"Another environmental authorisation for a coal mine set aside", 17 Nov 2017

...[E]nvironmental justice group Earthlife Africa Johannesburgand the Concerned Citizens of Lephalale, assisted by the Centre for Environmental Rights, launched an appeal against the decision of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) to grant an environmental authorisation to Groothoek Coal Mining for the proposed construction of a coal mine in Lephalale, Limpopo...The opencast coal mine would have been located a few hundred metres from a block of flats, and from the provincial hospital in Lephalale. The risk that blasting at the proposed coal mine would cause the houses in these residential areas to collapse or suffer severe structural damage was of major concern to the groups opposing this mine. It is also well-known that the Waterberg is a water scarce region, and residents have already been raising concerns regarding the constraints in water availability. Earthlife Africa and local residents argued that the proposed mine would further add to the residents’ water troubles.