28 November 2023
Open-pit coal mines have irreversibly changed the character of the fertile highveld of Mpumalanga.
Peet Bezuidenhout, a farmer from Delmas, estimates that in his area alone, 2 700 hectares of highly fertile cropland have been lost to such mines.
At an average yield of 7,2 tons per hectare for maize and 3 tons for soybeans, this is a significant blow to agriculture.
His neighbour, Magda Kleyn, says the eastern Highveld’s contribution to grain production is continuous and reliable because conditions are less variable than in other major production areas.
Experts compare the cropland of the Mpumalanga highveld to some of the best in the world, equivalent to the American prairies. That is why the agricultural company Corteva had a trial farm in Delmas until relatively recently.
An indication of how intense the competition is between agricultural and coal interests in this area is the fact that the Argent Study Group conducts grain trials on land owned by a mine and many farmers lease land from mines for grain or pasture.
Dust and damage
“Dust is one of the big issues,” says Louis Rossouw of the study group. “Especially with crops that are reasonably close to the mine, coal dust covers the leaves. Plants’ photosynthesis is thus not what it should be, and in the end there is a yield loss. Then you have to wait for the rain to wash it off.
“The other big issue is underground water. Any large coal plant uses large amounts of water; there are higher-lying areas where boreholes no longer deliver, and there are farmers experiencing problems with their pivot points.”
Pivot points sometimes get clogged or underground water becomes contaminated. The study group has not observed much yield reduction due to dust because it plants a wide variety of cultivars, including new products.
It also improves the soil annually with fertiliser adjustments and the incorporation of crop residues, making it hard to directly compare years and yields.
The damage mine vehicles cause to roads in the area is a significant problem for farmers because the roads are designed for agriculture, not mining. This leads to damage to vehicles and expensive equipment such as planters that need to be transported from farm to farm.
Pollution
An agricultural scientist who has been researching in the area for years and requested anonymity says crops were damaged by acid rain that fell after an underground coal seam caught fire.
Another time, large parts of a farm were damaged by red spider mites, which spread uncontrollably because the environmental effects of mining probably destroyed their natural predators.
When licences are granted for open-pit coal mines, the cumulative effect of so many mines within such a small area is not considered, says Kleyn. She believes licences should not be awarded in isolation without considering the impact of existing mines.
Farmers also believe there is little or no talk of environmental restoration. Mines do not make sufficient provision for it, or the owners simply sell the mine when it reaches the end of its profitable life.
More crime
When coal mines are closed or no longer economically viable, job opportunities quickly dry up. The desperate families of miners must then devise other plans to survive, often through crime or by renting out their homes to criminals.
Police are seldom able to handle the increase in crime, and for marginal farms, increased theft of livestock and grain can be the difference between profitability and bankruptcy. Therefore, farmers view the social and labour plan that is part of the mine licence conditions with scepticism.
