PROPOSED JOHN READMAN BORROW PIT Social Impact

PROPOSED JOHN READMAN BORROW PIT

Social Impact Assessment

Prepared for: Report prepared by:

Mr John Readman ACER (Africa) Environmental Consultants P O Box 503 MTUNZINI 3867

April 2017

ACER (AFRICA) ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

PROPOSED JOHN READMAN BORROW PIT

PROPONENT

Proponent: John Readman Contact person: John Readman Physical address: Pogela Farm Telephone: 082 8 011 160 Email [email protected]

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT

Consultant: ACER (Africa) Environmental Consultants Contact person: Mr Giles Churchill Physical address Suites 5&6, Golden Penny Centre, 26 Hely Hutchinson Road, Mtunzini Postal address: PO Box 503, Mtunzini, 3867 Telephone: 035 340 2715 Fax: 035 340 2232 Email [email protected]

INDEPENDENT SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT SPECIALIST

Consultant: ACER (Africa) Environmental Consultants Contact person: Duncan Keal Physical address: Suites 5&6, Golden Penny Centre, 26 Hely Hutchinson Road, Mtunzini Postal address: PO Box 503, Mtunzini, 3867 Telephone: 035 340 2715 Fax: 035 340 2232 Email [email protected]

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

I, Duncan Keal, declare that I am an independent consultant and have no business, financial, personal or other interest in the proposed development project, application or appeal in respect of which I was appointed other than fair remuneration for work performed in connection with the activity, application or appeal. There are no circumstances that compromise the objectivity of my performing such work.

Signed…………………………………. Date…

SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT i ACER (AFRICA) ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

PROPOSED JOHN READMAN BORROW PIT

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name of Firm: ACER (Africa) Environmental Consultants Name of Staff: Duncan Keal Profession: Environmental Consultant (Social Specialist) Date of Birth: 11 March 1985 Years with Firm: 5 years Nationality: South African

KEY QUALIFICATIONS AND RELEVANT PROJECT EXPERIENCE

2016 Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: Pande 4 Reconnaissance, Mozambique. Damage Compensation and Resettlement Reconnaissance (Project manager).

2015 Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: ROMPCO Loop Line 2 Project, Mozambique. Implementation of damage compensation (Project manager).

2015 Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: Area A Well Drilling, Mozambique. Implementation of damage compensation (Project manager).

2015 Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: PSA Development and LGP Project, Mozambique. Registration of affected people and entities prior to project commencement and implementation of damage compensation (Project manager).

2015: CSIR on behalf of Umgeni Water. Proposed construction, operation and decommissioning of a seawater reverse osmosis plant and associated infrastructure in Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Social Specialist).

2015 Eskom: Proposed Isundu 765/400kV sub-station and turn-in transmission lines, Camperdown, KwaZulu-Natal (Social Specialist).

2015: AECOM on behalf of Transnet. Richards Bay Port Expansion, Richards Bay, KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa (Social Specialist)

2015: Billiton Aluminium SA (Pty) LTD. The proposed decommissioning of the Bayside Smelter, Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Social Specialist)

2014: Eurasian Natural Resource Corporation. The Updating of the existing resettlement action plan and socio-economic impact for the proposed Estima Coal Mine. Chitima, Tete Province, Mozambique (Social Specialist)

2014: Mozal SA Social Baseline Study of Mozal’s host and broader communities. Matola, Maputo Province, Mozambique (Social Specialist).

2014: Eskom: St. Faiths 400/132 kV sub-station, and associated power lines, Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal (Social Specialist).

2013/14: Tronox KZN Sands (Pty) Ltd: Conceptual Social Impact Assessment of Kraal Hill Community for the Kraal Hill Biodiversity Offset (Social Specialist).

2013: HydroSA: Proposed hydropower station on the Farm Riemvasmaak on the Orange River in the Augrabies Falls National Park, Northern Cape (Social Specialist).

2013: Richards Bay Minerals (RBM): RBM Soil Analysis and Compensation for Economic Losses Complainants Incurred Between 2001 and 2013 (Project manager).

