landowner and surrounding landowners, and 

occupiers and shall treat all such persons with deliberate courtesy. 

72. Compliance must be ensured by AAMM with all special agreements between AAMM and the 

landowner. 

73. Access over land, the integrity of fences, the closure of gates, control of veld and fires, littering, 

dust control, noise abatement, contamination of ground and surface waters, damage to 

landscape and vegetation, and all such environmental matters, shall be controlled, as far as 

practicable, by AAMM in the best interests of the landowner or occupier. 

Complaints register 

74. AAMM shall establish and maintain a register for their periodic review that logs all complaints 

raised by the landowner, occupiers or the general public about operational activities. The register 

shall be regularly updated and records maintained, including the name of the complainant, his or 

her domicile and contact details, the date and nature of the complaint and if any action that was 

taken to rectify the problem. 

Health management 

75. The Contractor shall comply with all relevant legislative requirements governing worker health 

and safety (e.g. OHS Act (Act 85 of 1993) and related amendments and regulations). 

Control of access to waste site 

76. Access to the Waste site explicitly excludes access to facilities other than the access routes 

referred to above. 

77. Contractors shall restrict the number of entry and exit points for security reasons. Contractors 

shall ensure that activities do not compromise the landowners’ or occupiers’ security. 

Control of storm water 

78. Storm water generated on site should be managed in such a way that it mimics the 

predevelopment flows. Sediment movement off the site should be limited by ensuring the 

implementation of runoff control measures and the rapid re-vegetation of sites following 

construction related activities. See measures contained in Table 14-1 of this EMPr. 

Control of water quality 

79. The Waste site operation will be undertaken in such a way as to avoid and limit damage to water 

resources. This will include measures to prevent pollution to water quality from any effluent from 

the sorting area, sorting area and the temporary storage of hazardous waste. 

Control of activities affecting archaeological sites, graves and paleontological remains 

80. No archaeological remains present on site 

14.6 Labour, human resource and social responsibility plan 

The labour, human resources and social responsibility plan to be implemented by AAMM shall 

include the following key measures: 

 

The plan shall be based on the following: 

a) Compliance with national policy and legislation (e.g. Employment Equity Act) and 

international labour conventions and norms. 

b) Clear and transparent conditions of service, as appropriate. 



c) Open and fair recruitment procedures. 

d) Well-structured, transparent and locally-appropriate remuneration and compensation 

procedures. 

e) Accessible and appropriate training and development. 

f) Clearly defined and open dispute resolution procedures. 

g) Where local accommodation is provided to employees, this should be done in such a way so 

as to minimise disruption of the local community. 

Wherever possible, first priority should be given to hiring qualified local people. 

Compliance with the principles of Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) as 

enshrined in the BBBEE Act (Act 53 of 2003) and its associated codes of good practice by AAMM 

and its contractors. 

As necessary, compliance with the requirements of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework 

Act (Act 5 of 2000). 

Where practicable, provide support to community initiatives aimed at the promotion of sustainable 

development. This support could take many forms, including the provision of technical information 

and advice and facilitating development in the surrounding area. 

14.7 Health and safety plan 

The workers’ health and safety plan to be implemented by the Contractor and AAMM (construction 

and operational phases) shall include the following measures: 

1. All relevant national legislation, including the OHS Act and related regulations, shall be adhered 

to in order to provide a safe and healthy environment for all employees, contractors, suppliers 

and the community during construction and operational phases of the Project. 

2. The Contractor shall develop a health and safety plan in fulfilment of legal requirements for 

submission to, and approval by, AAMM prior to the start of construction activities. 

3. AAMM shall ensure workplace health and safety during the operational phase of the Waste site. 

4. Health and safety performance will be periodically monitored and procedures reviewed with the 

aim of eliminating risk as far as reasonably practicable. 

The community safety plan to be implemented by the Contractor and AAMM (construction and 

operational phases) shall include the following measures: 

1. All relevant national legislation, including the OHS Act and related regulations, shall be adhered 

to ensure that the health and safety of proximate communities and the public at large are not 

threatened during construction and operational phases of the Project. 

2. During the construction phase, the Contractor shall manage and control construction activities in 

order to minimise the risks to community health and safety. Special attention shall be paid to 

threats posed by the movement of construction vehicles, contravention of community norms 

relating to sexual practice and use of alcohol, security and access control to the construction 

site, transport safety management and control of dust, noise and surface water flow . Refer to 

the construction management and control plan in Section 14.4.2. 

3. During the operational phase AAMM shall ensure that the public do not gain unsupervised 

access to the site. 



