Acid mine drainage: South Africa can learn from Japan's experience of toxic waste dumping
This article looks at the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) in South Africa and the recent Central Basin decant in Boksburg Lake and compares it with a best practice example in Japan. It demonstrates how environment, social and governance (ESG) practices are relevant to transform the way governments and businesses operate.
In 2002, the public learnt about acid mine drainage (AMD) when it occurred in the West Rand near Krugersdorp, Gauteng. This led to serious concerns about the effect of mining on the environment.
Additional concerns arose about the government's response to AMD from a policy perspective. During that time only an inter-ministerial committee document of 2010 on AMD existed.
Shortly after, the AMD Emergency Works Project was implemented, and the short-term treatment of AMD commenced in the three basins of the Witwatersrand (as per the IMC document) from 2012 to 2016.
My research from 2011 to 2017 found that the evolving policy response and social dynamics of AMD were not sufficiently synchronised to deal with similar predicaments in the future.
In 2017, the first draft of the Mine Water Management Policy surfaced and was approved in 2022. This policy sets the tone for the desirable management of mine water in South Africa but envisions that treated AMD will contribute to South Africa's water dilemma only by 2040. Thus, a long-term treatment does not exist and in the interim, potential decanting is possible, further affecting communities and the environment.
In June 2025, the media reported that the central basin had decanted and the water in Boksburg Lake was not being fit for use. But it's those very people who are dependent on the water who may not heed to the warning, let alone know about it.
Several initiatives (such as the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan, the National Integrated Water Security Framework and the Vaal Anti-Pollution Forum) have surfaced to address the serious water crisis in South Africa. The government has put forward the importance of partnerships, that of the private sector and stakeholder participation. But pivotal to these partnerships is the involvement of communities to achieve environmental sustainability.
The master plan identifies key actions in the water sector and provides the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders such as the three tiers of government and the private sector.
Japanese example
Japan's island of Teshima provides a best practice example of how governments, businesses and communities can work in partnership towards environmental sustainability.
In the 1970s, almost a million tonnes of toxic waste was dumped by a company on the western end of the island and open air burning began, harming the community of Teshima. The Kagawa Prefecture (equivalent to local government) certified that the waste was unharmful and provided the authorisation for the disposal. The company had sought the permit under the pretence of earthworm farming.
In 1990, the Hyogo Prefectural Police started investigating the concerns raised by the public and exposed the company for violating the Waste Management Act and the illegal dumping stopped. Massive amounts of waste were left on Teshima.
The Kagawa Prefecture was of the view that the waste was not classified incorrectly, no impact would be inflicted on the environment and treatment of the waste was not required.
In 1993, resident movements were formed and the Teshima community applied for a pollution conciliation for the waste to be removed. In 2000 an agreement was reached to have the waste removed. The Environmental Disputes Coordination Commission took measures of the landfill site due to the environmental risks not being immediately present.
In the 1980s Japan adopted a 'pollution must be covered up and hidden' approach. After an almost two-decade long rehabilitation process, this has led to tighter laws and increased fines for illegal waste disposal.
This is one of Japan's most dreadful cases and yet one of its biggest victories in terms of environmental justice. The residents suffered for more than 40 years. The cost of the disposal was 80 billion yen (R9 billion), funded by public funds, the prefectural government and the national government.
In Teshima the biodiversity is not restored to its natural state and enhancing tourism of the island will take time, but the residents are committed to playing a contributory role, which in essence depicts environmental sustainability.
Teshima draws similarities with the Grootvlei Mine. Grootvlei had their water-use licence renewed and revoked over a period of years because of non-compliance and was a major contributor of AMD. Similarly, public funds are used for the environmental rehabilitation process.
Japan is an example of a well-established state and South Africa is still developing, and criticism can stem from such a comparison. But Japan and South Africa are part of the G20, which aims to bring together the world's major developed and developing economies to discuss global economic and social issues.
