Waste Management Licence Application for the Management of All Waste Streams for the Open Pit and Underground
Operations at Venetia Mine, Limpopo Province

Background to the EIA

De Beers Consolidated Mines (Pty) Ltd (DBCM) has appointed Environmental 
Resources Management Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd (ERM), as the independent  environmental consultants to undertake the Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for the proposed Waste Management Licence Application for the listed activities associated with the upgrade of the Waste Management Facility (WMF) and tyres of a designated area on the waste rock dump for the disposal of demolition and building materials, at Venetia Mine (Venetia), Limpopo Province.

Purpose of this Document

The purpose of this Background Information Document (BID) is to provide Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) with background information about the proposed project and to outline the EIA process to be undertaken.  Further this document intends to inform I&APs on how to participate in the EIA Process. You are encouraged to register as an I&AP so that you can be kept informed about the project throughout the process. 

Further documents will be available at various stages during the EIA process to provide I&APs with detailed information about the project and there will be further opportunities to ask questions, raise issues of concern and give suggestions to enhance benefits of the Project.  Stakeholders will also be  given the opportunity to verify that their issues have been considered and to comment on any study findings. Thereafter, the  findings, along with your comments will be submitted to the competent authority, namely the national Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), for consideration. Please note that the Draft Scoping Report is available for comment at the following locations:

Location Contact Location Contact
Local Musina Municipal Library (015) 534 6100 Musina Spar (015) 534 1012
Blouberg Municipality Alldays Satellite Library (015) 5751144 Community Hall—Nancefield 0800 11 8000
Mapungubwe entrance gate/visitors centre (015) 534 7923/24 Pontdrift Police Station 0800 11 8000
Venetia Reception (015) 575 2710 Musina Municipal Offices (015) 534 6181
Musina Post Office (015) 575 1200    


Project Description

Project Locality

Venetia Mine is situated on the farm Venetia 103MS , Krone 104MS, Rugen 105MS, Drumsheugh 99MS, which lies approximately 80km west of Musina and 40km north east of Alldays in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.  Venetia is situated off the R521 between Alldays and Pontdrift, approximately 550 km north of Johannesburg.

The mine is located within the Musina Local Municipality of the Vhembe District Municipality.  The border with Botswana and Zimbabwe is situated approximately 30km to the north.

Figure 1. Venetia Mine Locality

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Waste Management Licence (WML) Application

Project Background

Venetia Mine is an existing open pit mine that recently (October 2012) received an Environmental Authorisation (EA) and positive record of decision from DMR from the Limpopo Department of Economic Development,
Environment and Tourism (LEDET) for the development of underground workings and an amendment of the existing Environmental Management Plan (EMP).  Open pit mining operations are expected to cease between 2020 and 2023, after which only underground operations will continue.  The Waste Management Licence application is being undertaken to license the listed activities associated with the upgrading of the Waste Management Facility (WMF) and designated disposal area for construction, demolition and building materials from mining operations in order to meet the legislative requirements in terms of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008).

Need and Desirability of the Project

Current waste management activities and facilities at Venetia can be revised and upgraded and once more formalised (as per the proposed project scope), the on and off-site management of waste will become more streamlined. The proposed waste management activities listed in GN R.921 include:

  • construction and expansion of a facility for waste management;
  • sorting, shredding, grinding, crushing, screening or bailing of general waste;
  • recycling of general waste;
  • recovery of waste including the refining, utilisation, or co-processing of waste;
  • reuse or recycling of hazardous waste;
  • treatment of hazardous waste; and
  • disposal of inert waste to landfill.

The key objective of the Integrated Waste Licensing application is for Venetia Mine is to reach a state of full compliance in respect of the various waste management activities as soon as is practically possible.

The Waste Management Facility (WMF)

The WMF (previously referred to as the salvage yard) is an area currently used to collect waste for sorting, laydown, re-use, recycling and screening before final disposal.  General as well as hazardous wastes are
received, stored, sorted, recycled and finally (where possible) transferred from the mine for final disposal. Currently, almost all waste streams collected at the mine pass through this facility. 

The WMF is an existing facility but expansion is proposed (as per this application) and Venetia Mine seeks to formalise this area. 

Area on Waste Rock Dump for the disposal of demolition and building materials

Although this application is not for any mineral waste, it is proposed that various types of waste be disposed of within the existing Waste Rock Dumps (WRD) due to various difficulties with removing these wastes from site.  The types of waste proposed to be disposed of on the WRD include earth moving vehicle (EMV) tyres , light duty vehicle (LDV) waste tyres, building rubble, demolition and construction wastes and wooden waste. 

