Western Cape, South Africa

Here’s what we know: 

  • The mine’s impact: The mining company is looking for gold in a 4 200-hectare region. One hectare is about the size of a rugby field, so there could be up to 4 200 rugby-sized holes covering the area, making it potentially the biggest mine in the Western Cape, bar the West Coast sand mines.
  • Tons of soil lost: Because of the nature of the area and the mineral deposits, these will be open-cast mines. Open-cast mines have significant impacts on the land and waterscapes. The process includes using pressured water from our local aquifers, to blast away the soil to reach the mineral deposits. To move one ton of rock requires moving between 5 to 10 tons of ‘overburden’ – in other words soil.
  • Acid-mine drainage: The polluted runoff water drains into watercourses in the region, including groundwater and the Kars River. This river is home to some of the last populations of Endangered freshwater fish species, including the Heuningnes Redfin.
  • Wetlands of international importance: From here, the river flows into the Heuningnes River, affecting critically important wetlands that form part of the National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas. The river then reaches the Heuningnes Estuary in the CapeNature-run reserve, the De Mond Nature Reserve. This estuary is a Ramsar-listed wetland – which means it has been identified as a region of international importance for the bird life that relies on it.

 

  • Impacts on water: Mining requires a significant amount of water – something that is scarce in the Overberg Rûens, which receives an average of just 450mm per annum in the Napier region. Water requirements are likely to exceed availability, placing the rivers’ reserves at risk. Thus, not only will the prospecting or future mining result in the polluting of our freshwater ecosystems, it will also result in less water available in the system for downstream users and the basic environmental requirements.
  • Job losses: A major concern is the loss of jobs in the Overberg, which will far outweigh any jobs created through the mining operation.

The Threats

Cienth, a shell mining company with no website, and a single director, Rosie Mvala, appointed in April 2023, has filed several applications for a mining prospecting license. This company is looking for gold, silver and tin on Critically Endangered renosterveld and surrounding farmlands in the rural areas between Napier and Caledon.

There are many questions surrounding the application. But what is not in doubt is the impact this potential mine would have, should it go ahead.

  • Critically Endangered habitat: The mining process will impact on threatened natural landscapes. The proposed mines include Endangered Elim Ferricrete Fynbos and Critically Endangered Western and Central Rûens Shale Renosterveld; significant remnants of the latter two are found within the proposed prospecting footprint. With only 5% of these vegetation types remaining on Earth, any disturbance within or around them will be the final nail in the coffin for these extraordinarily diverse and unique systems. These systems can NEVER be brought back once they have been ploughed or mined.
  • Impacts on crop yields: Large-scale mining operations are likely to disrupt farming and the livelihoods sustained through farming operations. Aside from the land that could be taken out of farming, the noise, dust and heavy machinery associated with mining activities are likely to negatively affect crop yields and quality – including wheat, barley, canola and grapes – far beyond the direct footprint of the mine.
  • Soil degradation: Mining operations can result in soil degradation and contamination. This not only affects current crop yields, but can have lasting impacts on the ability to cultivate land in the future, or to attain any level of natural habitat restoration.
  • A lifetime of mining: The lifetime of the mine will be 30 years. So any rehabilitation efforts, should they be undertaken (and there are many reasons to believe this will never happen), will likely only be implemented in our children’s lifetimes.
  • Tourists will stay away: The impact on Overberg tourism will also be significant. Fourteen wine farms, for example, are in reasonable proximity to the proposed mine. The natural beauty and tranquility of the region, a major drawcard for tourists, will also be changed forever.
  • Flooding risks: According to process metallurgist Jeremy Mann, who worked at Anglo American for 30 years, in a recent Financial Mail article (‘Mystery still surrounds plan to find gold in the Overberg’, 8 February 2024), because of the topography of the region, there are huge risks associated with flooding events as a result of the mine. He says the community will end up “carrying the can”. Given the fact that the area has recently experienced several unusual whether events and unseasonal flooding, this risk is even more disconcerting.

The Threats

Cienth, a shell mining company with no website, and a single director, Rosie Mvala, appointed in April 2023, has filed several applications for a mining prospecting license. This company is looking for gold, silver and tin on agricultural land and on Critically Endangered renosterveld in the rural areas between Napier and Caledon.

There are many questions surrounding the application. But what is not in doubt is the impact this potential mine would have, should it go ahead.

What are the chances of finding minerals here?

One of the big questions revolves around the minerals likely to be found here. Experts across the board believe that mining for gold here is simply not viable. While two English prospectors tried to find gold in the 1880s, they returned to England to find more funds and were never heard of again.

A former chief geologist for PetroSA, Jean Malan says that assessments indicate a gold grade of 0.3g a ton – which is not sufficient to justify the mine.

So if this mining company is not likely to find viable amounts of gold, silver and tin here, why proceed with the application? To answer this question, it may be essential to learn more about the applicant.

Who is Cienth?

Very little is known about the applicant for this prospecting licence. Cienth is a shell company. The solitary director, Rosy Mvala, is 29 years old. According to the Daily Maverick (‘Mining prospecting application in Napier region threatens tourism environment’, 7 November 2023), she is also the director of 88 other companies. She is based in Kimberley, although the company’s registered premises is a five-star apartment hotel, The Regent, in Sandton.

A former Cienth director, David Silver, is also a former director of Centaur Mining, an SA-registered mining subsidiary of Centaur Holdings in the UAE, says the Daily Maverick. This company was named in the Public Protector’s State of Capture Report. Silver remains a shareholder, according to the current Cienth director. However, there are many questions around other backers of Cienth.

What are the impacts of prospecting and mining?

To understand the impact of the proposed mining activity on the region, take a look here. This is a Google Earth image of an opencast gold mine in Patagonia. While this gold mine in Patagonia has as 10 000-hectare footprint, the image above is about 4 000 hectares, the same size as the mine proposed in the Overberg. The dark spots are the deep trenches found in this active opencast gold mine. These trenches are hundreds of metres in depth.

Here are close-up photos of the deep trenches on the active opencast gold mine in Patagonia.

Even prospecting leaves scars that are visible from space. These prospecting trenches were originally dug in the 1990s. These were up to 280m long, but they can go up to 600m in length. They can still be seen today – 30 years later. 

These scars are permanent – even when the company only undertakes prospecting. Once vegetation such as renosterveld and fynbos has been removed, it can never be rehabilitated.