2013: Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: ROMPCO Loop Line Project, Mozambique. Implementation of damage compensation (Project manager).

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2012/13: Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: MGEPP Project, Mozambique. Implementation of damage compensation (Project manager).

2012/13: Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: ROMPCO Loop Line Project, Mozambique. Registration of affected people and entities prior to project commencement (Project manager).

2012/13: Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: 2D Seismic Exploration Block A, Mozambique. Implementation of damage compensation (Project manager).

2012: Richards Bay Mining (RBM): Social Impact Assessment for the proposed Heavy Mineral Concentrate pipeline (Social Specialist).

2012: Sasol Mining (Pty) Ltd: Sofala Offshore 3D Seismic Exploration, Mozambique. Implementation of damage compensation (Project manager).

2011/12: Eskom: Social Impact Assessment for Eskom’s proposed Lambda 400/765kV Sub- Station and associated transmission lines (Social Specialist).

2011: Umgungundlovu District Municipality: Strategic Environmental Assessment (Social Specialist).

2011: Umdoni Local Municipality: Strategic Environmental Assessment.

2011: Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs: Alignment of provincial capital investment

2010: Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. A GIS technical investigation of the growth and expansion of low income housing settlements in KZN since 1994.

2009: R3G – Restoration Research Group: Assessment of mountain stream channel conditions.

2006/07: Amathole Economic Development Agency: Development of the Amathole regional economic development strategy.

EDUCATION:

2013: University of Johannesburg, Advanced certificate in Social Impact Assessment.

2007 - 2008: Rhodes University,MA (Geography). Thesis Title: An investigation of changing socio-economic conditions, opportunities and development interventions in small Eastern Cape towns in South Africa.

2006: Rhodes University, BA Honours (Geography).

2003 – 2005: Rhodes University, BA (Geography and Political Science).

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EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

November 2011 – Present: Agricultural, Community, Environmental and Rural Development Consultants (Pty) Ltd t/a ACER (Africa)Environmental Consultants: Environmental Consultant (Social Specialist).

November 2010 – November 2011: Isikhungusethu Environmental and Development Consultants: Planning Technician.

July 2009 – July 2010: Nagasaki Board of Education, Tsushima City, Japan: Assistant language teacher.

February/March 2009: R3G – Restoration Research Group: Consultant.

February 2009 & December 2005 – January 2006: UDIDI Environmental and Development Consultants: Planning Technician

January 2006 – November 2008: Rhodes University: Tutor

December 2006 – March 2007 Amathole Economic Development Agency (AEDA): Consultant

Languages:

LANGUAGE SPEAK READ WRITE

English Excellent Excellent Excellent

Afrikaans Fair Fair Fair

CERTIFICATION

I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, these data correctly describe me, my qualifications and my experience.

_11/05/2016 Date (Day / Month / Year)

Full name of staff member: Duncan Newton Keal

Full name of authorised representative: Rolf-Dieter Heinsohn

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The owner of Pogela Farm (Farm1/12280), Mr John Readman, intends to establish a commercial borrow pit on Pogela Farm. The farm is located approximately 4.5km to the southeast of Heatonville on the north coast of KwaZulu Natal and is currently under sugarcane production, as is much of the surrounding area. The Borrow Pit will be established to mine weathered Dolerite with the footprint of the proposed borrow pit being 3.1 Ha. It is hoped that the mined material will be sold to the contractor appointed to undertake the upgrading of the P 700 roadway which connects Heatonville to the R34 to the north of Pogela Farm.

In order to meet the requirements of the application for a mining permit the potential social impacts that the proposed project may have need to be considered and assessed. As such ACER (Africa) Environmental Consultants (ACER) has been appointed to undertake a social impact assessment of the proposed project in order to better understand what impacts may arise and how the existing social environment is likely to be affected.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION The proposed Borrow Pit on Pogela Farm (Farm 1/12280) located approximately 4.5 km to the southeast of Heatonville on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal will be established to mine weathered Dolerite which is planned to be sold to the contractor appointed for the upgrading of the P 700 roadway which connects Heatonville to the R34 to the north of Pogela Farm.

