A United Nations internal watchdog unit has advised its biggest development aid agency to scrap an agreement backing the development of a R165-billion heavy industry zone in Limpopo.

Our organisations have approached the High Court in Limpopo to review the lawfulness of environmental authorisation granted in respect of the heavy industrial development site of the Special Economic Zone located in northern Limpopo.

“White elephant tender-fest trampling SA’s impoverished far north” writes Living Limpopo’s Lauren Liebenberg in Daily Maverick

The UNDP’s internal investigative unit, SECU, has announced the findings of its preliminary investigation into the complaint made by Living Limpopo and EarthLife Africa against the MoU signed by the UNDP with the MMSEZ. There is a case to be heard.

After six years of planning and R600m on scoping reports and site preparation, there is still no clear answer on how a proposed heavy industry hub in Limpopo will be powered.

Environmental organisations are planning to pursue court action after the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (Ledet) rejected their appeal to have the environmental authorisation of the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone reviewed.

In an Open Letter served on the UNDP, civil society has strongly criticised the decision by the UNDP to support the heavily coal-dependent industrial development in the UNESCO Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in Limpopo, South Africa. The letter calls upon the UNDP to demonstrate its commitment to environmental and human rights and its own principles by publicly retracting the MOU it has signed with the MM-SEZ SOC.

Whatever profits are to be made will be pocketed not by South African pension funds invested in JSE-listed firms, but by Chinese-owned contractors. The South African taxpayer will be saddled with paying the debt to China to construct all the infrastructure needed.

On the 17th of March 2022, the UNDP announced its endorsement and support of the Musina-Makhafo SEZ, to the unbridled shock of the local and international environmental and social justice activist community opposing the ecocidal and economically ruinous project.

EarthLife Africa and groundWork, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, plan legal action against LEDET following its granting of environmental authorisation for the Musina-Makhado SEZ on the 23rd of February.

The Musina-Makhado Special Economic ZoneMail & Guardian (MMSEZ), a pet project of President Cyril Ramaphosa since 2018, was approved on 23 February.

Letter from the vampire in the blood bank; the Limpopo provincial government granting environmental authorisation for its own economically and environmentally ruinous project.

In a two-hour pitch, the dtic ‘n’ co punted the MM-SEZ as a done-deal, down to the coal-fired power plant.