The key takeaway from the comparison is the importance of communities for environmental justice and ultimately environmental sustainability. We have similar strong-willed communities in South Africa. Disadvantaged communities are victims of AMD residual.
As we aim for environmental sustainability in South Africa, the answers are closer than we think. Communities are critical stakeholders — the residents and the employees.
Embedding ESG in business operations can only be done if employees are involved in the process and there is a shared vision for success.
Investors use ESG frameworks to assess a company's sustainability efforts and societal impact.
Investors are more likely to invest in Japan because of past success stories such as Teshima, which the community was at the forefront of. The same can be adopted in South Africa. If the government is really working towards a sustainable environment and businesses are really considering being ESG driven, or implementing the long-term solution to AMD by 2040 as policy evolves, such partnerships are essential.
Dr Suvania Naidoo is an author and an NRF Y rated researcher. The information provided on Teshima comes from her time spent in Japan, Setouchi Olive Foundation documentation, a site visit to Teshima and presentations from researchers at Okayama University. A version of this article was previously published in Mining Weekly.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mail & Guardian
6 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
People who own the sun
Saving supplies: Patrick Bam, an executive member of the SalTuba Cooperative, said being able to generate their own electricity has helped the community to avoid food loss and damages to appliances. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Upskilling youth: Young members of the cooperative such as Lubabalo Mkhiva have learnt new skills through the project, including around solar installation and energy management. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Patrick Bam is an executive member of a township cooperative in the Eastern Cape that is generating, managing and benefiting from its own sun-powered energy project. He says it has transformed life in his community. 'We were losing a lot as a community, especially as our food and appliances were being damaged due to load shedding,' he said. 'But with this project, we've been able to generate our own electricity and even sell it to the municipality.' Called the SalTuba Cooperative, the project is one of South Africa's leading examples of socially owned renewable energy in action, and a model for energy democracy. Its cooperative model has inspired other townships to take on similar initiatives, and civil society groups and researchers use it as evidence that community-led renewable energy is possible, even in urban, low-income contexts. Owned and managed by residents in KwaZakhele township in Gqeberha through a democratic cooperative structure, the project is built on public municipal land and governed collectively. Each household holds a stake and a vote, and members decide together how to reinvest revenue from electricity generation, whether into food gardening, maintenance, or other community priorities. On the ground: Mareka Mokwatlo (right), project manager and researcher at Nelson Mandela University, talks to community members at SalTuba. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Community-built: The SalTuba project is managed, constructed and maintained by the local community. Pictured here is Lubabalo Mkhiva, working to connect the project to the municipal grid. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Socially owned energy Unlike traditional energy projects, where private individuals, corporations, or government agencies own the means of production, participants in socially owned renewable energy (SORE) projects take charge of their own power supply. While there is no official registry of SORE projects in South Africa, #PowerTracker research has identified more than 20 operating initiatives across the country. One example is the Ekhenana Solar Commune, based in the Abahlali baseMjondolo settlement, in Durban. The community-run solar project powers a library, study hall and phone-charging station. Others are two local NGO-led projects, one based in Durban's Austerville and the other in Emalahleni in Mpumalanga. In Austerville, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance's office has a grid-tied solar PV system and serves as a community charging hub. In Emalahleni, Vukani Environmental Movement members have installed an off-grid rooftop PV system. On a larger scale, the Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape is cited as one of the earliest and most prominent examples of community ownership in renewable energy, making it a landmark case for socially owned renewables in the country. A trust representing the local AmaMfengu people owns 9% of the wind farm, which began operating in 2016 and supplies electricity to Eskom under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Aerial view: SalTuba started with 15 panels on a carport, and now there's a structure and 40 panels. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Community members and researchers at the SalTuba during a recent visit by the #PowerTracker team. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Women lead the soup kitchen and gardening efforts. (From left) Vuyokazi Manoni, Lelethu Kama and Nozie Hem work in the food garden. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Nolethu Hem cooks up a storm at the SalTuba community kitchen. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Cooperative born from crisis #PowerTracker recently visited the SalTuba project, named after two long streets in KwaZakhele — Sali and Tubali — where most of the cooperative's members live. The names were combined to create 'SalTuba', reflecting the project's deep community roots. Run by a cooperative of 36 households, the project emerged in 2019 as a direct response to rising electricity tariffs, relentless load shedding, and the powerlessness township residents felt over their energy supply. It was formally registered in 2021 as a primary cooperative. Initially focused on food gardening and local business development, it worked with the KwaZakhele Development Agency and Nelson Mandela University to explore renewable energy solutions in response to the community's struggles with load shedding and rising electricity tariffs. What began as a modest grassroots initiative soon evolved into a pioneering solar energy project. In 2019 it installed its first solar panels and began generating power for local benefit. Since then SalTuba has delivered measurable benefits to its members. Over the first 20 months, the project generated approximately 8,800 kWh of electricity, equivalent to R19,300 in value, or about R966 a month based on municipal tariffs. The solar array is strategically mounted on a carport structure and a community-built waste recycling facility, maximising the use of available space. Over the years the energy system has been upgraded from 5 kW to 25 kW of capacity. Beyond power generation, the cooperative has expanded its food gardening initiative, supplying fresh produce to the community and even offering vegetables on credit. Crucially, the project has empowered women and youth: women lead the soup kitchen and gardening efforts, while younger members like Lubabalo Mkhiva have acquired technical skills in solar installation and energy management. 'I joined this project because I saw the impact it brought to the community,' said Mkhiva. 'It encouraged me to be part of it, seeing the unemployment rate and poverty affecting our small communities.' Community-led: SalTuba's members are regularly working together to navigate a complex and convoluted municipal system. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee New light: Lubabalo Mkhiva with some of the equipment used to run and measure electricity produced. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Bureaucratic barriers But while SalTuba has demonstrated the potential of community-led energy, navigating municipal systems has proven anything but straightforward. According to Khaled El-Jabi, director at Energyworx, the engineering firm that helped design the system and structure of its power purchase agreement (PPA), the project faced serious bureaucratic hurdles from the start. 'There was no mechanism within the municipality to allow this type of connection to the grid,' he explained. Because the land is municipally owned, SalTuba first had to obtain permission to receive a municipal account number. Only then could a smart meter be installed to monitor and credit the electricity they produced. The PPA, signed with PowerX, an independent energy trader, spans 10 years and is structured to optimise returns using a time-of-use tariff model. According to El-Jabi, this tariff is 'split between peak, standard and off-peak sections – peak being most expensive, then standard and off-peak being the cheapest.' 'It is also split on seasons, with summer from September to May and winter being June, July and August. The PPA will pay based on the electricity generated during those times. For example, electricity generation during summer standard time will be allocated that particular tariff amount.' El-Jabi believes this model is scalable: 'There are 120 such 'gap taps' in KwaZakhele alone, with potential for three to four megawatts of community-owned solar. Communities can become prosumers, not just consumers,' he said. Still, he cautions that developers need to be 'extremely patient. Changing the system requires persistence, political navigation, and detailed planning.' Connecting community: SalTuba is supported by the municipality, but old policies and procurement rules are a constraint, so the system they opt for is called 'net billing'. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Finding solutions: Tamsanqa Bonani, a community member and chairperson of the KwaZakhele Development Agency. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Municipal constraints Although SalTuba has made strides in generating electricity, connecting that power to the grid and earning revenue from it has proved complicated. David Breitfeld, development adviser in the Nelson Mandela Bay electricity department, said the municipality supports the project in principle but is constrained by outdated policies and procurement rules. 