The proposed Borrow Pit will require the demolition of some existing staff accommodation units which are currently in a state of disrepair. Staff will be accommodated in a new complex on the farm which has improved amenities and is fenced off for additional security. It is anticipated that the staff currently living at the proposed Borrow Pit site will see a marked improvement in their living conditions once moved to the other staff accommodation complex.

Based on the information provided by Mr Readman (Land owner and Borrow Pit operator) infrastructure on site will be limited to the following:

 Site office/security office which will consist of one of the renovated accommodation units presently on site. Once mining has been completed this unit will be used as an office for the sugar cane loading zone to be established on this site.

The proposed primary mining activity will be limited to within the 3.1 Ha project area and will include the following secondary operational activities:

 Site establishment  Clearing of Vegetation.  Stockpiling of Topsoil.  Excavation/mining operations.  Loading of material.  Landscaping of mine area.  Progressive rehabilitation of mine area (as per the Rehabilitation Plan).  Closure of mine area (as per the Closure Plan).  Post closure monitoring.

Post operation, the Borrow Pit site will be utilized as a sugar cane loading zone by the landowner and as such rehabilitation of slopes and exposed areas on site will be limited to the outer slopes. Given the topography of the land and materials on site the potential for erosion is limited.

METHODOLOGY

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This social assessment was undertaken primarily through the assessment of secondary data. Secondary data sources used to conduct the baseline socio-economic study of the area included:

 Municipal Integrated Development Plans.  Draft scoping report.  Land Use Management Framework.  2001 and 2011 National Census Data.

Comments received from interested and affected parties were also considered.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT The study site and its surrounds, located in the former Ntambanana municipal area and now within the uMhlathuze Local Municipality, are largely rural with a large portion of the land under traditional ownership. Unemployment in the area is high with household income levels below both the district and provincial levels. Economic activities are focused on agriculture with few other opportunities for a largely poorly educated population. As is common in rural areas, and in particular areas with widely distributed households, access to services such as piped water, sanitation and electricity remain poor.

SOCIAL IMPACTS  Health and social wellbeing . Reduced road safety – low significance

 Quality of the living environment . Increased dust – low significance . Increased noise – low significance . Visual impact – low significance

 Economic impacts and material well being . Increased employment opportunities – low significance . Improved road infrastructure – low significance

CONCLUSION Mr Readman, intends to establish a new borrow pit on his farm that is located approximately 4.5km to the southeast of Heatonville on the north coast of KwaZulu Natal. The farm is currently under sugarcane production, as is much of the surrounding area. The Borrow Pit will be established to mine weathered Dolerite with the footprint of the proposed borrow pit being 3.1 Ha. Following the careful consideration of the project design as well as the receiving environment it has been concluded that there are no significant social impacts (either direct or indirect) that will result from the proposed development and as such, from a social perspective, there is nothing that should prevent the project from going ahead.

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Table of Contents CURRICULUM VITAE ...... ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... v 1 INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Background...... 1 1.2 Qualifications and experience of the practitioners ...... 1 1.3 Purpose and scope of this specialist study report ...... 2 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...... 2 3 METHODOLOGY ...... 3 4 DESCRIPTION OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT ...... 4 4.1 Overview of the project area ...... 4 4.2 Population ...... 4 4.3 Education ...... 4 4.4 Economic sectors...... 4 4.5 Employment ...... 5 4.6 Access to Basic Services ...... 5 4.7 Access to healthcare ...... 5 4.8 Summary ...... 6 5 SOCIAL IMPACTS ...... 6 5.1 Health and social wellbeing ...... 6 5.2 Quality of the living environment ...... 6 5.3 Economic impacts and material wellbeing ...... 7 5.4 Social Impacts – Decommissioning Phase ...... 7 6 IMPACT ASSESSMENT, MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT MEASURES ...... 8 6.1 Impacts assessment during construction and operation ...... 8 6.2 Mitigation and management of social impacts during construction and operation ... 9 7 CONCLUSION ...... 9 REFERENCES ...... 10

