From: wsargeant@igc.apc.org (Winslow L. Sargeant)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:South Africa, lobby plan to protect
Date: 25 Jul 92 17:10:42 GMT

/* Written 12:07 am  Jul 24, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "SOUTH AFRICA: LOBBY PLAN TO PROTECT" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Europe, western
Reference: Environment; Science & Industry
Title: SOUTH AFRICA: LOBBY PLAN TO PROTECT NATURE RESERVES, WETLANDS


johannesburg, jul 21 (ips/eddie koch) -- a powerful lobby of
conservationists is planning to protect all of south africa's
nature reserves and wetlands from invasion by damaging mining
activities.

an angry anti-mining lobby has emerged within the country's
''green'' movement after two of south africa's foremost
conservationists were fired from their local government jobs by
officials who appear determined to press ahead with a
controversial mining scheme in natal province.

the two anti-mining activists, ian player and nolly
zaloumnis, played a leading role in resisting efforts by
richards bay minerals company to stripmine the shores of a
pristine estuary on the natal coast, called lake st lucia, for
titanium.

last week the government administrator for natal province
axed player and zaloumnis from the provinces official parks
board -- a conservation body that opposed the mining scheme --
and replaced them with a lawyer whose company acts for the
mining corporation.

the move was seen as a crude attempt to prepare the way for
mining to go ahead and green activists here believe there has
been a cabinet-level decision to resist demands from the
''green'' movement for curbs to be slapped on the mining
industry.

opposition to a scheme by richard's bay minerals to stripmine
the eastern shores of lake st lucia has escalated dramatically
since player and zaloumnis were removed from the parks board.

''if this is intended to thwart the campaign and to smother
the voices of dr player and dr zaloumnis i can assure you that
it will not work,'' says the chair of the campaign for st lucia,
oliff d'oliveira.

player, who is a respected anti-mining activist, says the 120
organisations affiliated to the campaign for st lucia will now
press for legislation to ban all mining on south africa's
protected wetlands and reserves.

''the public outrage here is now so strong that it looks
like a spirit of environmental activism in the classic sense --
people throwing themselves in the path of bullodozers -- has
finally come to south africa,'' a member of the campaign for st
lucia told ips here last week. (more/ips)


south africa: lobby (2)

player was reluctant to speculate about the government's
motives to fire him, but noted that mineral and energy affairs
minister george bartlett had stated in may the government was in
favour of mining going ahead at st lucia.

members of the campaign for st lucia believe a decision has
been taken at government level not to buckle under demands for
tight curbs on mining activities that damage the environment.

they point to the recent government go-ahead for a
controversial kaolin mining scheme on chapman's peak -- one of
south africa's most scenic sites near cape town -- as additional
proof that the government is determined to press ahead with
schemes that earn foreign exchange at the expense of the
environment.

the natal parks board is also in possession of a confidential
report by two economists who point out that the huge south
african conglomerate, gencor, has a stake in the richards bay
minerals project, the kaolin mine in cape town and a
controversial new aluminium smelter at richards bay.

the economists believe this may well be related to the fact
that gencor's former chief executive, derek keys, is now south
africa's finance minister as well as minister of trade and
industries.

gencor has always had close government links and has been a
powerful base from which supporters of the ruling national party
have asserted influence over the south african economy.
(end/ips/ek/apc/oa/92)



indoaid-2

visiting dutch foreign minister hans van den broek said his
country welcomed the cgi aid to indonesia which was +very
important+.
the post quoted vam den broek as having said that jakarta's
decision last march to terminate the dutch government's aid

programme had not undermined the hague's respect for the world
bank-chaired cgi.
broek said he was in indonesia to explore the possibility
of expanding and strengthening ties between the two countries,
rather than to convince jakarta to review its decision to refuse
assistance krom the netherlands.
the cgi met for the first time in paris last week. new
donors in the group include south korea, the kuwait fund for
arab economic development, the saudi fund for development, the
nordic investment bank and the islamic development bank.


end of opecna morning transmission
(21-jul-92)