'We're happy to connect community generators,' he said, 'but legally we can't just buy electricity from anyone. If we buy from SalTuba, then why not the next household? We'd need to run 10,000 tenders. That's not practical.' Instead, the municipality enables net billing, which allows the project to reduce its municipal electricity bill to zero but not earn cash. A smart meter currently being installed will record exactly when electricity is generated and at what tariff value (peak, standard, off-peak). These meters are crucial, Breitfeld explained, because the value of electricity varies across time and season. 'If you export power during peak winter hours, that's worth far more than during off-peak times,' he said. Recycling revenue: Patrick Bam shows the waste recycling project, which helps generate revenue. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Case study: KwaZakhele serves as a case study for socially owned renewable energy. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Wheeling deal SalTuba's turning point came in 2022 with its PPA with licensed energy trader PowerX. The municipality enabled wheeling, a system which allows SalTuba to sell electricity through the municipal grid to PowerX, who pays the cooperative while covering wheeling charges. 'This model is finally allowing us to move forward,' Brietfeld said, confirming installation of the smart meter by the municipality is imminent. Still, he noted structural problems in the system: since SalTuba's solar installation is not physically linked to residents' homes, community members don't see reduced household energy bills directly. 'If they had installed the system in front of their home meters, they could have consumed the power directly before it entered the grid — that would have saved them money immediately.' Instead, power goes straight into the broader grid, making it difficult to attribute usage to individuals without more complex metering and agreements. 'You don't want to spend R100 to earn R10 worth of power,' he added. Early engagement: Project management advises talking to the community early on, for anyone considering starting similar initiatives. Pictured here is Mareka Mokwatlo (left) and research lead, Professor Janet Cherry. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Transition townships Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, SalTuba proves that communities can successfully manage renewable energy projects, said Mareka Mokwatlo, manager of Transition Township pilot projects based in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. Mokwatlo joined the Transition Township Project, an action research initiative focused on developing sustainable local economies, in 2016 and works with SalTuba from a research perspective. In 2024 the project was awarded a three-year research grant by the National Research Foundation to scale up the SalTuba pilot and to implement additional pilot projects. 'Communities are capable of implementing such projects, and acquiring such assets. But they do face numerous challenges, and those challenges can include the regulations that they have to work within. Having strong community support helps, and that comes with resilience,' she said. For communities considering similar projects, Mokwatlo offers practical advice: 'Start engaging the community early. Tap into your existing assets first, like skills that are already there. We don't have to go outside to hire people in our working-class communities. We know we have artisanal skills, and we have stokvels that can be used towards funding our operations.' Land access remains crucial in the South African context, she said. 'Access to land is necessary to generate and improve our livelihoods. We need to use land strategically and understand local regulations, which can be complex.' Mokwatlo emphasised starting small and building trust: 'Partner with local businesses before you go outside. Work with what you have. Building strong partnerships requires commitment, and people need to trust you.' 'For this type of project, start small, pilot, and design to scale. We started with 15 panels on a carport, and now there's a structure and 40 panels.' Local economy: Research lead Professor Janet Cherry said that a truly just energy transition means 'restructing the economy to be owned and controlled by ordinary people'. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee Broader vision Professor Janet Cherry, head of the department of development studies at Nelson Mandela University, sees SalTuba as part of a broader vision for a just energy transition. Her work focuses on how community-owned energy projects can fundamentally reshape South Africa's economy. 'Some critics think that this model is only going to meet a small part of the country's energy needs. Our research shows otherwise: in theory household production could meet 83% of the whole country's planned energy needs,' she said. Community-owned energy projects can be a game-changer for local communities, Cherry emphasised. 'By producing electricity locally, communities can create new jobs and economic opportunities. It's not just about generating electricity, but about empowering communities to take control of their energy future.' 