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1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The owner of Pogela Farm (Farm1/12280), Mr John Readman, intends to establish a new borrow pit his Farm. The farm is located approximately 4.5km to the southeast of Heatonville on the north coast of KwaZulu Natal and is currently under sugarcane production, as is much of the surrounding area. The Borrow Pit will have a footprint of 3.1 hectares and is being established to mine weathered Dolerite. It is hoped that the mined material will provide a local source of Dolerite which can be sold to the contractor appointed to undertake the upgrading of the P 700 roadway which connects Heatonville to the R34 to the north of Pogela Farm. The site for the proposed borrow pit is highly transformed and is currently being used for:

 Small borrow area for material which is used to maintain farm roads  Storage area for organic fertiliser (Vinasse)  Loading zone for harvested sugarcane  Staff accommodation

1.2 Qualifications and experience of the practitioners ACER (Africa) Environmental Management Consultants was established in 1991 and operates throughout Southern Africa. This investigation was conducted by Mr Duncan Keal who has theoretical and practical experience in the assessment of social and socio-economic processes and issues involved in large, often complex projects. The investigation was carried out under the guidance and directorship of Dr Dieter Heinsohn. Dr Heinsohn has developed an impeccable reputation in environmental management. Of particular note is his experience in social impact assessments, the design and running of public involvement programmes, resettlement planning and implementation, and the management of large and/or complex environmental impact assessment processes.

EAP Academic Relevant Work Experience Qualification

Dr Dieter Heinsohn PhD Dieter Heinsohn has more than 25 years experience in environmental management and social and socio- economic impact assessments. He is registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions in the field of environmental science (Registration No 400442/04) and certified with the Interim Certification Board. He has worked across a wide variety of sectors and has contributed to various international publications.

Mr Duncan Keal MA Duncan Keal is a graduate of Rhodes University and has recently completed an Advanced Certificate in Social Impact Assessment through the University of Johannesburg. He has six years experience in consulting, with a focus on social and socio-economic assessments.

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1.3 Purpose and scope of this specialist study report This report aims to provide an assessment of the socio-economic sensitivities and impacts that are likely to arise as a result of the proposed development. While a set scope of work was not provided, ACER developed the following scope of work which is believed to be sufficient to address the needs of this study.

 Undertake a baseline socio-economic analysis to provide an understanding of the prevailing socio-economic environment.  Describe and assess the potential socio-economic impacts, including cumulative impacts, of construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed development on the socio-economic environment.  Recommend mitigation measures to ameliorate negative and to enhance positive impacts.

2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

As already noted the proposed borrow pit is located on an already largely transformed site with the are currently being used as a source for material used to upgrade farm roads, a storage area for organic fertiliser and a loading zone for harvested cane. In addition, the proposed site also has a number of old staff accommodation units on it. The proposed Borrow Pit will require the demolition of these units which are currently in a state of disrepair. Staff who were previously accommodated here are now accommodated in a new complex which has improved amenities and is fenced off for additional security.

Given the small scale of the proposed Borrow Pit, and the fact that the site is located on private property very little infrastructure is required on site in the form of fencing, security huts and mine infrastructure. Based on the information provided by Mr Readman (land owner and borrow pit operator), infrastructure on site will be limited to the following:

 Site office/security office which will consist of one of the renovated accommodation units presently on site. Once mining has been completed, this unit will be used as an office for the sugar cane loading zone to be established on this site.

Given the secure location of the proposed Borrow Pit and surrounding land uses no other infrastructure will be erected on site. In addition to the above, the following infrastructure will not be required on site:

 No fencing is required as the Borrow Pit is located on private property and no members of the public are anticipated to enter the proposed site. Security on site will also ensure that no unauthorized access to the Borrow Pit takes place.  Post operation, the Borrow Pit site will be utilized as a sugar cane loading zone by the landowner and as such rehabilitation of slopes and exposed areas on site will be limited to the outer slopes. Given the topography of the land and materials on site the potential for erosion is limited.  No access roads are required to access the site as the landowner already has access roads which enter the proposed Borrow Pit site. These access roads will be retained post operation to transport sugarcane to and from the loading zone which will be created within the Borrow Pit footprint.  Very limited spoil is anticipated from the Borrow Pit during operation due to the limited depth of overburden and topsoil over the weathered dolerite which is to be mined on site.

