The Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) is a controversial development project in an ecologically sensitive part of the country, and the FF Plus has added its voice to the concerns raised by pressure groups regarding the destruction of protected tree species.
Two diverse matters complicate the entire undertaking: the project’s dependence on Chinese financing and varying claims about how much land it will cover.
The MMSEZ itself has two sites: one near Musina and the other closer to Louis Trichardt.
Altogether this makes up approximately 11 500 hectares. There are, however, rumours that the natural vegetation on more than 120 000 hectares could be destroyed to establish coal mines and other developments outside of the Zone itself.
The Zone is presented as a logistic hub for enterprises conducting business all over Africa. In addition, there is a strong focus on the processing of manganese and other metals, which are currently exported from Limpopo and the Northern Cape to China. The entire project is dependent on Chinese companies investing in metal processing.
It is this energy-intensive industry which necessitates the establishment of new coal mines – at a time when South Africa is trying to move away from coal.
Removing endangered trees, such as baobab, leadwood and shepherd’s trees, is a serious matter. The number of trees that will be destroyed depends on the number of hectares to be developed.
In such arid climates, it takes nature centuries instead of decades to recover from damage.
Although the Limpopo government is going full steam ahead with the project, the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has not yet granted its final approval.
The FF Plus is, in fact, waiting on a reply from the Minister, Dr Dion George, regarding the extent of the project being assessed by his department.
Development is important, but the country and its people are the ones who should benefit from it, not foreign investors. Causing irreparable damage to the environment is also unacceptable.
