The mine rehabilitation programme has had a positive effect on communities where the projects include economic growth owing to sourcing labour and material locally.
The programme also results in improved health and well-being of communities. The rehabilitation programme reduces the risk of humans and animals being exposed to asbestos fibres originating from sites where asbestos used to be mined.
Job creation is one of the key requirements of the rehabilitation project. This contributes to some of the priorities of the National Development Plan.
The DMR also develops reports on mine closures as well as derelict and ownerless mines. The strategy for managing and rehabilitating derelict and ownerless mines aims to guide the management of the environmental legacies of mining. It proposes a prudent course of action for the state to discharge its responsibility regarding constitutional rights as contemplated in Section 24 of the Constitution. The implementation of the strategy will continue with annual updates, completed by actuarial scientists commissioned by the department, estimating the State’s liability for the rehabilitation of derelict or ownerless mines. The DMR plans to rehabilitate 45 derelict and ownerless mines and dangerous holing sites in 2019/20, to date a total of 267 derelict and ownerless sites have been rehabilitated.