14.8 Emergency management and response plan 

The safety plan to be implemented by the Contractor and AAMM to deal with emergencies which 

could be encountered include flash floods and fire shall include the following measures: 

 

 

 

 

Emergency preparedness will be the responsibility of the project manager. The local manager 

will be responsible for implementing a locally relevant emergency response plan, which could 

include staff emergency training; equipment maintenance and inspection; periodic contact with 

local emergency staff; emergency fire drills; and communication to local residents. 

If there is a spillage or pollution of surface water due to flooding of a storage area during heavy 

rains, the Generator must take all possible steps to recover the hazardous component and 

prevent any polluted water from entering sewerage systems or public streams. 

If and when it becomes obvious that such spillage cannot be contained on site, the local 

authorities and the Department must be advised of the incident immediately. Full cooperation 

must be given to these authorities to implement emergency action so as to minimise the adverse 

effects of such occurrence on the public and on the environment. 

If there is a transport accident resulting in leakage or spillage of the Hazardous Waste, two 

distinct actions are required, i.e., 

a) Emergency action must be taken to contain the spilled material and to prevent further 

uncontrolled spillage or leakage. In addition immediate steps must be instituted to clear the 

road from any material that may delay or stop the traffic. These emergency actions are 

normally initiated by the driver of the vehicle and executed by emergency services 

personnel. Emergency action should follow immediately after the incident and would 

normally last for three to four hours thereafter. 

b) Remedial action must be taken to clean up and remove any spillage or residue and to 

ensure that no environmental pollution or contamination of water resources will take place 

at a later stage. The load must be properly loaded and secured on site! 

c) Until assistance arrives, the driver will be responsible for warning and if necessary 

regulating traffic. Bystanders must, under all circumstances, be kept away from the vehicle 

and its load. 

d) The Transport Emergency Card (Tremcard), which must accompany the load, must be 

recovered from the vehicle and handed to the Police and/or emergency personnel on their 

arrival. The Tremcard information on emergency action and the HAZCHEM placard on the 

vehicle will provide the emergency services with the initial information required for action. 

e) Since spillages of Hazardous Waste resulting from road accidents or failure of the 

containers normally happen outside the Generator's premises, arrangements must be made 

beforehand for good and prompt communication between the carrying vehicle and the 

Generator of the waste. When such an incident is reported the Generator must promptly 

inform the Regional Office of the Department. In addition, the Generator must ensure that 

all technical information relating to the waste material is made available immediately to 

emergency teams on the site of the incident. 

f) It should be noted that the Generator - or his representative, i.e., transporter - retains 

primary responsibility for ensuring that adequate steps are taken to minimise the effect of an 

accident or incident on the public and on the environment. 



g) If there is a serious accident that results in substantial losses or consequential damage, it is 

advisable that the Generator should also advise its insurance company since they may wish 

to send an assessor to conduct an on-site inspection. 

14.9 Remedial actions 

 

Remedial action to clean up any spillage remaining on site after an accident has to be initiated 

by the Generator. 

 

 

 

Such remedial action may be undertaken by the Generator himself, a waste disposal contractor 

appointed by either the Generator or by the insurance company or, if this fails, by the State. 

In such event all costs relating to the remedial action will be recovered by the State from the 

Generator of the waste. 

The remedial action will depend on the nature and properties of the waste material, on the 

physical environment in which it has been spilled and on the severity of the spillage. In some 

instances washing away of residues with water may prove adequate but in other instances 

chemical treatment of the residue or even digging up of soil and removal thereof to a disposal 

site may be required. The major objective of the clean-up procedure must be to minimise the risk 

of contaminating the environment and in particular the water sources at a later stage. 

Reporting of road accidents and spillage 

All road accidents must be reported to the Department of Transport on the prescribed 

documentation. In addition, an incident report must be compiled, giving full details of the nature of 

the incident, amounts of waste material lost and remedial action taken to prevent environmental and 

water pollution. Such a report should be send to local authorities, Competent Authority and the 

department. 

14.10 Rehabilitation and closure management plan 

The rehabilitation and closure management plan directs pre- and post-closure activities. Further 

information on closure activities is contained in Appendix I2. The provisions relating to this plan area 

as follows: 

Planning for closure 

AAMM should include the Waste site in the overall closure plan for the entire mine in conjunction 

with local authorities and communities and it should be in place at least one year before the end of 

operation. Rehabilitation will focus on entirely covering the landfill trenches, dismantling the 

temporary storage of hazardous waste and other project infrastructure such as salvage yard; and 

closure management will deal with monitoring and maintenance of the decommissioning and post 

closure phase. 

