LEDET MEC Thabo Mokone summarily dismisses all appeals against Environmental Authorisation of the MM-SEZ South Site

On the 8th of July, the appeals brought by a host of civil society organisations – including Wits University’s CALS and All Rise Attorneys; the Centre for Environmental Rights acting for groundWork, Earth Life Africa, MEJCON and Dzomo La Mupo; Natural Justice; Christo Reeders representing the UNESCO Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, the EWT, several nature reserves and farming interests; WESSA and BirdLife Africa – were dismissed in two-page dispatches from MEC Thabo Mokone.

Following the announcement, MMSEZ SOC CEO Masoga crowed in the press that he was done bending over backwards for the thousands of registered Interested and Affected Parties – the “champions of poverty” in the words of this loyal ANC cadre, and “advocates for the perpetuation of unemployment” whose egos had gotten in the way of “our people" – the “voiceless poor of Limpopo” and “unnecessarily delayed” the R257-billion mega-project.