Abstract
M.A.
In Gauteng alone there are approximately 240 gold mine residue deposits (sand dumps and tailings dams) from gold mining activities on the Witwatersrand, stretching from Randfontein in the West to Nigel in the East.
These gold mine residue deposits are generally situated close to residential and industrial
areas, to major highways and important watercourses and wetlands. They are potentially
hazardous structures that threaten human health and safety, property and the environment and consequently obligate effective, holistic and integrated management.
This thesis seeks to examine how current environmental management practices carried out
on selected residue deposits measures up to regulatory requirements and good practice
guidelines. In order to do this it was necessary to undertake an extensive review of all
legislation, policies, standards, guidelines and codes of practice relevant to the
management of gold mine residue deposits. The review revealed that since the introduction of the Constitution of the Republic of South
Africa in 1996, dramatic changes have occurred in the entire environmental regulatory
system. The recent environmental legal and administrative reform are forcing mining
companies to review the management of mine residue deposits as they are now faced with
stricter regulatory requirements and an increased threat of civil and criminal sanctions. The
general environmental management legal requirements for operational gold mine residue
deposits are set out in tabular form and cover all aspects relating to rehabilitation, air quality,
visual pollution, access control, hydrology, water pollution, dam stability, monitoring,
inspections and maintenance, auditing and the submission of information to the relevant
authorities.
On inspection of the selected residue deposits it was evident that required legislative
provisions were not being complied with and that the environmental management
performances relevant to these residue deposits had to be viewed within the broader
historical, political and socio-economic context.