Living Limpopo

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BULLDOZING THE BAOBABS - Should 600,000 protected trees be destroyed to make way for coal-fuelled industrial development?

Lauren Liebenberg

The destruction of so many thousands of ancient Baobabs to make way for coal mines and heavy industrial development speaks to the tragedy unfolding in the Vhembe

The public outcry and intense media coverage since we broke the story of the licenses issued to bulldoze the Baobabs and other protected trees on the sites of the Musina-Makhado SEZ industrial zones, has been overwhelming - but gratifying. In case you missed it, Living Limpopo together with CALS and our attorneys at ALL RISE have obtained records - after the most absurd wrangle with DFFE (National Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment) - connected to licences to destroy the protected trees to make way for the industrial mega-project. They reveal that 658,058 protected trees, including 10,000 Baobabs, will have to be 'cut down using chainsaws into stumps' on the 8,000 Ha South Site, and a further 10,000 at the 3,500 Ha North Site. The stumps of the Baobabs will speak eloquently for the tragedy of destroying an entire landscape to exploit a new coalfield even as the climate and nature crisis intensifies.

Below is our full press statement and a sample of the media coverage this has generated. We are heartened by the strength of the opposition to this assault on our bio-cultural heritage and by the full-throttle mobilisation by organisations and the public to halt the destruction. We will share news and updates as the gears begin to shift in Limpopo and will report back on the outcome of our continuing investigation into the dubious circumstances surrounding the commencement of indigenous vegetation clearance and protected tree removal on the North Site of the MMSEZ which lacks even SEZ designation. See our December 2022 blog post with the evidence.

Thanks for your ongoing support in this campaign and stand by as we shift our focus from biodiversity to water - the bulldozing of the baobabs in Limpopo will happen in lockstep with the plundering of the water.

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SABC News, Oliver Dickson, 10 Nov “Limpopo plans to strip away protected flora”

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DA LIMPOPO

Issued by Jacques Smalle MPL – DA Provincial Spokesperson for LEDET; 06 Nov 2024 Press Statements

“Limpopo stakeholders deserve honesty from government regarding the Musina/Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ)”

PRESS RELEASE

LICENSE TO DESTROY PROTECTED TREES

Living Limpopo has obtained records connected to licences to destroy the protected trees on the MMSEZ sites, which reveal that 658,058 protected trees, including 10,000 Baobabs, will have to be cut down on the 8,000 Ha South Site, and a further 10,000 at the 3,500 Ha North Site.

The records were released by the Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment in response to an application under the Protection of Access to Information Act made by  All Rise Attorneys for Climate and Environmental Justice acting for Living Limpopo and CALS. The bundle of documents received suggests that of the multiple applications lodged by the MMSEZ since 2020, two licences have so far been granted, both for the North Site – in 2023 and renewed on 20 May 2024 for the destruction of 1,000 Baobab, Marula, Leadwood and Shepherds trees.

DISCREPANCIES WITH ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

The 2022 application for approval to ‘cut using chainsaws into stumps’ 658,058 protected trees on the South 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 the Vhembe converted from natural 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.

CAMPAIGN ACTION

We have launched an inquiry into the legal status of the North Site of the MMSEZ, and will continue to monitor the licensing of protected tree destruction at all sites of the SEZ and the planned new coal mines.

We have opposed the approval of the Water Use License, the 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 South Site.

The judicial review case brought in December 2022 by Living Limpopo, CALS and others against the decision to grant environmental authorisation for site establishment at the South 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.

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MORE INFORMATION:

●     The records and other relevant documents related to the protected tree permits can be accessed here

●     Further information on the EIA and public participation process for the MMSEZ South Site projects is available here

●     Further information on Living Limpopo is available here

●     Contacts:

Background:

The Vhembe Biosphere Reserve region in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province possesses some of South Africa’s most unique and pristine natural landscapes. The creation of a 60 Km2 heavy industrial zone in the region known as the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone threatens to cause severe and irreversible degradation: The MMSEZ, a joint China-South Africa state-backed industrial mega-project focused on steel manufacture, is ultra- high risk, both economically and environmentally. Its cumulative impact, not least in driving the exploitation of the Greater Soutpansberg Coalfield, will be catastrophic in this water-scarce and sensitive region. Site establishment for the industrial zones will require the clearance of large tracts of indigenous vegetation, much of it classified as a critical biodiversity area. The destruction of all specimens of protected tree species must be separately licensed.