At least one year ahead of Waste site decommissioning, AAMM should investigate practical options 

for closure of the Waste site and present these to the relevant authorities (including DEA and the 

provincial environmental authority, LDEDET, LDWA, and or LDMR) for consideration. This plan 

should include the approach for all project infrastructures. 

Prior to closure, AAMM will hold negotiations with the relevant authorities and the land owners to 

identify another site for Waste site. 

Where disposal of components and materials is required, for example disposal of rubble of the 

temporary storage of hazardous waste, this must be appropriately carried out in accordance with 

prevailing legal requirements, in designated waste disposal facilities. 



The following presents the actions required in the sequence in which they are currently 

expected to occur: 

 

 

 

 

Waste in the final cell will be covered and then a layer of sand placed over the compacted 

surface. 

The footprint of the salvage yard and bioremediation area will be ripped with a 500mm tine to 

break compaction as well as to mix the degradable dust suppression agent into a larger volume 

of soil to assist with the breakdown. 

All power and water services to be disconnected and certified as safe prior to commencement of 

any demolition works. 

Commence with demolition activities: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Salvageable equipment will be removed and transported offsite prior to the commencement 

of demolition. 

All fittings, fixtures and equipment within buildings will be dismantled and removed. 

Electrical, water and other services that are more than 500mm below ground surface will 

remain. 

All pipes and structures deeper than 500mm need to be sealed to prevent possible ingress 

and ponding of water. 

Concrete slabs and footings at the temporary hazardous waste storage area will be 

removed. This concrete will be broken up and disposed of on an adjacent waste rock dump. 

All excavations resulting from demolition of buildings, roads, concrete platforms will be 

backfilled. 

Effluent in the septic tank will be pumped out for disposal in one of MPM sewage treatment 

plant, or if will be disposed of in the nearest municipal sewage plants. The tank and piping 

will be removed and the excavation will be backfilled. 

 

On completion of the demolition activities the following will be undertaken on the exposed 

footprints: 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

Surface will be profiled to mimic surrounding topography and to be free draining, 

A deep rip of 500mm will be undertaken across the footprint of the waste site, excluding the 

areas where the waste cells have been constructed. 

Plug dumped soil will be placed in 100mm layer across the site using a dozer. Once 300mm 

has been placed a shallow rip using a tine of 250mm will be undertaken to loosed 

compaction. 

Appropriate soil ameliorants will be added, based on soil testing at closure, to assist with the 

establishment of vegetation on the footprint. 

Vegetation will be established as per the VMP. 


Due regard shall be taken for the health and safety of personnel, contractors, landowners and the 

public during the planning and implementation of the demolition process. 

Post closure 



Once the Waste site has been decommissioned, AAMM will retain a number of responsibilities as 

applicable. These could include responsibility for ensuring that the decommissioning and closure has 

been done successfully and also ensuring that the landfill and any other facilities left in place remain 

free of problems associated with abandonment/closure. 

A monitoring plan, with adequate resources, should be developed and implemented by AAMM that 

includes monitoring of the rehabilitated site to confirm whether progress is satisfactory (Refer to 

Appendix I2). Should any areas be identified where additional rehabilitation is required, appropriate 

remedial actions will be taken. The plan will need to outline how land improvements and future land 

use will be affected by the past operation and decommissioning of the Waste site. 

15 Assumption, uncertainties and gaps in knowledge 

15.1 Assumption 

 

All the technical data and information provided by the proponent to the EAP are accurate and 

up-to-date. 

 

 

 

 

 

The previous specialists reports undertaken in 2006 for the mine were sufficient to provide the 

baseline information for the project site 

The public involvement process has sought to involve key stakeholders and individual 

landowners. It is assumed that where participation has been sought from the organizational 

representative/s, that these parties have the authority to comment on behalf of their 

organization. 

AAMM and its contractors will implement the measures contained in the EMPr. 

A monitoring and evaluation system, including auditing, will be established to track the 

implementation of the EMPr to ensure that management measures are effective to avoid, 

minimize and mitigate impacts; and that corrective action is being undertaken to address 

shortcomings and/or non-performances. 

AAMM and its consultants will adopt a process of continual improvement when managing and/or 

mitigating negative environmental impacts arising from the project. The EMPr will be used as the 

basis of environmental management and will be improved and refined regularly. 

15.2 Uncertainties 

No uncertainties encountered on this project. 

