Use of tailings from former Iron Ore Mine of Ngwenya, Swaziland - Economic profit vs. ecologic and geoheritage protection

摘要

Ngwenya Iron Ore Mine was commercially exploited till the late 1970s. The tailings of the mine then abandoned and largely exposed along its eastern site were from 2011 to 2014 again a profitable resource then again being exploited and brought by large trucks to the Swaziland/Mozambique border, from there by railway to the harbor of Maputo and shipped to various international destinations. However, acid mine drainage already circulating in the old mine polluted now due to the new mining activities heavily the streams originating in the Ngwenya Massif, which also contribute to the water supply of Swaziland's capital Mbabane. Additionally, the roads infrastructure across Swaziland from Ngwenya to the Mozambique border was negatively affected due to the heavy load of the transporting trucks. Also floral and faunal impacts of the mining activities for the Malolotja Natural Reserve, of which Ngwenya is part, could not be excluded. Finally, Ngwenya' s archaeological significance as the oldest mine worldwide may due to the recent exploitation of its tailings not be sufficient to achieve the status of a World Heritage Site.