Heritage Cases

Nimbargo Resources (Pty) Ltd (the Applicant) has submitted an application for a Prospecting Right (PR) in terms of Section 16 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act 28 of 2002) (MPRDA) and an Application for Environmental Authorization (EA) in terms of Chapter 4 of GNR 982 promulgated under the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998) (NEMA) to prospect for sand (general), clay (general) and silica sand (general and silica). The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has accepted the PR application on condition the EA application process is concluded. The proposed project will aim to ascertain if economically viable mineral deposits exist within the application area. In order to undertake prospecting activities, Nimbargo Resources will require a Prospecting Right in terms of the MPRDA (Act No.28 of 2002). The Applicant is also required to obtain an EA in terms of the NEMA which involves the submission of a Basic Assessment Report (BAR). Environmental Impact Management Services (Pty) Ltd (EIMS) have been appointed by Nimbargo Resources to compile the BAR (this report) in support of the Prospecting Right application, which in turn will be submitted to the DMRE for adjudication. The proposed project covers an area of 2949.7522 hectares. The area is located approximately 7km north of Vereeniging and 4km southwest from Meyerton, located within the Sedibeng District, Gauteng Province. A Prospecting Work Programme (PWP) has been developed by the applicant to include both non-invasive and invasive prospecting activities. The PWP includes a total of 71 drill sites however the final number stands at 58 sites due to site sensitivities as well as removal of certain properties from the original prospecting right area. The geology of the proposed Kookfontein study area is primarily underlain by the Vryheid Formation (Ecca Group, Undifferentiated Karoo), Precambrian dolomites and associated marine sedimentary rocks that are allocated to the Malmani Subgroup (Chuniespoort Group, Transvaal Supergroup), as well as Quaternary superficial deposits. The Prospecting Right Application and Application for Environmental Authorisation were submitted to the DMRE via the South African Mineral Resources Administration (SAMRAD). The DMRE accepted the Application for Environmental Authorisation on 20 January 2020 and the Prospecting Right Application on 13 December 2019. An application for an extension to submit the final BAR due to Covid-19 was submitted to the DMRE and granted on the 22nd July 2020.