ZAC Alien Invasive Plants Eradication Programme member Nontobeko Khumalo hard at work removing invasive plants

Ilungu lohlelo lokukhuculula izitshalo ezibulala ezinye uNksz Nontobeko Khumalo besiphula lezi zitshalo

Mitigating environmental impacts at ZAC

ZAC’s environmental department is responsible for ensuring the effective implementation and adherence to environmental standards and guidelines applicable to the mining operations.

The Environmental Department is headed by Environmental Superintendent Msawenkosi Buthelezi, who has been with ZAC since May 2017. He is responsible for coordinating, maintaining and updating all the data required for environmental reporting.

Other responsibilities include: identifying environmental risks associated with the mining operations, as well as assisting in addressing potential challenges. Evaluation of environmental audit reports compiled by environmental consultants and following-up on audit report recommendations and implementing corrective action implemented by the mines are also part of his responsibilities.

The Environmental Department investigates environmental incidents and maintains a system of reporting incidents, while also organising employee environmental awareness training to ensure they are familiar with all environmental risks associated with their duties.

Monitoring of Dust Levels

The extension of the dust monitoring network at ZAC has aided in improving the accuracy of mine dust monitoring. This has shown that while dust levels are within the legally mandated range, there remain areas that require improvement and ZAC Engineering Senior Foreman Howard Atkinson is heading the team tasked with improving dust suppression systems at the mine.

Responsible water management and safety

In terms of our specific tasks on water, the Environmental Department undertakes overall checks around the site and encourages water conservation on and off site. This includes checking for leaks and advising on the reduction of water usage during the ongoing drought.

“When it doesn’t rain and there isn’t any water in the river, we impose a strict no washing of vehicles policy until such time as we have enough water in the river to fill our dam. The dam’s full capacity can only last for 56 days before becoming totally emptied, based on the current usage patterns. It is due to this that we impose stricter water conservation measures to stretch these days further during extended periods of drought.

He adds that the department is working on a project to engage schools in order to sensitize them on all aspects of environmental management. “We are also looking to teach the people in the community about waterborne diseases, reporting of leakages and safety around water because there was an incident not so long ago where a child drowned during the school holidays, while swimming in the Mvalo River.”

Eradication of Invasive Species

ZAC created eight full-time jobs comprising local community members under its Alien Invasive Plants Eradication Programme, who are currently working on the eradication of all invasive alien plants around the mine and amongst them is Bugweed, which is called Ubhongabhonga in isiZulu.

“Bugweed is a fast-growing, soft-woody, evergreen shrub to small tree. It has a dense covering of soft, white hairs on the stems, flower stalks and underside of the leaves. Bugweed invades forest margins, plantations, roadsides, urban spaces, but also sparsely forested ravines in protected areas. Besides shading out indigenous vegetation, bugweed causes great economic losses in plantations, its hairs act as skin and respiratory irritants, and the unripe berries are toxic,” states Msawenkosi, explaining the reasons why this weed needs to be eradicated.

Further, he notes that the community members are being trained and upon completion, they will become certified Pesticide Control Operators (PCO). This will assist them in securing future employment opportunities, or even enable them to start their own companies under the Alien Invasive Plants Management Programme, which falls under the auspices of the Department of Environmental Affairs.

Borehole monitoring network and pollution control dam lining

ZAC has consistent monitoring of water systems throughout the mine property as part of its water use license. However, it is now drilling eight additional boreholes to extend the monitoring network and to comply with the new requirements of the water use license. “We’re also equipping some with automatic submersible pumps. The project is almost complete with the only thing remaining to be done being the electrification of the system.”

Another big project Msawenkosi’s Environmental department is working on is the lining of ZAC’s 28 pollution control dams (PCDs), which are expected to be completed over the course of the next five years at an estimated cost of R90 million. PCDs form an integral and important part of the water management systems at a mine. Different types of PCDs may exist on a mine site, such as process water dams, storm water dams, evaporation dams and other dams, possibly including excess mine water dams and natural pans.

“The purpose of a lining system in a PCD is to minimise leakage of polluted water from the dam that could result in contamination of groundwater resources. This is something that previous owners of ZAC should have done, but the burden and cost of lining now falls on us and as a responsible mining company, we are committed to fulfilling our obligations in this regard,” he states, adding that ZAC aims to start the lining of the first five dams before the end of 2019.

Ukunciphisa umonakalo kwimvelo e-ZAC

Umnyango wezemvelo e-ZAC ubhekene nokuqikelela ukuthi iyalandelwa yonke imigomo nemithetho yezemvelo ebekelwe izinkampani zezimayini.

Lo mnyango wezemvelo uholwa wuMnuz Msawenkosi Buthelezi, isikhundla aqokelwa kuso ngoMeyi 2017. Uyena obhekene nokuhlela, nokunakekelwa nanokuqinisekisa ukuthi konke kumi ngononina mayelana nakho konke okuthinta ezemvelo.

Kweminye imisebenzi yakhe kukhona ukubheka okungase kube yingozi enkampanini kanjalo nokuqhamuka nezisombululo ezinselelweni ezingase zibe khona. Uyena obheka nemibiko yokucwaningwa kwezemvelo esuke ihlanganiswe ngochwepheshe futhi alandelele iziphakamiso ezisuke zenziwe kanjalo nokulungisa okusuke kudinga ukulungiswa.

