Finding Nema: The National Environmental Management Act, the De Hoop Dam, Conflict Resolution and Alternative Dispute Resolution in Environmental Disputes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2006/v9i3a2829Abstract
At a time when it is recognised that large dams have potentially serious environmental consequences; it appears that a dam, the De Hoop dam, is to be constructed in Mpumalanga Province. The dam may seriously disrupt ecosystems in the Kruger National Park. Authorisation for the dam was granted by the Minister: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, based on a badly flawed environmental impact assessment (EIA) process; the Record of Decision (ROD) from the Minister was equally inadequate. Following objections and appeals, the Minister released a revised RoD in which important changes were made. The flawed EIA and approval processes, however, may come back to haunt the decision-maker; yet value lies in the lessons to be drawn from the initial failure to consider the views of interested and affected parties. In the end, an abridged form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is to be followed; but much harm could have been avoided had this been done from the beginning.
The ‘de hoop’ must be that these errors will be avoided in future in such disputes and a culture of ADR fostered.
Downloads
References
Bibliography
Axelrod Evolution of Cooperation
Axelrod R The Evolution of Cooperation (New York Basic Books 1984)
Bray 1999 SAJELP
Bray E "Co-operative Governance in the Context of the National
Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998" 1999(6) South African
Journal of Environmental Law and Policy 1
DWA Management of Water Resources
Department of Water Affairs Management of Water Resources of the
Republic of South Africa (DWA Pretoria 1986)
Groenewald 2006 M&G 6 Oct
Groenewald Y "De Hoop Dam Gets Thumbs Up" 2006 Mail & Guardian 6 Oct 18
Macleod 2006 M&G 4 Aug
Macleod F "Mbeki Joins Assault on Green Laws" 2006 Mail & Guardian 4 Aug 11
Macleod 2006 M&G 3 Feb
Macleod F "Damned from the Start" 2006 Mail & Guardian 3 Feb 5
Nilsson 2005 Nature
Nilsson C "Flood Warnings" 2005 435(23) Nature 1031
Scudder Future of Large Dams
Scudder T The Future of Large Dams: Dealing with the Social,
Environmental and Political Costs (London Earthscan 2005)
Schulze and Pike "Agrohydrological Modeling"
Schulze RE and Pike A "Agrohydrological Modeling as a Tool for Conflict Resolution in Integrated and Sustainable Water Resources Management"
SAIAE Symposium. Presentation at the Symposium of the SA Institute of Agricultural Engineers, Pietermaritzburg, 1995
Turton "Water Scarcity"
Turton AR "Water Scarcity and Social Adaptive Capacity: Towards an
Understanding of the Social Dynamics of Managing Water Scarcity in
Developing Countries" MEWREW Occasional Paper 9. Water Issues Study
Group, Department of Geography, SOAS University of London, 1999
Register of Internet resources
Anon 2006 Business Day http://www.businessday.co.za/ 17 May
Anon "Assessing the EIA" 2006 Business Day 15 May [Found on internet] http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/opinion.aspx?ID=BD4A200131 [Date of use 17 May 2006]
Bateleurs 2006 Newsletter http://www.bateleurs.co.za/ 26 Aug Bateleurs 2006 Bateleurs Newsletter June/July [Found on internet] http://www.bateleurs.co.za/ [Date of use 26 Aug 2006]
Bloomberg 2006 Creamer Media http://www.miningweekly.co.za/ 26 Aug
Bloomberg N "Fresh environmental concerns over De Hoop dam" 2006 Creamer Media 14 Aug http://www.miningweekly.co.za/components/print.asp?id=91695 [Date of use 26 Aug 2006]
Bosshard 1999 WCD http://www.dams.org/ 17 May
Bosshard P "An NGO Look at Large Dams" 1999 World Commission on Dams [Found on internet] http://www.dams.org/news_events/events_london0799_bosshard.htm [Date of use 17 May 2006]
DEAT 2006 http://www.dwaf.gov.za/ 1 Nov
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Revised Record of
Decision: De Hoop Dam Project Reference 12/12/20/553 Olifants River
Water Resources Development Project (Phase 2): Infrastructure Development 16 October 2006. [Found on internet] http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Projects/Olifant/documents/pdf/RevisedROD16Oct 06.pdf [Date of use 1 November 2006]
DEAT 2006 http://www.environment.gov.za/ 17 Oct
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism 2006 Statement from the
Office of Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs & Tourism (29 September 2006) [Found on internet] http://www.environment.gov.za/NewsMedia/MedStat/2006Sep29_1/290920 06.html [Date of use 17 October 2006]
DEAT 2005 http://www.dwaf.gov.za/ 17 May
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism 2005 Record of Decision for Project Reference 12/12/20/553 De Hoop Dam (21 November 2005)
[Found on internet] http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Projects/Olifant/documents/pdf/RoD21Nov05part .pdf [Date of use 17 May 2006]
DWAF 2006 http://www.dwaf.gov.za/ 17 May
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 2006 Speech by Ms BP Sonjica.