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Topsoil removed during mining operations will be used to rehabilitate the outer exposed slopes within the Borrow Pit footprint.

The proposed primary mining activity will be limited to the 3.1 Ha project area and will include the following secondary operational activities:

All of the above activities will be undertaken within the ‘Borrow Pit footprint’. Due to the nature and size of this project, all these activities will be taking place within the project area in a progressive manner. This will result in no fixed location for the majority of activities, however it is expected that the following activities will have semi-permanent or permanent locations during the Operational, Rehabilitation and Closure Phases:

 Borrow Pit, Access Roads and Site Office (converted accommodation unit currently located on site).  Storm Water Management infrastructure such as drains.

Post operation, the Borrow Pit site will be utilised as a sugar cane loading zone by the landowner and as such rehabilitation of slopes and exposed areas on site will be limited to the outer slopes. Given the topography of the land and materials on site the potential for erosion is limited.

3 METHODOLOGY This social assessment was undertaken primarily through the assessment of secondary data.

Secondary data sources used to conduct the baseline socio-economic study of the area included:

 Municipal Integrated Development Plans.  Draft scoping report.  Land Use Management Framework

Secondary sources of quantitative data used in compiling the baseline socio-economic conditions of the study area included:

 2011 National Census Data – Statistics South Africa.  2001 National Census Data – Statistics South Africa.

Comments received from interested and affected parties were also considered with key concerns identified. Importantly, no concerns were raised by interested and affected parties.

Findings from the baseline assessment were assessed against an indicative list of social impacts from existing literature, in particular those described by Van Schooten et al (2003). In

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addition, experiences from past projects of a similar nature and within a similar socio- economic environment assisted in identifying and assessment possible social impacts.

4 DESCRIPTION OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT 4.1 Overview of the project area This section provides insight into the socio-economic conditions currently prevailing in the project area. This enables the proposed project to be placed in context, enabling the identification of potential issues and associated impacts that the project is likely to have on the socio-economic environment as well as the impacts which the socio-economic environment may have on the project.

The proposed project site is on Pogela Farm (Farm 1/12280) located in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality approximately 4.5 km to the southeast of Heatonville. uMhlathuze Local Municipality falls within the King Cetshwayo District Municipality(formerly the uThungulu District Municipality) situated on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Importantly, prior to September 2016 Pogela Farm was located within the Ntambanana Local Municipality which has since been dissolved and incorporated into the uMhlathuze Local municipality. However, in compiling the socio-economic baseline assessment data collected for the Ntambanana Local Municipality during the 2011 National Census will be used as it remains relevant in assessing the socio-economic conditions prevailing in the immediate area around the study site.

4.2 Population The King CetshwayoDistrict Municipality covers an area of 8,213.39 km² with a population of 907,519 (110.49 people per km²), while the former Ntambanana local municipality covers an area of 1,082.8 km² with a population of 74,336 (68.7 people per square kilometer) (SatsSA, 2012). These figures show the study area to besignificantly less densely populated than the district municipality as a whole, indicative of the rural nature of the area. This is further illustrated by the high proportion of the population reported to the residing in traditional dwellings, 45.6%, in comparison to 26.8% within the district and 19% provincially (StatsSA, 2012). It is interesting to note that data from the2011 National Census suggest that the population within the former Ntambanana Local Municipality declinedby 12% between 2001 and 2011.A possible contributor to this decline could be the migrating of people to urban centres in search of employment opportunities.

4.3 Education Despite improvements recorded in access to education between 2001 and 2011, the level of education remains low with only 25.8% of the population over the age of 20 having completed a matric(StatsSA, 2012). This is lowerthan the averages for both King Cetshwayo District Municipality, 37.5%, and KwaZulu-Natal 39.3% (StatsSA; 2012). The percentage of population over the age of 20 reported to have never received any formal education is also significantly higher with 21.3% in the former Ntambanana Local Municipality, 16.1% in the district and 10.8% provincially (StatsSA, 2012). These figures illustrate the poor level of access to education within the study area which perpetuates the lack of skills required to support initiatives intended to create employment opportunities (IDP, 2016).

