The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is to pursue the alleged transgression of a land use bylaw against a Parsons Vlei sand and stone quarry while the department of water & sanitation will investigate the legality of the operation. The two authorities were responding to concerns about the mine owned by Metro Quarries which was approved by the department of mineral resources & energy and energy (DMRE) nearly a decade ago.
A year after the department of mineral resources & energy (DMRE) unveiled a plan to capture 5% of global exploration expenditure within five years, the backlog of mining, prospecting and permit applications stands at more than 5,000.
A group of 41 mineworkers who are alleged to be holding 500 of their colleagues hostage underground on the East Rand are apparently armed and controlling their movements.
The families of Gold One workers who have been underground since Sunday have started gathering outside the mine in Springs, on the East Rand, in large numbers.