The Der Brochen Mine Project (Der Brochen) is a platinum project owned by Rustenburg Platinum Mines Limited (RPM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Anglo-American Platinum (AAP), and is located approximately 30 km south-southwest of the town of Steelpoort (approximately 40 km by road) and 35 km west of Mashishing (Lydenburg) (approximately 65 km by road). Der Brochen falls within the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality, under the Sekhukhune District Municipality of the Limpopo Province.
The Mototolo Concentrator and associated Mareesburg tailings storage facility (TSF) at Der Brochen is undergoing continual improvement in water management. This has resulted in proposed design changes to the licensed return water dam (RWD) at the Mareesburg TSF on the farm Mareesburg 8 JT, Portion 7, owned by RPM and licensed under Water Use Licence No. 06/B41G/ABCFGIJ/5329, 10 May 2017. The proposed design changes are within the authorised RWD footprint but require a new authorisation in terms of the National Water Act (NWA) (Act 36 of 1998) due to the increase volume requirements that will be associated with the licensed RWD. The following Section 21 water uses will be applied for through a Water Use Licence Application (WULA) process in terms of the NWA. The following Section 21 water uses will be applied for in terms of the NWA:
- Section 21(g): Disposing of waste or water containing waste in a manner which may detrimentally impact on a water resource – due to increase in the licensed capacity and disposal volume of the RWD and an associated pre-settlement pond;
- Section 21(c) and (i): Impeding or diverting the flow of water in a watercourse and altering the beds, banks and characteristics of a watercourse water – in respect of the outer sections of RWD within 100 m of a watercourse.
Before RPM may commence with the proposed project, a new WULA for the project-related water uses needs to be undertaken for submission and approval from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
SRK has been appointed by AAP as an independent practitioner to undertake the WULA and associated public participation process as per NWA requirements.
