Sand mining angers villagers

ISAAC PINIELO
Correspondent | Wednesday July 14, 2010 00:00

Because the river is their main source of water for horticultural projects, the villagers fear that since the mining is on a large scale, the riverbed faces erosion as well as depletion of underground waters. They also fear for the submergence of farming land near the river.

Last week, when the Mmegi crew visited the village, it was clear that the villagers were disgruntled.  In an interview, Chief Batisani Moeti of Mathangwane said; 'We have a very serious problem. There is a giant company from Francistown that is harvesting sand from our river and we have never been consulted about this' .

Moeti went on to explain how Panda Plant has not followed the right procedure in mining sand from his village. 'They should have applied for a permit from the relevant department and should have carried out an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) before starting their operations,' charged the irate chief.

He said their enquiries have revealed that the Panda Plant has not been issued with a river sand mining licence and that they might not have consulted the roads department before opening the road that leads to the riverbed.

The chief indicated that he has written letters to the Marapong sub-land board and the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Affairs appealing for their intervention.

VDC representative, Lenkwetse Mathala concurred that the company did not consult them about their intentions to harvest sand from the river. He said he only heard that a certain company from Francistown was harvesting sand without permission. 'Villagers think we are the ones who have given these people a go-ahead. We are as surprised by these activities as they (villagers) are,' he noted.

Melton Bangale, who is chairman of Tshukudu Horticultural Growers Association, said the river, which starts all the way from Mbalambi village in the North East to Shashe, is a natural resource that has been a source of water for residents in villages that are along the banks of that river. It snakes through villages, farms and cattle posts until it eventually disappears into the Limpopo River.

Bangale explained that his association represents everyone who is into horticulture in the Tutume sub-district, Tonota sub-district and North East District where the river passes.

His main trepidation is that mining activity is posing threats of widespread depletion of water resources which may lead to avoidable food shortages and hardships for the villagers.

He emphasised the importance of sand in the sustenance of the river, noting that uncontrolled sand mining from the riverbed could lead to the destruction of the entire river system. In addition, commercial agricultural projects and small stock farmers in the village would collapse.

'Our zoning was such that the land was for farming purposes, so if water vanishes from the river there would be no life for us,' he said.

Some farmland owners who live on the other side of the river said their pleas for the sand mining activities to be halted have come to naught. 'We want to know who gave these people permission to fetch sand from our river. Our farms depend on the water in this river, so why would people just take out sand from the river without us being consulted,' bellowed 68 year-old Tshambani Keeme.

When contacted for comment, managing director of Panda Plant, Andre Van Zyl defended his company saying he is only buying sand from a certain Motswana man who has been issued with the permit to harvest sand in that river.

'We don't have a permit, so we are buying sand from someone who has a permit,' said Zyl before faxing a copy of the permit issued to one Philemon Thamage, numbered 2010/22P. He also attached a copy of an agreement they made with the permit holder for them to buy about 150 cubes of river sand per day from the permit holder.

According to the Department of Mines, sand mining licence issuance requires that an applicant first consults the community and its leaders and that after obtaining such license the sand miner should go back to the community and inform them about starting the sand mining business in the area.

Movement of heavy vehicles, the department says, sometimes causes problems to cattle posts, agriculture land, human habitations, borehole users due to dust, noise and movement of public, and also causes traffic hazards. It further points out that harvesting of river sand is the main source of environmental degradations.

The department of mines also states that cattle and children also face the risk of falling into sand pits at the river bed. There can also be riverbank collapses due to close proximity of sand extraction.

'Cattle watering practices get disturbed due to mining and quality or quantity of such water goes down. Wildlife is also partially affected by such sand harvesting as they are directly or indirectly dependant on the river,' says the department.The department also prohibits the collection of sand within 2.5 to 5 metres from bank, especially from the outer bank of the meandering river.

At least 0.5m sand bed, it warns, should be left in-situ while harvesting sand from the riverbed. River stretches close to the villages or where human activity exists should also be avoided for sand extractions.

Sand is often used in manufacturing and it contributes to the construction of buildings and development.