Mpumalanga Provincial Water Summit: White River (16 January 2006)
[Found on internet] http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Communications/MinisterSpeeches/2006/MpumWaterSummit16Jan06.doc [Date of use 17 May 2006]
DWAF 2005 http://www.dwaf.gov.za/ 17 May
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 2005 Olifants River Water
Resources Development Project: Environmental Impact Assessment:
Environmental Impact Report, Final (13 October 2005) [Found on internet] http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Projects/olifant/documents/pdf/FinalEIROct05chap1 .pdf [Date of use 17 May 2006]
DWAF 2004 http://www.info.gov.za/ 17 May
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 2004 Olifants River Water Resource Development Project (DWAF ORWRDP 9 June 2004) [Found on internet] http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2004/0406091515001.htm [Date of use 17 May 2006]
DWAF 2004 (1) http://www.dwaf.gov.za/ 17 May
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 2004 Water resource development a priority in the Olifants and Mogalakwena/Sand Catchment
(DWAF ORWRDP 2 March 2004) [Found on internet] http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Projects/olifant/ [Date of use 17 May 2006]
DWAF 2004 (2) http://www.dwaf.gov.za/ 17 May
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 2004 National Water Resource Strategy and Water Use Objectives (September 2004) [Found on internet] http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/Policies/NWRS/Sep2004/pdf/Appendix A.pdf [Date of use 17 May 2006]
DWAF 1997 http://www.dwaf.gov.za/ 1 Nov
DWAF White Paper on a National Water Policy for South Africa April 1997
[Found on internet] http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/Policies/nwpwp.pdf [Date of use 1 November 2006]
Govt Info 2006 P&LON http://www.polity.org.za/ 24 May
Government Information "Women dominate Mbeki‘s mini-Cabinet reshuffle"
Policy and Law Online News [Found on internet] http://www.polity.org.za/pol/news/?show=86670 [Date of use 24 May 2006]
Govt Info 2006 (1) http://www.info.gov.za/ 17 May
Government Information 2006 Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa [Found on internet] http://www.info.gov.za/asgisa/ [Date of use 17 May 2006]
Govt Info 2006 (2) http://www.info.gov.za/ 17 May
Government Information 2006 Government’s Programme of Action – 2006
[Found on internet]
http://www.info.gov.za/aboutgovt/poa/report/economic.htm [Date of use 17 May 2006]
Mbeki 2003 http://www.info.gov.za/ 17 May
Mbeki T 2003 State of the Nation Address of the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, Houses of Parliament, Cape Town, 14 February 2003 [Found on internet] http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2003/03021412521001.htm [Date of use 17 May 2006]
Wray sa 2006 KPTON http://www.krugerpark.co.za/ 30 May
Wray M "Another dam planned in the Olifants River Catchment" sa 2006 Kruger Park Times Online News [Found on internet] http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-3-4-another-dam-22096.html [Date of use 30 May 2006]
Wray sa 2006 KPTON (1) http://www.krugerpark.co.za/ 17 May
Wray M "Another objection against the De Hoop Dam" sa 2006 Kruger Park Times Online News [Found on internet]
http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-2-22-de-hoop-dam-
html [Date of use 17 May 2006]
Wray sa 2006 KPTON (2) http://www.krugerpark.co.za/ 17 May
Wray M "De Hoop Dam gets go-ahead" sa 2006 Kruger Park Times Online
News [Found on internet] http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-2-
-de-hoop-dam-21203.html [Date of use 17 May 2006]
Wray sa 2006 KPTON (3) http://www.krugerpark.co.za/ 17 May
Wray M "De Hoop Dam threatens species yet to be named" sa 2006 Kruger Park Times Online News http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-2-
-dam-threatens-species.html [Date of use 17 May 2006]
Register of legislation
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
Environment Conservation Act 73 of 1989
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002
National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998
National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004
National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003
National Parks Act 57 of 1976
National Water Act 36 of 1998
Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999
Regulations R385 in Government Gazette No 28753 of 21 April 2006
Regulations R1182, R1183 and R1184 in Government Gazette No 18261 of 5 September 1997
White Paper on a National Water Policy for South Africa 1997
Register of cases
Director, Mineral Development, Gauteng Region and Another v Save the Vaal
Environment and Others 1999 2 SA 709 (SCA)
Treaties and conventions
Biodiversity Convention 1992 at http://www.biodiv.org/convention
Public notices
Rustenburg Platinum Mines Ltd. Notice: Environmental Impact Assessment: Richmond Dam – Amended Scoping Report (undated)
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2017 E Couzens, M Dent
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
.png){kind=spacer}