BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT:

AS-R-2012-12-04

DMR Ref: GP 30/5/1/1/2 (10 010) MR

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF A FLUORSPAR OPENCAST, DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE FARM WALLMANNSTHAL 278 JR, GAUTENG PROVINCE

Prepared for Ulipac (Pty) Limited

December 2012

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1 INTRODUCTION

AGES (Pty) Ltd, was appointed by Ulipac (Pty) Limited to facilitate the Environmental

Authorisation Processes for the Proposed Development of an Opencast Fluorspar Mine and

Related Infrastructure on various agricultural holdings of the farm Wallmannsthal 278 JR,

Gauteng Province.

A Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Process will be required in terms of

the National Environmental Management Act (Act no. 107 of 1998) (NEMA) read with the

Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2010 (GNR 543 of 2 August 2010) as well as

section 39(1) of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act No 28 of

2002) read with regulation 48 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development

Regulations (GNR 527 of 23 April 2004).

Prior to the development of the project, Ulipac (Pty) Limited will have to acquire the necessary

Mining Right, permits and licences to commence with mining.

2 PURPOSE OF THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT

The purpose of this document is to provide you, as an interested and / or affected party (I&AP)

with:

• An overview of the proposed development

• An overview of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Process

• Details on how you can become involved in the EIA process, receive information and voice

issues or concerns regarding the proposed project, for inclusion in the Environmental

Impact Assessment Report and the Environmental Management Programme Report.

3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The project description is still at conceptual level, and could change.

The Fluorspar Project is proposed to be located on various agricultural holdings of the farm

Wallmannsthal 278 JR, Gauteng Province.

The proposed Fluorspar Project includes the design and layout of an open pit mining

operation. The total project area is approximately 290 hectares (ha) in extent. The site is

located some 20 km northeast of Pretoria alongside the N1 highway between Pretoria and

Bela-Bela and approximately 8 km from the nearest railhead. It falls within the City of Tshwane

District Municipality in the Gauteng Province

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With regards to processing, there are two options:

• Option 1: Transport ore to Nokeng which is 63 km north east of Wallmannsthal for

further processing.

• Option 2: Concentrator plant and Tailings Dam at Wallmannsthal

The overall life of mine (LOM) is estimated to be approximately 21 years.

The general coordinates for the proposed project are:

25° 31’ 40.75’’S

28° 18’ 10.10’’E

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4 ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION PROCESSES

Environmental Authorisation: An Environmental Impact Assessment in terms of the National

Environmental Management Act (Act no. 107 of 1998) (NEMA) read with the Environmental Impact

Assessment Regulations, 2010 (GNR 543 of 2 August 2010) is required. The application should

be submitted to the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD).

Mining Right: A mining right application in terms of section 22 of the Mineral and Petroleum

Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002) (MPRDA) has been submitted to the Department of

Mineral Resources: Gauteng Region (DMR). (Ref GP 30/5/1/1/2 (10 010) MR

Water Use Licence: The project will entail the undertaking of various water uses as listed in

section 21 of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) (NWA). A Water Use Licence application in

terms of section 40 of the NWA will be submitted to the Department of Water Affairs for

consideration.

Waste Management Licence in terms of section 20 of the National Environmental Management:

Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008) (NEMWA) may also be required.

5 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

The following studies are being undertaken as part of the Environmental Authorisation processes.

The terms of reference for these studies will only be finalised after the scoping phase. Should any

additional studies be required after the public participation phase it will form part of the

Environmental Impact Assessment.

• Air quality impact

• Ecological impact

• Noise impact

• Water Quantity and Quality impact

• Soil and Land Capability impact

• Heritage impact

• Social impact

• Visual impact

• Wetland impact

• Traffic impact

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2010 NEMA EIA PROCESS

Submit application form

together with declaration

of interest by EAP (S26)

Conduct PP (S27)

Prepare Draft Scoping

Report (S28)

Make Scoping Report

available for public

review (S27)

Submit at least 5 copies

of final Scoping Report

to the competent Accept report and advise to

proceed

Request amendments

Reject the report3

0 d

ay

s

Conduct PP (S28) Prepare Draft EIR and EMP Make Draft EIR and EMP

available for public review

Submit 5 copies of final EIR

and EMP to competent

authority

Accept report and advise to

proceed

Request amendments

Reject the report

60

da

ys

Grant / refuse authorisation

- within 45 days or

- within 45days after receiving

specialist input

- 30 days after lapse of 60 days

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6 YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

Information sharing forms the basis of the public involvement process. Comments and inputs from

individuals or organizations who may be affected by the proposed development are incorporated

into the impact assessment, in order to ensure that effective communication can influence the

decision making process.

Your responsibility is in:

• Assisting in the identification and prioritisation of issues that need to be investigated

• Making suggestions on alternatives and means of prevention, minimising and

managing negative impacts and enhancing project benefits

• Assisting or commenting on the development of mutually acceptable criteria for the

evaluation of decision options

• Contributing information on public needs, values and expectations

• Contributing local and traditional knowledge

• Verifying that their issues have been considered

7 HOW TO BECOME INVOLVED

In order to ensure that you are registered as an interested and/or affected party (I&AP) or if

you require further information on the application and or activity, please submit your name,

contact information, interest and relevant issues on the matter by completing the attached

registration form by 31 January 2013 and sending it to:

Environmental Assessment Practitioner: Hloni Kunene (AGES Environmental Unit)

AGES Reference: Wallmansthal EIA

Telephone Number: 012 751 2160

Fax Number: 086 607 2406

Email address: hlonik@ages-group.com

Postal Address: Postnet 74, Private Bag X07, Arcadia, 0007