A guide to leading practice sustainable development in mining

The scenarios envisaged for the Waterberg were conceptualised at high
level, supported by a desk-top level fact base and were informed by a series
of indicators chosen as representative criteria for “success”, available in the
fact base. The scenarios are presented as stories about the coalfield area,
focussing on Lephalale (formerly Ellisras), at some time in the distant future,
when the coal reserves have all been exploited to their maximum potential
and the mining operations have mostly closed or are closing. The starting
point for all the possible scenarios is of course today, and the current context
of the Waterberg is summarised first as the springboard for the developments
and related settlement scenarios.
Findings from the study indicate that some of the potential problems that
might arise are already evident. This can be seen in the “Business as Usual”
scenario. The platinum mining area and the Mpumalanga coalfields were used
as proxies to substantiate the findings of this study. Significantly, both proxy
areas are characterised by dispersed settlement patterns and are associated
with negative environmental and socio-economic impacts. The socio-economic
impacts relating to each scenario are described qualitatively within each
scenario: a quantitative summary is also provided (see CSMI 2010).
Figure 2.6 - The Recommended Scenario – The “Beautiful Game” Spatial Pattern
Reference: CSMI August 2010 “Sustainable Development of the Waterberg
Coalfields - Scenarios for Optimal Settlement Patterns”
* contributed by Prof May Hermanus, CSMI, University of Witwatersrand
A GUIDE TO LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MINING 39