4.4 Economic sectors Economic activitieswithin the broader study area are limited with agriculture being the primary economic driver. Despite this however, only 15% of land in the former Ntambanana Local Municipality is under commercial production with sugarcane the primary crop (IDP, 2016). The

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majority (85%) of the land in the former municipality is under the authority of the Ingonyama Trust, with the areas characterised by small scale and subsistence farming activities. There are also a number of poultry, vegetable and cotton projects funded by the Department of Agriculture taking place within the traditional authority areas. While these projects may assist with food security they are essentially poverty alleviation and subsistence projects which are unlikely to contribute significantly to sustainable economic growth (IDP, 2016).

4.5 Employment Unemployment in the former Ntambanana Local Municipality is reported to have improved slightly between 2001 and 2011, dropping from 58.5% in 2001 to 49.2% in 2011 (StatsSA, 2012). These levels of unemployment are considerably higher than the average for the district, 34.7% and the province 33% (StatsSA, 2012). Household income levels are indicative of an area with low levels of employment. In 2011 the monthly household income within the former Ntambanana Local Municipality was R 4,706.92 well below the district average of R 6,671.17 and the provincial average of R 6,920.83 (StatsSA, 2012). Again these figures indicate that the population residing in the vicinity of the proposed project site exhibit a lower than average standard of living.

4.6 Access to Basic Services 4.6.1 Access to piped water The majority of the households within the municipal area have inadequate access to a potable water supply and are required to use water from streams and rivers (IDP, 2015). Access to piped water within the former Ntambanana Local Municipality remains poor with only 22.3% of households reported to have access to piped water within their dwelling compared to 65% within the district and 64% provincially (StatsSA, 2012). The backlogs in access to piped water are illustrated by the fact that 32.2% of the households in the former Ntambanana Local Municipality reported to have no access to piped water while only 16.2% (in the district) and 14.1% (provincially) report not having access to piped water (StatsSA, 2012).

4.6.2 Access to sanitation Despite improvements in access to sanitation between 2001 and 2011, 24.3% of households within the former Ntambanana Local Municipality are reported to still not have access to formal sanitation (StatsSA, 2012) This was significantly higher than the figures for the King Cetshwayo District, 11.5%, and KwaZulu-Natal,6.3% (StatsSA, 2012).

4.6.3 Access to electricity The number of houses with electrical connections has increased drastically as compared to the past decade however significant backlogs still exist (IDP, 2016). Between 2001 and 2011 the percentage of households with access to electricity for lighting (the most basic level of connection) increased from 27.8% to 62% within the former municipal area (StatsSA, 2012). Despite these improvements access remains lower than the average for the district (75.8%) and provincially (77.9%) (StatsSA, 2012).

4.7 Access to healthcare The former Ntambanana local municipality is generally not adequately serviced by healthcare facilities, most notably in the traditional authority areas (IDP, 2015). In terms of spatial distribution of healthcare services, there is one provincial hospital and two provincial clinics within the municipal area (IDP, 2015). The area is reported to have a high incidence of HIV/AIDS infections which is compounded by the inability of people to access antiretroviral

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drugs from local clinics and they therefore need to travel to Empangeni in order to obtain them (IDP, 2015). 4.8 Summary It is evident that the study site and its surrounds, located in the former Ntambanana municipal area and now within the uMhlathuze Local Municipality, are largely rural with a large portion of the land under traditional ownership. Unemployment in the area is high with household income levels below both the district and provincial levels. Economic activities are focused on agriculture with few other opportunities for a largely poorly educated population. As is common in rural areas, and in particular areas with widely distributed households, access to services such as piped water, sanitation and electricity remain poor.

5 SOCIAL IMPACTS The purpose of this section is to identify anticipated social impacts that may occur as a result of the proposed development. Social impacts can be positive or negative and occur within the context of human behaviour, which is often unpredictable, varies according to cultures, traditions, political and religious beliefs, and are influenced by perceptions.