Umnyango wezemvelo uphenya nezigameko ezithinta imvelo futhi yiwona ogada ukuthi ihlale ilandelwa indlela ebekiwe yokubikwa kwezigameko, yiwona njalo ohlela izinhlelo zokuqwashisa abasebenzi ngokunakekelwa kwemvelo kanjalo nezingozi ezihambisana nomsebenzi wazo.

Ukugadwa kwamazinga othuli

Ukwandiswa kohlelo lokugadwa kwezinga lothuli e-ZAC sekusizile ukuphucula lo msebenzi emayini. Nakuba amazinga othuli ehambisana nalokhu okubekwe ngumthetho kodwa zikhona izindawo ezidinga ukuphuculwa kanti uMnuz Howard Atkinson oyiMfolomane eNkulu yezobuNjiniyela e-ZAC nguyena ohola ithimba elibhekele lowo msebenzi wokwehlisa amazinga othuli emayini.

Ukusetshenziswa kahle kwamanzi nangendlela ephephile

Umnyango wezemvelo yiwona obhekelele ukusetshenziswa kahle kwamanzi ngokubheka ukuthi yonke into ihlelekile kanjalo nokugqugquzela ukongiwa kwamanzi emayini nangaphandle. Lokhu kufaka ukubheka lapho amanzi avuza khona, ukufundisa ngokwehlisa ukusetshenziswa kwamanzi njengoba silokhu siqhubeka isomiso.

“Uma lingani futhi engekho amanzi Emfuleni, sibeka umthetho oqinile wokuthi aziwashwa izimoto kuze kube namanzi anele emfuleni ukugcwalisa idamu. Uma ligcwele idamu lihlala izinsuku eziwu-56 ngaphambi kokuthi aphele nya amanzi. Yingakho nje sibeka imithetho eqinile yokonga amanzi ukuze sandise izinsuku uma kunesomiso isikhathi eside,” kusho u-Howard.

Wengeze ngokuthi bahlanganisa uhlelo lokusebenzisana nezikole ukuze bazifundise ngokongiwa kwemvelo. “Sizimisele nanokufundisa abantu emphakathini ngezifo ezitholakala emanzini, ukubika uma kukhona lapho amanzi evuza khona kanjalo nangokuphepha emanzini ngoba kusanda kuba khona isigameko lapho ingane yaminza emfuleni iMvalo kade kuvalwe izikole.”

Ukususwa kwezitshalo ezingabulala ezinye

I-ZAC isisungule imisebenzi egcwele eyisishiyagalombili ngaphansi kohlelo i-Alien Invasive Plants Eradication Programme, okumanje basebenza ukususa izitshalo ezibulala ezinye okukhona kuzo ubhongabhonga.

“Ubhongabhonga yihlamvu elithambile elikhula ngamandla libe yisihlahla esincane. Unoboya obumhlophe esiqwini nasemahlamvini. Ubhongabhonga umila ehlathini, ensimini, eceleni komgwaqo nasezindaweni zokuhlala. Ngaphandle kokudla ezinye izitshalo, ubhongabhonga udala umonakalo owenza kucwile imali, uboya bawo buzenza isikhumba kanti umayibhele oluhlaza uwushevu,” kuchaza uButhelezi ebeka izizathu zokuthi kungani lolu khula kumele lususwe.

Ngaphezu kwalokhu uButhelezi uthe laba abaqashiwe bayaqeqeshwa kanti kuzothi uma sebephothulile bazoba ngamaPesticide Control Operators asemthethweni. Lokhu kuzobasiza ukubavulela amathuba omsebenzi kanti abanye bangakwazi ukuziqalela nezinkampani zabo ngaphansi kohlelo i-Alien Invasive Plants Management Programme engaphansi komnyango wezemvelo.

Ukwandiswa kwamapitsi nokuqala kokwakhiwa kwamadamu azolekelela ukulawula ukungcola kwamanz

l-ZAC inohlelo lokuhlola ukusetshenziswa kwamanzi imayini yonke njengokwemigomo yelayisensi yayo yamanzi. Nokho manje isiyamba ukuze izofaka amanye amapitsi ayisishiyagalombili ukwandisa uhlelo layo lokuhlola nokugcina imithetho emisha yokuba nelayisensi yamanzi.

“Sifakela amanye amapitsi namaphampu azishintshayo. Lolu hlelo seluzophela njengoba into esisele ukuthi afakelwe ugesi.” Olunye uhlelo oluholwa wumnyango ka-Reginald olokwakha amadamu alawula ukungcola ama-pollution control dams (ama-PCD) awu28 ase-ZAC nokubhekwe ukuthi kube sekuphothuliwe eminyakeni emihlanu ezayo kanti kubhekwe ukuthi kudle imali elinganiselwa kuR90 million. Ama-PCD ayingxenye ebalulekile yohlelo lokuphathwa kwamanzi emayini kanti kunezinhlobo ezihlukene zala madamu.

“Inhloso yokwenza lolu hlelo lwe-PCD wukunciphisa ukuvuza kwamanzi angcolile edamini nokungaholela ekutheni kungcole amanzi angaphansi komhlaba. Lona wumsebenzi okwakufanele abaphathi bemayini bakudala ngabe bawenza kodwa manje usuwenziwa yithina,” kusho u-Reginald owengeze ngokuthi kuzoqalwa ngedamu lokuqala ngaphambi kokuthi uphele u-2019.

Environmental Superintendent Msawenkosi Buthelezi ensures ZAC complies with all environmental requirements

UNsumpa wezeMvelo uMsawenkosi Buthelezi uqinisekisa ukuthi i-ZAC igcina yonke imithetho yezemvelo