69 mines operating without water licences

"It however remains unacceptable [for any mine to operate] without a valid water licence," stresses Morgan, who is the DA Shadow Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs.

"How are mines even allowed to begin operating if they do not have permission from the start to use water and discharge it thereafter back into water courses?" Morgan queries, adding that the greatest number of mines operating without a water licence is in Mpumalanga where 23 mines use and discharge water without the necessary authorisations, Gauteng has 17 mines, KZN has 12 and North West province 7. "The Minister has revealed that 66 of these 69 mines have applied for water use licences and they are now in the process of being assessed," Morgan says -"[o]f these 66, 21 mines have been asked to provide further information on their water usage."

According to Morgan, there is not enough coordination by the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Water Affairs on the issue. In addition, he says, "the Minister and her Department have not attempted to close any mine down for operating without a water licence." Morgan warns that the Minister should avoid from reinforcing the view that mines can begin operations without a water licence "by simply approving the licences for all mines that have already begun operations."

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