Heritage Cases

The applicant CF Landers and (Pty)Ltd propose establishing a sand mining operation over 5 hectares on Farm Portion 249 of 1665 of the Farm Monte Video. The project site is located in Ward 15 of the Umdoni Local Municipality, Ugu District, KwaZulu-Natal. The centre point co-ordinates are 30°18'22.76"S 30°44'15.21"E. The site is currently an established agricultural Eucalyptus sp. (Gum tree) plantation. CF Landers and Son (Pty) Ltd have identified the need to provide building sand to the local and regional building sand market, and as such are establishing a sand mining operation. The site comprises grey/red fine windblown sands of the Berea formation with underlying sandstone. The sand(silica) proposed for mining is generally clean and free of silt and clay, and this factor means that the bulk of the sand mined may utilised for building purposes, with no screening or processing required. The composition and quality of the sand is determined by the source rock. Sands derived from the Karoo Supergroup are generally less suitable for use as building sand owing to the high shrinkage which results from the presence of clays. CF Landers and Son (Pty) Ltd has identified the study site as having suitable sand material for building and commercial use. No screening of sand will be required. The proposed sand mining activities will entail a combination of the following methods: Mechanical Excavation by Excavator • Tree felling of existing Eucalyptus sp. trees. • De-stumping of felled trees. • Stripping of topsoil, and stockpiling for rehabilitation purposes. • Excavation by mechanical excavator to a maximum depth of 5m. • Loading of haulage trucks by excavator or Tractor Loaded Backhoe (TLB), as and when required. • Transportation of screened material to required end point (point of sale/distribution). A site camp will be established at the existing aircraft landing strip hangar at 30°18'21.90"S 30°44'10.39"E. No stockpile area is anticipated, as material will be excavated and loaded as and when required by the mining operation.