Samancor convicted of unlawful waste disposal, fined R2m
Following a plea agreement between the State and Samancor Chrome, the Lydenburg Magistrates Court has ordered the chrome-ore mining and smelting group to pay a penalty of R200 000 for contravening the Environment Conservation Act.
The conviction relates to the operation of a disposal site and disposing of waste without the requisite waste authorisations at Samancor Tubatse, in Steelpoort, and follows a seven-year investigation by the Department of Environmental Affairs’ (DEA’s) Green Scorpions unit.
An additional R700 000 is to be paid to the DEA by November 23 to facilitate environmental initiatives at Steelpoort Primary School, which has been negatively affected by the company’s unlawful waste disposal activities.
A further R1-million will be paid to the DEA for the purposes of “proper execution of their duties, environmental rehabilitation and enforcement training”.
The court also ordered that R100 000 be paid into the account of the DEA for the costs incurred by the public prosecutor. This, in turn, would be paid to the National Director of Public Prosecutions.
The DEA said in a statement last week that, while Samancor was in the process of dealing with the impact of the unlawful hazardous waste activities, the court recognised the importance of imposing a harsh sentence irrespective of the measures it was taking.
“The outcome of this matter emphasises the responsibility of large corporates in terms of complying with environmental law.
“This judgment demonstrates to the community that such contraventions will be detected and prosecuted. It is hoped that this judgment sends out a strong warning to companies that compliance with environmental legislation is not negotiable,” commented DEA spokesperson Albi Modise.
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