As reported in the South African media and on Jordan Wine’s website, wine farms like Zevenwacht, Saxenburg  and Jordan in Stellenbosch as well as De Grendel in the Tygerberg wine district, are under the threat of mineral prospecting on their lands.

Threatened dwarf chameleon found only on Jordan farmlands

Stop Mining the Cape Winelands
2010-02-25
African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation (AEMFC) has applied for prospecting rights for tin, zinc, lead, lithium, copper, manganese and silver on the farms Annex Langverwacht 245 (which includes Saxenburg, Jordan, Langverwacht and Zevenwacht Estates), Haasendal 222 and the remaining extent of Rosendal 249. The Department of Mineral Resources has provisionally accepted these prospecting rights.

AEMFC is state-owned and funded by the Central Energy Fund. It has been exempted by the Minister of Minerals and Energy from many provisions of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act in regard to prospecting rights, mining rights and mining permits. According to the Chamber of Mines these provisions normally require applicants to submit environmental management programmes and to consult with interested and affected parties.

To date, many of the landowners and most of the interested and affected parties have not been consulted nor received notification regarding the above prospecting rights and possible mining activities.

Meeting to be held at Zevenwacht at 10h00 on Saturday 27th February 2010:

A meeting of concerned residents as well as interested and affected parties has been called by Mr. Gary Jordan of Jordan Wine Estate, which will take place at the Conference Centre at Zevenwacht Estate at 10h00 on Saturday 27th February. All interested and affected parties are welcome to attend. None of the farmers and landowners affected as well as their employees in the surrounding area wish the prospecting and mining activities to go ahead. Not only are these farms all members of the Bottelary Renosterbos Conservancy, but they do not wish to see their vineyards and farmland being bulldozed or disturbed in any way. Mining activities would inevitably impact on tourism while the lowering of production and quality of wines from the wine estates in the area would result in the loss of farming jobs. Property values in the surrounding area would decrease.

For more information regarding the meeting, please contact 021 – 8813441 or follow our Facebook page, STOP Mining the Winelands. Were adding new information every day and appreciate any support from the public.