The Environmental Impact Assessment Process

National Environmental Management: Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008), as amended

The National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008) came into effect on 1 July 2010 and repealed Section 20 of the Environmental Conservation Act, 1989 (Act No. 73 of 1989), introducing new provisions with regards to the licensing of waste management activities.  The National Environmental Management: Waste Amendment Act (Act 26 of 2014) was promulgated on 2 June 2014 and repealed or replaced various sections of NEMWA.

The list of waste management activities that have, or are likely to have, a detrimental effect on the environment were promulgated on 29 November 2013 (GN R. 921).  According to GN R.921, a person who wishes to commence, undertake or conduct:

  • an activity listed under Category A, must conduct a Basic Assessment process; or
  • an activity listed under Category B, must conduct a Scoping and EIA process.

There are a number of both Category A and Category B listed activities at Venetia Mine and, as such, a full Scoping and EIA is required for this Waste Management Licence application. The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) EIA Regulations must be followed, with a successful application resulting in the issuing of a Waste Management Licence.  The relevant published Norms and Standards will also be considered. 

The listed activities being applied for under this Waste Management Licence application include:

GN 921 Listing Category Activity to be Licensed Description
Waste Management Activities: Waste Management Facility (WMF)
Category A, No. 2 The sorting, shredding, grinding, crushing, screening or bailing of general waste at a facility that has an operational area in excess of 1,000m2.

1. The sorting and baling of general waste:

  • Cardboard;
  • Paper;
  • Glass;
  • Cans;
  • Plastic; and
  • Non-recyclable domestic waste,
  • including food waste and compost the food waste

2. The shredding and chipping of wood.
3. Composting of food wastes.
Category A, No. 3 The recycling of general waste at a facility that has an operational area in excess of 500m2, excluding recycling that takes place as an integral part of an internal manufacturing process within the same premises. Recycling and/or re-use of waste:
Manual and/or mechanical sorting, dismantling, baling, stripping, shredding, crushing, chipping and compaction of any of the following wastes: Used screen panels, metals, conveyor belts, hard hats, safety boots, overalls, plastic water containers, blasting wire, electrical cabling, redundant furniture, windscreen glass, rubber and air filters and wood.
Category A, No. 5 The recovery of waste including the refining, utilisation, or co-processing of waste in excess of 10 tons but less than 100 tons of general waste per day or in excess of 500kg but less than 1 ton of hazardous waste per day, excluding recovery that takes place as an integral part of an internal manufacturing process within the same premises. Recovery of wood (chipping and hammer mill).
Category A, No. 12 The construction of a facility for a waste management activity listed in Category A of this Schedule (not in isolation to associated waste management activity). All construction and associated activities relating to the upgrade of the WMF.
Category A, No. 13 The expansion of a waste management activity listed in Category A or B of this Schedule which does not trigger an additional waste management activity in terms of this Schedule. All construction and associated activities relating to the upgrade of the WMF.
Category B, No. 2 The reuse or recycling of hazardous waste in excess of 1 ton per day, excluding reuse or recycling that takes place as an integral part of an internal manufacturing process within the same premises. Ex situ and in situ bio-remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soil, with the potential addition of sewage sludge.
Category B, No. 3 The recovery of waste including the refining, utilisation, or co-processing of the waste at a facility that processes in excess of 100 tons of general waste per day or in excess of 1 ton of hazardous waste per day, excluding recovery that takes place as an integral part of an internal manufacturing process within the same premises. Ex situ and in situ bio-remediation of  hydrocarbon contaminated soil, with the potential addition of sewage sludge.
Category B, No. 4 The treatment of hazardous waste in excess of 1 ton per day calculated as a monthly average; using any form of treatment excluding the treatment of effluent, wastewater or sewage.
The construction of a facility for a waste management activity listed in Category B of this Schedule (not in isolation to associated waste management activity).		 Ex situ bio-remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soil, with the potential addition of sewage sludge.
Category B, No. 10 The construction of a facility for a waste management activity listed in Category B of this Schedule (not in isolation to associated waste management activity). All construction and associated activities relating to the upgrade of the WMF.
Category C GN R. 926 National Environmental Management: Waste Act (59/2008): National norms and standards for the storage of waste. Registration for Storage of waste under Category C of GN R. 921.
Waste Activities: Demolition and Building Rubble Dump  
Category B, No. 9  The disposal of inert waste to land in excess of 25 000 tons, excluding the disposal of such waste for the purposes of levelling and building which has been authorised by or under other legislation. Disposal of inert waste (demolition and building rubble) used for levelling and building (infilling).

Background Information Documents

Draft Scoping Report

Final Scoping Report

Draft Environmental Impact Assessment