'You don't have to have a big solar plant in the middle of the desert, you can actually do it on every single roof or every open space. The biggest opportunity is the inclusion of community-owned energy systems that can alleviate the electricity constraints experienced in South Africa.' But realising this vision requires fundamental policy reform, she added: 'Municipalities need to be able to buy electricity from community cooperatives like SalTuba, but the current regulations and administrative capacity are not supportive. We need policy changes to make it easier for community cooperatives to participate economically in the energy transition process.' Cherry's concept of a just transition goes beyond simply replacing coal jobs. 'Just transition is not about people being laid off from the coal mines and then unemployment goes up, it's about completely restructuring the economy to be owned and controlled by ordinary people,' she said. 'It's about creating a more just and equitable society, where people have control over their own lives and livelihood.' You can watch our recent webinar titled,
Mail & Guardian
6 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
Mothers, grandmothers and other caregivers need care too
The caregivers of children who are at home also need support. Photo: File Young children in South Africa live on the edge of both possibility and risk. If all of them were to grow up thriving, it would unlock opportunities for our country: a stronger economy and a safer, happier society. And yet, more than To address this, we need to increase access to quality early childhood development (ECD) centres or playgroups. We also need to support the caregivers of our youngest children who are at home, where learning begins. The science is clear. A baby's brain is not fully developed at birth, it develops most rapidly in the first three years of life. Babies are born eager to connect: they babble, make facial expressions and reach out. When caregivers respond with warmth, smiles, eye contact, sounds or words, it strengthens brain development. This is the power of ' But for too many caregivers, the odds are stacked against them. There are nearly seven million children aged 0–5 in South Africa, and nearly two-thirds live in the poorest 40% of households. Caregivers, most often women, carry an enormous, often invisible burden. More than 80% of children live with their biological mothers, many of whom experience a lack of support, or daily survival stress because of poverty, with a Poor infrastructure, inefficient services, financial insecurity, fragmented support and enduring gender norms undermine their capacity to provide nurturing care. Many also do not have confidence in their role as their children's first teachers because 'learning' is still viewed as something that happens in crèches or schools. Less than a third of caregivers read books with their children. Many homes don't have age-appropriate books at all with just less than If we want to break the cycle of poverty, inequality and poor learning outcomes, we must start with the people doing the work of care. Across South Africa, organisations are doing this work, often with limited resources. These organisations recognise that for children to thrive, we must pay attention to the wellbeing of their caregivers. Organisations such as Programmes like Organisations recognise the importance of shared care of young children. Among them is Through programmes like We must invest in learning from and expanding evidence-informed programmes, and strengthen partnerships between government, donors, NGOs and researchers to create scalable, sustainable systems. The Hold My Hand Accelerator in partnership with SAPPIN, is conducting a survey of organisations and initiatives that support responsive caregiving and early learning. If you would like to know more about the survey or complete the survey please use this . Shelley O'Carroll is an early childhood development specialist and consultant for the .
Mail & Guardian
6 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
Most people on ARVs stay on them. Does our health system know that?
How can data help the health department make the most of the R622 million extra it received for South Africa's HIV treatment programme? (Flickr) More than two weeks ago, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi About This extra budget is just over a fifth of the roughly So, how to get the best bang for these limited bucks — especially with the health department wanting to get By getting really serious about giving people more than one way of getting their repeat prescriptions for antiretroviral (ARV) medicine (so-called differentiated service delivery), said Kate Rees, co-chair of the A big part of South Africa's problem in getting 95% of people who know they have HIV on ARVs (the second target of the UN's 95-95-95 set of cascading goals) is that people — sometimes repeatedly — For the UN goals to be reached, South Africa needs to have 95% of people diagnosed with HIV, on treatment. Right now, the health department says, But the way many health facilities are run makes the system too rigid to accommodate real-life stop and start behaviour, says Rees. This not only means that extra time and money are spent every time someone seemingly drops out of line and then comes back in, but also makes people unwilling to get back on board because the process is so inconvenient and unwelcoming, she says. Rees and Wilkinson were co-authors of a Journal of the International Aids Society in 2024, of which the results helped the health department 'We often have excellent guidelines in place, built on solid scientific evidence,' says Rees, 'but they're not necessarily implemented well on the ground.' To make sure we track the second 95 of the UN goals accurately, we need a health system that acknowledges people will come late to collect their treatment and sometimes miss appointments. This doesn't necessarily mean they've stopped their treatment; rather that how they take and collect their treatment changes over time. The standard ways in which the public health system works mostly doesn't provide the type of support these patients need, as the resources required to provide such support is not available,' explains Yogan Pillay, the health department's former deputy director general for HIV and now the head of HIV delivery at the Gates Foundation. 