15.3 Gaps in knowledge 

There were no significance gaps in information although is worth noting that in terms of specialist 

studies, this study referred to the existing specialists reports such as Socio-economic, Ecology, Air 

Quality Study, Water Management, Soils and Land Capability that were undertaken as part of the 

previous 2006 EMPr amendment. These studies however were deemed sufficient since they 

covered the Waste site project area. 



16 Opinion on authorisation of project 

The landfill at the Waste site is considered a General Waste communal landfill (G:C:B - ). No 

significant leachate will be generated in terms of the Site Water Balance (Climatic Water Balance 

calculations plus Site Specific Factors), so a leachate management system is not required. 

The landfill will be designed not to produce significant leachate that can have potential to pollute 

groundwater. Adverse impacts on the environment are not expected to occur during all phases 

(preconstruction, construction, operation and closure) of the project. Proper management and 

mitigation measures will be in place to manage the short term impacts such as noise, flies, odour, air 

pollution, unsightliness and windblown litter; for example unsightliness and windblown litter will be 

limited as the unsorted waste will be kept in the salvage yard which will be enclosed by a concrete 

fence. Long term impacts such as water pollution and gas generation are not anticipated as they are 

not associated with this particular landfill. 

The temporary storage of hazardous waste will however be constructed as per guidelines provided 

in the Minimum requirements waste series. Hazardous waste at the temporary storage facility will be 

securely contained during handling, storage and transport to prevent potential impacts to the 

environment. 

The EAP is of the opinion that the management measures proposed will adequately mitigate 

potential impacts as per above proposed management of impacts. The extent of the anticipated 

cumulative impact such as soil, air and water will be minimised during preconstruction, construction 

and operation due to the current monitoring and remedial management plans that are currently in 

place. 

In the opinion of the EAP, economic and social negative impacts which may arise from 

decommissioning can be effectively mitigated provided that there is an adequate planning place. It is 

anticipated that it will be possible to successfully mitigate impacts associated with the development a 

suite of management measures set out in the EMP contained in this Final EIR. The Waste site 

development will, on balance, have a positive impact in terms of sustainable waste management and 

the design provides a cost-effective, environmentally acceptable waste disposal facility. 

Should the project not be approved, it would mean that the proposed Waste site would not get 

implemented. The benefits including reduced soil and water pollution from proper handling of waste 

would not come about. The proposed project would determine proper handling of waste at AAMM 

because without a dedicated facility (Waste site) to handle both general waste and hazardous waste, 

there is a possibility for potential risks to occur on the environment. The no-go option is not preferred 

as it would mean that the proposed development to construct a dedicated facility (Waste site) to 

handle both general waste and hazardous waste would not get implemented. 

Since the new landfill site will be situated between existing tailings storage facility, any pollution 

generated from the landfill site will be joining the current groundwater flow direction and mix or dilute 

with seepage from the tailings facilities. Thus the groundwater pollution by the facility will be 

relatively low. 

It can be concluded that the proposed development will comply with the principles of National 

Environmental Management: Waste Management Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008) and the NEMA (Act 

No. 107 of 1998), which embraces sustainable development. The public participation process has 

been undertaken as per NEMA and the EIA Regulations (2010) as corrected; it is believed that the 

issues raised by stakeholders have been adequately addressed. 



17 Conclusion 

This Draft EIR report incorporates the following components: 

 

 

 

 

 

A description of the EIA process and a detailed plan of study for the EIA. 

An outline of the baseline environment, detailed description of the proposed activity 

A detailed description of alternative sites as well as process considered to select the preferred 

options. 

The key issues and concerns raised by stakeholders during the scoping process. 

EAP assessment of the potential impacts of the preconstruction and construction, operational as 

well as closure phases of the project. 

The project is anticipated to bring sustainable waste management to the Mogalakwena mine since 

the facility will render waste service such as sorting of waste for reuse and recycling, temporary 

storage of hazardous waste as well as disposal of non-hazardous and domestic waste which is 

unrecyclable. The mine, as part of its commitment to sound environmental management, also plans 

to establish a soil remediation site in the same area. This will reduce the amount of about 20% of 

hazardous/contaminated soil that would have been transported to the registered hazardous waste, 

Holfontein landfill in Springs, Gauteng. 

Findings from the existing data collected by the mine, specialists reports (Geo-hydrological report, 

archaeological and cultural report and Closure plan) and the EAP assessment of the potential 

impacts of all phases of the project have addressed concerns raised in the scoping phase. Impact 

assessment has been undertaken for both alternative sites for the proposed development. Further, 

both alternative sites have been assessed with respect to potential environmental impacts. 

