The future of the Mapungubwe Transfrontier Park is looking bleak, following government’s approval of Coal of Africa Limited’s (CoAL) mining license.

This follows Australian mining group CoAL announcement last Tuesday that they had been awarded a new order mining right by the Minister of Mining, Ms. Susan Shabangu, to set up an opencast coal mine and power station, called Vele Coal Mine and Mulilo power station.

This controversial project will be situated 7km east of the ecologically sensitive Mapungubwe Park, on the banks of the Limpopo River.

The Vele Coal mine and Mulilo power station consist of five farms totalling 5 800ha. Of this, 1 800ha is envisaged for open-cast mining, with the rest of the coal that will be mined underground.

The Vele-project will be developed in two phases. Phase one will initially comprise the establishment of a modular coal treatment plant, and have the ability to deliver in the order of 1 million saleable tonnes. The second phase will produce the planned full capacity of 5 million tonnes of coking coal per annum.

The company expects to start with phase one of the project by the end of this month, when the mining right has been registered.

“Mining activities will commence as soon as the mining right has been registered and the question of the water license has been finalized,” said Mr Riaan van der Merwe, chief executive of CoAL. “This is one of the biggest milestones in the company’s history and we hope we will be able to create jobs and inject investment into the province,” he added.

But even though CoAL is optimistic about the Vele-project, the granting of the mining license has sparked mixed emotions from community members, as well as concerned non-governmental groups.

Mr David Evans, chairman of the technical work group for tourism in the Mapungubwe area, described the government’s approval of the mining license as a slap in the face of countries such as Zimbabwe and Botswana that are part of the transfrontier park agreement.

He said that the coal mine will destroy an integral part of South Africa’s cultural heritage, apart from also having a negative impact on tourism in the northern parts of Limpopo, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Mr Johan Verhoef, the international coordinator for the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Park, said park employees had been caught completely offside by the mining license.

“The Mapungubwe National Park is not only a game reserve, but also a word heritage site, visited by national as well as international tourists.” Park employees said the mine and power station would change the region’s official land use from conservation to industrial.

Mr André Naudé of the Chairperson’s Association expressed the group’s dissatisfaction, saying that mining activities will strip the province of its agricultural and tourism prosperity.

“I really think that agriculture production and tourism are a lasting asset, whereas mining production has a lifespan of about 40 years.”

There are also those who welcome the “investment into the province”, arguing that the current agriculture populations can co-inside with a mining industry.

“Feelings are two-fold regarding the mine. Businessmen in the area welcome the mining license, while farmers, close to the Vele-project are not in favour of it,” was the opinion expressed by Mr Hennie Erwee, an attorney from Musina.

“If the impact on the environment is limited, the mine will be a good investment for the area, creating economical welfare for the whole region.”