'But with AI-supported digital health solutions and the high penetration of mobile phones, such support can now — and should be — be provided at low cost and without the need to hire additional human resources.' We dive into the numbers to see what the study showed — and what they can teach us about making the system for HIV treatment more flexible. Does late = stopped? Not necessarily. Data from three health facilities in Johannesburg that the researchers tracked, showed that of the 2 342 people who came back to care after missing a clinic appointment for collection medication or a health check, 72% — almost three-quarters — showed up within 28 days of the planned date. In fact, most (65%) weren't more than two weeks late. Of those who showed up at their clinic more than four weeks after they were due, 13% made it within 90 days (12 weeks). Only one in 14 people in the study came back later than this, a period by which the health department would have recorded them as The data for the study was collected in the second half of 2022, and at the time 'But it's important to distinguish between showing up late and interrupting treatment,' notes Rees. Just because someone was late for their appointment doesn't necessarily mean they stopped taking their medication. Many people in the study said they either still had pills on hand or managed to get some, despite not showing up for their schedule collection. Sending back a parcel of uncollected medicine after just two weeks — as was the case at the time of the study — would therefore add an unnecessary admin load and cost into the system. ( Does late = unwell? Not always. In fact, seven out of 10 people who collected their next batch of medication four weeks or more late had no worrying signs, such as possible symptoms of tuberculosis, high blood pressure, weight loss or a Moreover, given the large number of people without worrying health signs in the group for whom data was available, it's possible that many of those in the group with incomplete data were well too. When the researchers looked at the patients' last viral load results on file (some more than 12 months ago at the time of returning to the clinic), 71% had fewer than 1 000 copies/mL in their blood. A viral count of <1 000 copies/mL tells a health worker that the medicine is keeping most of the virus from replicating. It is usually a sign of someone being diligent about taking their pills and managing their condition well. Yet clinic staff often assume that people who collect their medicine late are not good at taking their pills regularly, and so they get routed to extra counselling about staying on the programme. 'Most people don't need more adherence counselling; they need more convenience,' says Rees. Offering services that aren't necessary because of an inflexible process wastes resources, she explains — something a system under pressure can ill afford. Says Rees: 'With funding in crisis, we really have to prioritise [where money is spent].' Does late = indifferent? Rarely. Close to three-quarters of people who turned up four weeks or more after their scheduled medicine collection date said they had missed their appointment because of travelling, work commitments or family obligations. Only about a quarter of the sample missed their appointment because they forgot, misplaced their clinic card or for some other reason that would suggest they weren't managing their condition well. Part of making cost-effective decisions about how to use budgets best is to offer differentiated care', meaning that 'not every patient coming back after a missed appointment is treated the same way', says Rees. Health workers should look at how much the appointment date was missed as well as a patient's health status to decide what service they need, she explains. Giving people who've been managing their condition well enough medicine to last them six months at a time can go a long way, Wilkinson told Bhekisisa 's Health Beat team According to the health department South Africa will start rolling out six-month dispensing in August. 'But not everyone wants this,' explained Wilkinson, pointing out that experiences from other countries show that 50% to 60% of people choose six-monthly pick-ups. It speaks to tailoring service delivery to patients' needs, says Rees, rather than enforcing a one-size-fits-all system when more than one size is needed. Says Rees: 'Facing funding constraints, we really need tailored service delivery to keep the [HIV treatment] programme where it is.' This story was produced by the . Sign up for the .
