The residents of Napier are cheering, the activists are in seventh heaven and the farmers are celebrating . . .
This is after the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy rejected the mining company Cienth (Pty) Ltd’s application to mine for gold and silver in Napier.
Hermanus Times reported on 13 December 2023 about the opposition to the mining application (“Ons wil g’n myn hier hê”).
Nicholas Myburgh, member of Parliament, then expressed his concern about the proposed mining operations. “I noted with the greatest concern the news of an application by the mining company Cienth (Pty) Ltd for prospecting rights on more than 4 000 ha, west of Napier,” he said in a press release. “Environmental experts agree that an open-cast mine in the area will not only pose a serious risk to jobs in the local agricultural and tourism sectors, but will also play a major role in the complex ecosystem and the sensitive biodiversity of the entire area.”
Save the Overberg, an organisation that consists of residents from the Overberg and farmers, opposed the application. It pointed out this was the fourth time Cienth had applied for a prospecting licence.
A well-known farmer in the area, Kosie van Zyl, told Hermanus Times in July he opposed the planning of the open-cast mine and would do everything in his power to stop it.
“The process of licensing by Cienth is at a more advanced stage than last year, because it had already submitted an environmental-impact study,” he said.
“I am the last person who would object if the proposed mining benefited the economy in our area as well as create jobs, but I question the viability of the whole process.” (Hermanus Times 17 July 2024, “Locals slam prospecting licence”)
The reasons given by the department for the rejection of the prospecting licence include the potential impacts that were not addressed in the specialist study and public participation that was not carried out in accordance with regulations of the environmental impact assessment.
According to members of Save the Overberg the group is still waiting for Takaleni Environmental Consultancy, which is doing the environmental impact study, to inform them that the department had refused the environmental approval.
“By law they had until yesterday (22 October) to inform us,” a member of Save the Overberg said.
“Meanwhile Cienth also has the right to appeal against the result.”
In the meantime, the people are waiting for feedback and they hope that Cienth will not appeal.
“We take each day as it comes,” a resident said. “We have already won the first round and believe that the mining plans are now something of the past.
“We can now finally focus on tourism and the agricultural sector of Napier and forget about this plans.”