As impacts are likely to be similar across the pre-construction, construction and operation phase of the project all potential impacts will be detailed in this section. In the event of an impact only occurring during a specific phase of the project it will be identified as such.

5.1 Health and social wellbeing 5.1.1 Reduced road safety and increased accidents During the construction and operation of the proposed project, there is the potential for a reduction in road safety due to an increase in heavy duty vehicles required to transport the mined materials.

Temporary levels of increased traffic are likely to be felt on provincial and district roads as well as the local farm roads. The increase in heavy duty vehicles on provincial and district roads may impact on the safety of other road users as well as pedestrians. In the case of farms roads, farm workers either walking on farm roads or working adjacent to the roads may be affected. However, such an impact does need to be placed in context. The district, provincial and farm roads surrounding the study site are already characterised by the presence of heavy duty vehicles used to transport sugarcane as well as other farm vehicles such as tractors. In addition, in the event of the proposed borrow pit being established, heavy duty vehicles will be fetching material for use on the P700 which will be in the process of being upgraded. During roadworks on the P700 traffic calming and control measures will be in place to control traffic thus reducing the impact and likelihood of accidents with heavy vehicles delivering material for the road upgrades. Any reduction in road safety will also only be for the construction and operation period of the project, not believed to extend longer than five years. Considering this, while it is important that road users are aware of the likelihood of additional vehicles making use of roads the potential for reduced road safety and accidents as either a direct or indirect result of the proposed borrow pit is considered negligible.

5.2 Quality of the living environment 5.2.1 Increased dust During construction and operation it is likely that there will be an increase in the amount of dust generated as large area of previously vegetated and/or compacted earth will be exposed. The increase in dust will be most significant during times of strong winds. However,

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considering that the proposed project is taking place in a relatively remote area and that the surrounding areas are sparsely populated there are unlikely to be many sensitive receptors with 500 meters. The exception to this is the house currently occupied by the farm manager, located approximately 150 meters to the south east of the proposed project site. However considering that the prevailing winds are north east and south west the house is unlikely to be affected. Thus while an increase in dust may on the rare occasion become a nuisance factor, particularly at the house occupied by the farm manager, due to the inconsistent nature of the impact, the limited sensitive receptors and that the impact is temporary (only likely to occur during construction and operation)this impact is not considered significant.

5.2.2 Increased noise During the construction and operation phase of the proposed borrow pit there may be a slight increase in noise as a result of an excavator being used on site (importantly no blasting will be required).However, it is unlikely that the noise generated by the excavator will be significantly higher or different in nature from the noise currently generated by tractors, loading machinery and other vehicles used on the farm. In addition any increase in noise will be temporary (only occurring during construction and operation) and periodic as the excavator will only operate when trucks come to site for loading and the borrow pit will only operate during working hours (6 am – 4:30 pm). With the exception of the farm managers’ house to the south east, there are no sensitive receptors within 500 meters of the proposed site and as such impacts associated with noise are considered to be negligible.

5.3 Economic impacts and material wellbeing 5.3.1 Increased employment opportunities It is considered pertinent to emphasise that the proposed project is unlikely to directly or indirectly generate many jobs. The borrow pit will be mined through the use of an excavator which is already owned by the applicant (the farm owner) and will be operated by an existing employee. In the event of it being deemed necessary to employ security personnel, a limited number of jobs (unlikely to be more than two) may be created during the operation of the borrow pit.

5.3.2 Improved road infrastructure As an indirect impact of the proposed project, materials from the borrow pit may potentially be used in the upgrading of local road infrastructure, albeit that the appointed contractor would need to agree to source their material from the borrow pit. Improved road infrastructure will increase the potential for economic growth in surrounding communities through making the area more attractive to investors. In addition, the upgrading of road infrastructure (P700) to Heatonville will significantly will improve road safety and the accessibility of services for the local population.

