1. Nikisi Lesufi Senior Executive Chamber of Mines
Environmental Management Of Current and Legacy Sites: Mining Industry Perspectives
Nikisi Lesufi
Senior Executive
Chamber of Mines

2. Operational Background
Over a century of mining – different stages of development and maturity
Dynamic environment: - role players/policies/legislation keep changing
Environmental impacts of abandoned, ownerless and legacy sites
Sustainable development imperatives

3. Legislative Imperatives
Environment is a concurrent competence (national and provincial)
Fragmented framework
Prevention of future legacies
Continuous improvements: Decision Support Systems (Technical and Legal)

4. MPRDA Compliance by Authorisation Holders
Responsibility for Environmental Management and Remediation
Financial Guarantees for rehabilitation
Mine Closure
Continuation of liability until certification

5. Environmental Management Programme (EMP)
Description of environmental goals and objectives
Management of identified impacts
Description of appropriate & technical management options chosen for each impact
Planned monitoring and performance assessment
Environment awareness plan
Undertaking to comply with the Act

6. Rehabilitation Concurrent rehabilitation End of life rehabilitation
Reducing the “environmental footprint”
Funded from running costs
End of life rehabilitation
Rehab that will affect the normal operating procedures: shafts, roads, beneficiation plants, etc
Funded from the trust funds

7. Legacy Sites Waste Management and Acid Mine Drainage Dewatering
Effluent discharges
Water pollution control dams
Tailings and waste rock storage facilities liability

8. Management of Impacts from Legacy Sites (1)
Collective approaches
Emalahleni Water Reclamation Plant and other initiatives in the Olifants River Catchment
Witwatersrand proposals for AMD management
Wonderfonteinspruit Remediation Action Plan

9. Legacy Sites – Individual Approaches
Water treatment facilities
Number of companies: Xstrata, Optimum, Goldfields, AngloGold Ashanti
Mega Tailings Storage Facilities
Harmony Gold
Goldfields
Mintails
Rand Uranium

10. Conclusions Innovative approaches to legacy sites;
Search for win-win solutions
Regulatory flexibility
Improved environmental performance by mining companies
Social license to operate
Monitoring and enforcement
Obligations of gov depts to cooperate
Multi-Stakeholder Approaches: “Sharing of notes”

11. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
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