Auditor-General calls for stricter management in rehabilitating abandoned mines and mine openings

 

PRETORIA – The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) needs to speed up its management of rehabilitating South Africa’s abandoned mines, as they “pose serious health, safety and environmental hazards for nearby communities,” Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke warned on Thursday, 31 March 2022.

AG Maluleke’s comments were made at the release of the report on the follow-up performance audit conducted on the department’s rehabilitation of abandoned mines, also referred to as derelict and ownerless (D&O) mines. She added that while she recognised the efforts the department had made since the first performance audit in 2009, government needed to urgently improve its rehabilitation efforts as they negatively impact local communities and the environment.

 

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