Heritage Cases

South Africa has an abundance of mineral resources which makes it one of the top mineral producers in the world. The Zululand District Municipality (ZDM) Integrated Development Plan (IDP) (2018) indicates that the Zululand District Municipality, which comprises of the Ulundi Local Municipality, has a shortage of large economic investments to boost the local economy. According to the ZDM IDP (2018), the district relied heavily on coal mining in the late 1990’s, however, this has declined in recent years as a result of closure of mines due to open markets on coal mining and agriculture which has led to a decline in the economy of the area Ulundi is listed as a tertiary provincial node, acting as a representative in the district in terms of agriculture service nodes, mining service nodes, government administrative centres, rural service centres, etc. Mining and quarrying makes up 5% of the main economic sectors in the district, which is an aspect that could be improved by establishment of mining operations should the proposed prospecting discover exploitable coal reserves The proposed prospecting activities are instrumental in determining whether there is any economically exploitable coal in the proposed prospecting area. The proposed prospecting activities could lead to the discovery of the economically viable coal reserves which will contribute positively to the economy of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa as a whole. Coal is likely to occur in the proposed location based onthe geological characteristics of the area and literature research completed thus far. The prospecting activities will be restricted to the preferred location so as to prevent unnecessary environmental impacts. The Geology of KwaZulu-Natal comprises of the Pongola Supergroup overlain by the Karoo Supergroup which is made up of the Ecca Group shale and sandstones. The Ecca group is made up of the Vryheid Formation which is well known for the occurrences of coal beds. The proposed prospecting area is located approximately 50km north of Ulundi. Historical reports, regional geological maps and geophysical data suggest that the site has the presence of coal reserves hence the election of this particular site. The applicant intends to utilise the best technology available to ensure that the prospecting activities are carried out with minimal negative impacts on the receiving environment.