Civil society organisations Herd Nature Reserve, Centre for Applied Legal Studies and Living Limpopo have approached the Polokwane High Court to review the environmental authorisation granted to the Musina-Makhado special economic zone (MMSEZ) in Limpopo.

The organisations believe the approval process was fatally flawed, saying the provincial government granted itself environmental authorisation while ignoring severe impacts of a “coal-fuelled megaproject” on water security and the climate crisis.

They state that the final environmental-impact assessment (EIA) report issued in February 2021 by Delta Built Environment Consultants did not recommend environmental authorisation.

However, the Limpopo provincial government proceeded to appoint another environmental assessment practitioner to issue a revised final EIA in September 2021, which paved the way for government to grant itself authorisation.

The MMSEZ was designated in 2017, with the Limpopo government having identified two sites to the north and south of Musina for development and industrialisation.

The operating entity, MMSEZ, is wholly-owned by the Limpopo Economic Development Agency – an agency of the provincial government.

The SEZ is projected to generate more than one-billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime, which equates to more than 10% of South Africa’s yearly carbon budget under Paris Agreement commitments.

The civil society organisations agree that the scale of this development has the potential to radically alter the environmental, social and economic landscape of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve region.

The organisations reportedly have raised numerous concerns about the feasibility and impact of the SEZ on this sensitive region and its vulnerable rural communities; however, they say their efforts to engage meaningfully with government and its agencies sponsoring the project have been futile.

The organisations are asking the court to review and set aside the environmental authorisation before the set starts being developed. The review application is supported by two expert reports, which discuss risks related to loss of biodiversity, water supply, pollution and wetland destruction.

According to the organisations, the Vhembe region contains some of the most biodiverse and culturally sensitive areas in the country, including the northern Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe World Heritage Site and other areas such as the Herd Reserve.

Additionally, the area is already considered water-scarce and should government fail to properly consider spatial development, it could have devastating consequences on water supply.

Ultimately, the project will set back South Africa’s efforts to fight climate change and render the country in breach of its international obligations.