The Group approach to environmental management is underpinned by the following principles:
- Compliance with all relevant legal statutes applicable to Wesizwe Platinum’s activities is non-negotiable;
- All business decisions must take due consideration of the environmental impact and the management thereof;
- Precautionary principles must apply;
- The Group must strive to develop or identify technologies that will minimise the impact of its activities on the environment;
- The Group is accountable and responsible for environmental consequences; and
- Mine design and operation are undertaken with closure in mind.
With the first ground broken on site as early as May 2010 for the initial earthworks which were being done until funding could be secured for full-scale mine development, a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) was implemented at Wesizwe Platinum’s Frischgewaagd-Ledig site.
During the earthworks phase, the following activities have ensured adherence to plan:
- The correct stripping and placement of topsoil and sub-soil off the two terraces;
- The implementation of a clean and dirty water system through the construction of upslope diversion berms and trenches;
- The construction of a pollution control dam; and
- The correct storage of both hazardous substances and hazardous waste.
An audit of environmental performance was done in August 2010 and the results indicated that the activities in this phase were 71% compliant with the requirements of the CEMP. The major non-compliances were mostly related to the actual time frames of the construction phase and not environmental management breaches. The CEMP will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that it is relevant to the construction activities on site and to address any areas of under-performance. The Company will include CEMPs in the internal audit process for third party assurance.
Monitoring programmes
As part of pre-compliance to the EMPs, various monitoring programmes were started in 2009 and continued throughout 2010. The parameters being monitored include dust fallout, PM10 (respirable dust), NO2, SO2, surface water and ground water.
To read more about the Company’s environmental monitoring programmes, see the Annual Report.
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