5.4 Social Impacts – Decommissioning Phase It is understood that following the closure of the proposed borrow pit the area will be used as a sugar cane loading zone, thus essentially returning the area to its current agricultural land use. As such there are no social impacts that are likely to occur as a result of the borrow pit being closed.

SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 7 ACER (AFRICA) ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

PROPOSED JOHN READMAN BORROW PIT

6 IMPACT ASSESSMENT, MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT MEASURES 6.1 Impacts assessment during construction and operation

Description and Mitigation Nature Spatial Extent Duration Intensity Frequency Irreplaceable Reversibility of Probability Significance Confidence Nature of Impact (Positive, (Site specific, (Very low, (Low, (Once off, loss of resources impacts (Low, (Improbable, (Low, Medium, (Low, Medium, Negative, Local, Low, Medium, Intermittent, (Low, Medium, Medium, High) Probable, Highly High) High) Neutral) Regional, Medium, High) Periodic, High) Probable, National) High) Continuous) Definite)

Reduced road Unmitigated Negative Local Long-term Low Intermittent Low High Improbable Low High safety and increased accident Mitigated Negative Local Long-term Low Intermittent Low High Improbable Low High

Increased dust Unmitigated Negative Local Long-term Low Intermittent Low High Probable Low High

Mitigated Negative Site-specific Long-term Low Intermittent Low High Improbable Low High

Increased noise Unmitigated Negative Local Long-term Low Intermittent Low High Probable Low High

Mitigated Negative Local Long-term Low Intermittent Low High Probable Low High

Visual impact Unmitigated Negative Local Long-term Low Continuous Low High Definite Low High

Mitigated Negative Local Long-term Low Continuous Low High Definite Low High

Increased Unmitigated Positive Local Long-term Low Continuous Low High Probable Low Medium employment opportunities Mitigated Positive Local Long-term Low Continuous Low High Probable Low Medium

Improved road Unmitigated Positive Regional Long-term Low Continuous Low High Probable Low Medium infrastructure Mitigated Positive Regional Long-term Low Continuous Low High Probable Low Medium

Mitigated Negative Site specific Short-term Low Intermittent Low High Improbable Low Medium

SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 8 ACER (AFRICA) ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

PROPOSED JOHN READMAN BORROW PIT

6.2 Mitigation and management of social impacts during construction and operation The following section identifies mitigation measures to reduce potential negative impacts and management measures to enhance possible positive impacts which may occur during the construction and operational phase of the project.

6.2.1 Reduced road safety  Prior to any contractors or costumers coming to collect material they should be informed of the need to be aware of other road users, in particular farm workers.  It is recommended that the applicant determine a speed limit that all contractors or customers using the access roads should abide by. Suitable signage detailing speed limits should be put up.  All contractors coming onsite should abide by their companies journey management systems for driving on gravel roads.  Signage should be constructed on the access route to the borrow pit warning road users of potential presence of heavy duty vehicles and pedestrians.

6.2.2 Increased dust  During times of strong winds exposed stock piles should be watered to reduce dust.

6.2.3 Increased noise  No mitigation measures are required.

6.2.4 Visual impact  No mitigation measures are required.

6.2.5 Increased employment  In the event of any employment opportunities being created ensure that local staff are appointed.

6.2.6 Improved road infrastructure  No management measures are required.

7 CONCLUSION Following the careful consideration of the project design as well as the receiving environment it has been concluded that there are no significant social impacts (either direct or indirect) that will result from the proposed development and as such, from a social perspective, there is nothing that should prevent the project going ahead.

SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 9 ACER (AFRICA) ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS

PROPOSED JOHN READMAN BORROW PIT

REFERENCES

Ntambanana Municipality 2009/10, Integrated Development Plan

Ntambanana Municipality 2015/16, Integrated Development Plan

Ntambanana Municipality 2011, Land Use Management Framework

Statistics South Africa, 2012. Census 2011, Municipal Report.

Van Schooten, M., Vanclay, F., and Slootweg, R. in Becker, H. A., 2003. Conceptualising social change processes and social impacts, in Becker, H.A., and Vanclay, M., 2003The International Handbook for Social Impact Assessment. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 10