Two applications for prospecting gold ore in Skeerpoort have been lodged. The areas concerned in the two applications seem to cover the whole of Skeerpoort

Skeerpoort community members met last week to oppose mining applications.

Two applications for prospecting gold ore in Skeerpoort have been lodged. The areas concerned in the two applications seem to cover the whole of Skeerpoort
Residents are up in arms about the threat to their peaceful rural existence and have formed a community action group to fight the mining applications.
The first application was lodged by Monugystix (Pty) Ltd in July 2024. Another notice for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for a prospecting application for gold ore by Khutso-Naketsi CPA was published two weeks ago.
“Skeerpoort has been a haven for tourists for many decades, with businesses focused on the tourism market, guest houses wedding venues, camping facilities, cycling and hiking routes, hot air ballooning, and other activities. This was enhanced when the Magaliesberg and Cradle of Humankind were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1999. All the while, the thriving agricultural nature of the valley has been preserved but now this way of life has come under threat,” said Michelle Mare, spokesperson for the community action group.
“The first application by Monugystix (Pty) Ltd is on a small portion of farmland, some 316 hectares on the Northern face of the Witwatersberg Mountain to the South of the valley, in close proximity to both the Skeerpoort and Magalies Rivers, which feed into the Hartbeespoort Dam. The second application by Khutso-Naketsi Communal Property Association, according to the wording used in their documentation, covers a vast swathe of land that stretches across the entire valley from the northern face of the Witwatersberg Mountain to the Southern face of the Magaliesburg mountain range. Documentation is worded so that it appears to include all the portions of the farm Scheerpoort 477JQ,” she said.
The sites fall within the Magaliesburg Biosphere and the Cradle of Humankind.
“Hartbeespoort Dam feeds a vast area and is already battling serious levels of contamination from upstream of the Crocodile River. Contamination levels will increase tenfold should the Skeerpoort Valley be turned into a mining environment. There will be an increase in air, water and noise pollution, and the aesthetic nature of the valley will be stripped bare of the characteristics that currently attract tourists and everyone living in the area. The currently productive farmland will be turned into a barren wasteland and there will be total destruction of the current eco-systems, and the extinction of our endangered species.”
A public participation meeting for the latest application will be held on 7 October. For more information, contact Michelle Mare on 072 697 7178.