SAVE is an association of concerned people who wish to protect and maintain the integrity of the Vaal River and its environs in the short and the long term.
As President Nelson Mandela said to a youth rally in Paris; July 1996
"We also attach a great deal of importance to the question of the environment because, until we do things which show how we value our environment, we are not going to be able to have a healthy society in the world."
Sasol has identified the area surrounding the Rietspruit wetlands and Cloudy Creek as the most viable of the three alternatives they considered to replace the production capacity of the Sigma underground Mine which will close within the next three years.
The proposed Sigma Colliery: Northwest Strip Mine will
destroy the Rietspruit wetland and seriously impact on the surrounding area.
They propose to redirect the Rietspruit, cutting off the flow into the wetlands, build 35m high berms along both sides of the Creek and along the river banks, covering an enormous area of natural riverine vegetation and altering an ancient alluvial plane permanently. They intend using the dragline method of strip mining which is infamous for the endless clanking of chains that occurs 24 hours a day, illuminating the area so the mining can continue day and night, and generally causing the total degradation of the area. The large number of birds that nest in the wetlands will leave as blasting in the mine progresses, the fish will desert the polluted waters and the area will become sterile and stagnant.
This is the only portion of the Vaal River Barrage Reservoir zoned for Nature
Conservation in the Guide plan of 1982. In fact, the farm Rietfontein 123 is
a declared Private Nature Reserve, (Ordinance of Nature Conservation, Provincial Gazette, Province of the Free State. Feb 1995) and steps are being taken to have the Rietspruit wetlands declared a Protected Natural Environment. SAVE feels sure this will be of benefit to all as there are many people who will be affected by this mine who are dependent on the river for their livelihood, well-being and recreation, not to mention the needs of the future generations.
The ambiance and quality of the river will be lost forever if the mine is allowed to desecrate the very banks of the Vaal.