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Thank you for contacting the EWT and expressing interest in the Mapungubwe Mining Issue. As you are aware, a stakeholder group consisting of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the Mapungubwe Action Group, the Office of the International Coordinator for the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA) and Peace Parks Foundation has objected to all industrial activity in
Thank you for contacting the EWT and expressing interest in the Mapungubwe Mining Issue. As you are aware, a stakeholder group consisting of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the Mapungubwe Action Group, the Office of the International Coordinator for the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA) and Peace Parks Foundation has objected to all industrial activity in
Thank you for contacting the EWT and expressing interest in the Mapungubwe Mining Issue.
As you are aware, a stakeholder group consisting of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the Mapungubwe
Action Group, the Office of the International Coordinator for the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier
Conservation Area (GMTFCA) and Peace Parks Foundation has objected to all industrial activity in
that part of the Limpopo Valley without an approved Integrated Regional Development Plan.
Comments have been filed in the Vele EIA and Environmental Management Plan (EMP). The
stakeholder group asked for more information regarding the awarding of mining rights, but their
request has to date been ignored.
How you can help
The Endangered Wildlife Trust and Peace Parks Foundation, together with other interest groups,
have instructed the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in South
Africa to institute legal proceedings to review the granting of the mining right and to take
appropriate steps to seek to prevent, in the interim, any activity that may cause significant and
irreversible harm to the environmental integrity of the area. Funds will have to be raised to support
the litigation. This is likely to be a test case for mining activity in this area, and it is critical
that the litigation is supported by sufficient funding. Additional funds will also be required for
specialist reviews, an advocacy and media campaign, and various administrative costs. To this end,
the Endangered Wildlife Trust and Peace Parks Foundation have set up a cost code for any and all
legal expenses related to the intended development of a coal mine near the Mapungubwe World
Heritage Site. If you would like to assist by contributing to this fund, deposits can be made into the
following bank account:
Account Name: Endangered Wildlife Trust
Bank: First National Bank
Branch Name& Town: Rosebank Johannesburg
Branch Code: 25 33 05
Account Number: 5037 1564219
Swift: FIRNZAJJ03T
Important – Please quote ‘Vele’ for reference
We will ensure that all information and updates pertaining to the case will be communicated to you
should you wish to become involved.
Thank you for your participation in this critical issue.
Kind regards
Yolan Friedmann
CEO Endangered Wildlife Trust