Mupane Gold Mine accused of cracking homes
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday January 22, 2024 08:03
Residents aired their concerns during a kgotla meeting that was convened by the village leadership of Matsiloje and top officials from MGM on Tuesday.
Some residents fear that their houses might collapse any minute and they would not have anywhere to stay or anything to leave as a legacy for their children. Simon Lephalo, an elder and former councillor for Matsiloje, complained during the meeting that many housing units in the village had developed some cracks following blasting activities by MGM.
“Our homes have developed cracks due to the blasting activities of MGM. Some of us are struggling to repair the houses due to various reasons such as unemployment. We, however, appreciate that MGM is carrying out an investigation with a view to compensate us if it is liable for the cracks,” said Lephalo.
Matsiloje councillor, Florah Mpetsane confirmed that some residents are pointing fingers at MGM for cracks that are developing on their houses following the blasting activities. “Some houses in the village have been disfigured by cracks and residents fear that they may collapse on them following blasting operations by MGM.
The cracks started to show since the MGM started its blasting activities in February 2023. The MGM usually carries out its blasting activities on Fridays. Prior to the blasting day, the mine informs the residents through a public address system on Thursdays that it will carry out blasting activities the following day.
The resident’s gripe with MGM’s blasting activities is that they will leave them with no place to stay in the event that their houses collapse. They are therefore making a plea to MGM to investigate the issue and compensate them accordingly,” said Mpetsane. Following complaints from residents during the meeting, the general manager (GM) of MGM, Koketso Jackson, said the mine has commenced an investigation on the matter with a view to compensating residents if the investigations prove that its blasting activities are responsible for the cracks. Jackson admitted that MGM is fully committed to finding a lasting solution to the problem but he added that some buildings had cracks before the mine started its operations hence the mine’s commitment to finding a solution that will please all stakeholders affected by the blasting.
“MGM will compensate households if investigations prove that its blasting activities were responsible for the cracking of the homes. The findings of the investigations will guide the mine about how it should compensate the villagers in the event that investigations show that the mine is responsible for the houses that have cracked.
So far, our investigations show that 15 households out of 22 within the 500 metre radius from where the mine carries out its blasting activities have been affected. In addition, 44 homesteads outside the 500 metre radius from where the mine carries out its blasting have been affected.
To alleviate the problem, the mine has relocated its blasting site by nine metres,” Jackson explained. This publication is in possession of an October 2022 MGM final Environmental Management Plan (EMP) report for the proposed Jim’s Luck Mine and ore haulage project near Matsiloje that was prepared by Sangwenu Engineering and Environmental Consultants.
Its executive summary partly reads: “Drilling and controlled blasting will be part of the mining methodology. During controlled blasting, there will be a schedule for blasting, warnings will be made to the local community and the main road will be temporarily closed. An assessment of properties within a radius of 500m will be carried out to determine their status (structural defects - cracks on buildings) before operation of the project and also monitor the structures during implementation.” According to the report under the title environmental factors, “the proposed project will cause negative environmental impacts and some benefits to the community, government including the investor. There are potential problems associated with pollution (noise, vibrations, dust, used oils, and litter) potential effects of residential properties near the mine disturbance to traffic (including essential services such as ambulances and the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) during controlled blasting that must be mitigated to minimise their effect(s) on the receiving environment.
The positive impacts can be enhanced, for example, contribution to national economic development and employment opportunities and creation”. The EMP study further says under the Methodology title that the methodology used in the EMP study involved field investigations, desktop study, literature review and key stakeholders’ consultation.
The field investigation task, the EMP adds, was aimed at the following: “To compile relevant background data on the project area and its immediate environs and to identify properties that are located within a radius of 500m from the mine site that are likely to be affected by blasting/vibration during operation phase among others.” In the beginning of 2023, MGM said it had noted concerns by the community of Matsiloje about its mining activities at Jim’s Luck operations. “We would like to clarify a few things as the concerns raised seem to be an exaggeration of the truth.
Before mining commenced, there were extensive consultations and engagements with the Matsiloje community at all levels. These culminated in the development of an EMP, approved by relevant government authorities. During this process, the community was fully involved and their inputs incorporated into the EMP document. MGM worked with various stakeholders including government departments, Local Government, environmental consultants and the community,” said Jackson. Jackson added: “During operations, MGM has continuously engaged the same stakeholders, especially the community on resulting environmental impacts such as dust, noise, vibrations and fly rock. Specific seismographic data on vibrations and air blasts was shared with the community. In the recent months, MGM management met with the community leadership, or through Kgotla meetings at least three times, thus, in June, August and September 2023.
In all these meetings the community was engaged about the mining activities, and environmental issues were discussed.” As per the EMP requirements, and standard mining practice, notifications are given every time before any blasting activity, Jackson further stated. “This is done without fail to ensure that people evacuate (or take cover) from the 500m radius of the mine for safety reasons. It is for the same reason that the roads within the 500m radius are closed off for that 30 minutes during blasting, until the blast is safely cleared.
This is a standard practice as per blasting regulations, and because of the sensitivity of the operation, the police are involved to enforce compliance," Jackson clarified then. He added: "The recent fly rock incident is considered an isolated incident which is still being investigated. In the area named, this is the first occurrence since mining operation began in February 2023.
However, the incident is not a total surprise as this happened within the 500m blasting radius. Investigations into this incident will also include review of blasting parameters to ensure these are aligned with the current pit depths to minimise any more such occurrences. Thus, MGM is aware of the environmental issues caused by the mining activity, and it is strictly adhering to the EMP, and doing even more to ensure a safe operation and co-existence with the community.”