“Musina Makhado: South Africa’s budding carbon emitter”, 6 May 2021

NGOs, academics and concerned citizens have teamed up to publish an open letter to the South African government voicing their misgivings about a proposed special economic zone (SEZ) in the northeast of their country near the border with Zimbabwe.

The signatories say the Musina Makhado SEZ (MMSEZ) carries grave environmental and social risks, and has lacked public participation and transparency. [...]

Hazel Shirinda, an environmental researcher with the University of Venda, and the Centre for Environmental Rights both found that the body carrying out the EIA, Delta Built Environment Consultants, had not fully solicited public opinions, in particular from communities opposed to the project, during 2019 and 2020 consultations. In the village of Mudimeli, to the south of the MMSEZ, she found many villagers didn’t even know a consultation was happening.

On 4 March, the authorities rejected an EIA report submitted in February due to a failure to fully assess environmental and energy issues. An updated version of the report will have to be produced, and an extra public consultation process run. But there are conflicts of interest for the authorities themselves, leaving academics such as Lisa Thompson and NGOs concerned they will ultimately accept the EIA report, even if it still falls short. [...]