Outrage over plan to destroy thousands of protected trees at MMSEZ site

The Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) was in the news again this past week, and once again, for all the wrong reasons. A huge public outcry followed when reports emerged that permission had been given to the developers of this controversial project to destroy thousands of protected trees.

According to documents in this newspaper’s possession, applications were received for the destruction of 9,000 protected trees on the proposed MMSEZ’s northern site at Antonvilla, just north of Musina, and a staggering 658,058 protected trees at the southern site in the Mopane area. The list of protected trees includes baobab (kremetart), marula (maroela), Shepherd’s (Witgat), and leadwood (hardekool) trees.

The current debacle over the destruction of protected trees centres around the application received for the northern site. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has since confirmed that the application for the southern site, dated August 2022, was not approved as it did not meet the necessary legislative requirements, and a water-use licence has not been granted.

As for the northern site, the 9,000 protected trees earmarked for destruction (all alive) included 60 baobab trees, 2,050 Shepherd’s trees, 4,840 leadwood trees, and 2,050 marula trees. It must be noted that the DFFE has since evaluated the application and did not issue a licence “due to the significant impact on the protected trees and the sensitive receiving environment”. Continuous engagements on the project took place with the project managers, and subsequently, the applicants submitted a licence application to disturb 1,000 protected trees. This application was evaluated, a site inspection was conducted, and the licence was issued to the applicant for the cutting of 1,000 protected trees.

For clarity: the applicant in the above is the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA), and the department that approved the application was the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment, and Tourism (LEDET). This has conservationists worried as they argue that only the Minister of the DFFE can approve such an application and not an official.

Among the outraged environmental groups are Living Limpopo and All Rise. In a joint statement issued by the two groups, under the names of Lauren Liebenberg (Living Limpopo) and Kirsten Youens (All Rise), they explained the great lengths the organisations had to go to obtain information about the proposed destruction of the trees, which included having to bring a Protection of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application against the DFFE. It was only after succeeding with the PAIA application that the DFFE released the information.

“The 2022 application for approval to ‘cut using chainsaws into stumps’ 658,058 protected trees on the southern site dwarfs the estimated 109,034 protected trees on the site given in the 2021 Environmental Impact Assessment undertaken for the site’s establishment. Many experts at the time argued that the assessment was grossly flawed, but in July 2022, environmental authorisation was granted regardless. The true number of trees and other vegetation that will ultimately be destroyed in a vast swathe of Vhembe, converted from natural landscape to coal mining and heavy industry, remains unknown. What is certain is that the impact on the health of both the savanna biome ecosystem and the surrounding communities will be devastating,” Liebenberg and Youens said in the statement. The list of trees includes 10,000 baobab trees.

Over 125,000 hectares of indigenous vegetation in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve will be stripped away for the MMSEZ and the estimated 10 new open-cast coal mines that will supply the industrial zone. “We have launched an enquiry into the legal status of the northern site of the MMSEZ, and will continue to monitor the licensing of protected-tree destruction at all SEZ sites and the planned new coal mines,” added Liebenberg and Youens. They have opposed the approval of the water-use licence, township establishment, and are participating in the environmental impact assessment process and emissions-licence applications for the ferrochrome smelter, coal washery, and coking plants at the MMSEZ southern site. “The judicial review case brought in December 2022 by Living Limpopo, the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, and others against the decision to grant environmental authorisation for the site establishment at the southern site, is still pending. All Rise will be in an unopposed hearing in the Polokwane High Court on 6 December to finally determine issues relating to the record of decision,” said Liebenberg and Youens.

Democratic Alliance (DA) member of parliament and provincial DA spokesperson on LEDET Mr Jacques Smalle also reacted to the proposed destruction of the trees in a media statement on Wednesday. “The DA in Limpopo calls upon the ANC-led Limpopo provincial government and the MMSEZ developer to engage in an honest and open conversation with stakeholders, including farmers, communities, and environmentalists, regarding the SEZ. Once again, the contentious and much-maligned MMSEZ has become the centre of controversy,” said Smalle regarding the licence granted for the northern site and the permits applied for concerning the southern site.

“The MMSEZ has been surrounded by controversy since its inception. At the heart of this issue is the governance of the initiative by the ANC-led provincial government, particularly regarding its openness and accountability in decision-making to date,” said Smalle.

Smalle stated that the DA in Limpopo supported all reasonable and responsible means to ignite the provincial economy, attract investment, and create much-needed job opportunities. “Currently, the MMSEZ divides both society and business. The farming sector, environmentalists, and indigenous communities all have valid concerns. Yet, it seems evident that the provincial government is determined to proceed at any cost,” said Smalle.

In the meantime, Liebenberg and Youens have urged concerned residents to join the fight against and stop this unfolding tragedy in Limpopo. To find out more, visit www.livinglimpopo.org/join-us.

Date:08 November 2024

By: Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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