Key negative impacts for the proposed site relate to water and soil impacts expected to be 

intensively experienced specifically by the operation of the temporary storage of hazardous waste as 

well as by the other activities that will occur during construction phase and operation phase. 

It is anticipated that it will be possible to successfully manage and mitigate impacts associated with 

the development. The EMP includes plans that are incorporated in the detailed design phase, and 

has been developed as part of the EIA process to manage potential impacts. Programmes and plans 

developed and implemented through the EMP will be monitored and audited to ensure compliance. 



18 Documents consulted 

Department of Water Affairs & Forestry, 2005. Waste Management Series. Minimum Requirements 

for the Handling, Classification and Disposal of Hazardous Waste. 

Department of Water Affairs & Forestry, Second Edition, 1998. Waste Management Series. Minimum 

Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill. 

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Number W.1.0: First Edition 2000. Policy and Strategy for 

Groundwater Quality Management in South Africa. 

AquaEarth (2011) Anglo Platinum Potgietersrus Platinum Limited: Numerical groundwater model 

flow and mass transport model. 

SRK Report (2002) Addendum to the Environmental Management Programme Report, 

Potgietersrust Platinums Limited (PPRust), PPRust North Mine, SRK report 305804/3/1. 



Prepared by 

Olga Nemulenzi 

Environmental Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat) 

Reviewed by 

Andy Smithen 

Project Reviewer 

All data used as source material plus the text, tables, figures, and attachments of this document 

have been reviewed and prepared in accordance with generally accepted professional engineering 

and environmental practices. 



Appendices 



Appendix A: Recent projects undertaken by SRK 



Appendix B: CVs of the EAP team 



Appendix C: Statement of independence by EAP and 

current specialists 



Appendix D: Public participation materials and issues and 

responses report 



Appendix D 1: Background Information Document 



Appendix D 2: Text and Photos of site notices 



Appendix D 3: Proof of Newspaper advertisement 



Appendix D 4: Copies of comments received 



Appendix D 5: Minutes from the meeting with the 

landowners (Langas) and the attendance register 



Appendix D 6: Issues and response report and attendance 

registers 



Appendix D 7: Telephone Consultation 



Appendix E: IAP database 



Appendix F: Key correspondence with competent 

authority 



Appendix F 1: Letter of acceptance for the Waste License 

application 



Appendix F 2: Letter of acceptance for the Draft Scoping 

report 



Appendix F 3: Letter of acceptance for the Final Scoping 

report 



Appendix G: Plan of study for EIA 



Appendix H: Layout of the project 



Appendix I: Specialists reports 



Appendix I 1: Geo-hydrological report 



Appendix I 2: Closure plan 



Appendix I 3: Socio economic report 



Appendix I 4: Ecology report 



Appendix I 5: Air quality report 



Appendix I 6: Water management 



Appendix I 7: Noise report 



Appendix I 8: Soil and Land capability 



Appendix I 9: Archaeology and Cultural Resources report 



Appendix I 10: Risk Assessment Opinion 



Appendix J: Floodlines 



Appendix K: Waste license Application form 



Appendix L: Operational plan 



Appendix M: Other waste handling site 



Appendix N: Waste hierarchy 



Appendix O: Emergency preparedness 



Appendix P: Impact assessment methodology 



SRK Report Distribution Record 

Complete this form and include it as the final page for each copy of the report produced. 

Report No. 

Copy No. 

Name/Title Company Copy Date Authorised by 

Joel Ngoasheng LDEDET 1 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Azwihangwisi Mulaudzi LDMR 2 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

T Ramavhona DEA 3 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 





Ben Sengani DWA 8 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Mokopane Public Library 

Mogalakwena Local 

Municipality 

Van Riebeeck Weg, 

Mokopane 

54 Retief Street, 

Mokopane 

9 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

10 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Mapela Tribal Hall MPM Mine Office 11 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Mogalakwena Platinum 

Mine 

Mine Office 12 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Mapela MPCC Mapela Community 14 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Mick Angliss AAMM 15 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Jaco Pieterse AAMM 16 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Enviro Department SRK 17 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Library SRK 18 30/07/2013 Darryll Kilian 

Name/Title Company Electronic 

copy/CD 

Date 

Authorised by 


Approval Signature: 

This report is protected by copyright vested in SRK (SA) (Pty) Ltd. It may not be reproduced or 

transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever to any person without the written permission of 

the copyright holder, SRK.

Anglo American Limited - Mogalakwena Mine ... - SRK Consulting

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