Agulhas Wine Triangle responds to prospecting threat

By James Bayley

Published: 24 October, 2023

Following an application from a mining company to mine for gold, silver and tin on farms in South Africa's Agulhas Wine Triangle (AWT), a non-profit of the same name made up of wineries in the area has outlined its concerns.

According to the AWT, should the application be accepted, grape production and quality will decrease in the region as a result of mining activity.

“The increased traffic will result in air-quality deterioration and produce dust that settles on the leaves of the vines and prohibit photosynthesis,” said an AWT spokesperson.

Read more: Bruce Jack Wines faces environmental threat from prospecting company

“As a result growth of the vines and ripening of grapes will be negatively impacted,” they added.

Tourism and agriculture were recently identified by the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism as the sectors with the greatest potential to accelerate growth and job creation in the area. However, this application puts much of that progress at risk.

Furthermore, farmers are unlikely to be compensated sufficiently and will not see remediation or rehabilitation in their lifetimes. Agricultural land values and the value of wine brands and other consumer brands within the area will plummet.

There are several tourism facilities within the AWT, such as winery cellar-door facilities, self-catering accommodation establishments, wedding venues, hotels, restaurants, farmstalls, and various nature reserves, including the Nuwejaars Special Management Area.

Currently, 240,000 people are employed in tourism in the Western Cape. Wine and wine tourism contribute R35billion to the GDP. The greater Cape South Coast and in particular the AWT, which includes villages like Gansbaai, Baardskeerdersbos, Elim, Napier, Bredasdorp, Arniston and Struisbaai are part of this very dynamic and important industry.

Skipskop Wines owner, based in Napier, Jonathan de Thierry, a geologist by trade, said: “Personally I do not believe any economic gold mineral potential exists on the farms Cienth Pty Ltd have applied for. Generally, where there is economic gold potential on a property you will see historic workings of gold in quartz veins over time with numerous adits and pits. This is not the case in our area. In the 1870s a gold mining company was listed in London based on an adit dug close to Fairfield Farm. This was an early example of a mining scam and when I accessed the adit in the mid-1990s and took samples of the vein they were chasing, the assay results were negative.”

If approved, the AWT estimates the mining will affect over 200ha of vineyards, and indirectly affect many hundreds of hectares more, through groundwater contamination and air quality deterioration. The knock-on devaluation of the land and the wine brands associated with this land could impact livelihoods and jobs.

For further information or to register as an interested and affected party (I&AP), contact McDonald Mdluli, the environmental assessment practitioner (EAP) at the Lwethuma Environmental Consultant agency at info@lwethuma.com.

Any individual person, association of persons or entity can register as an interested party, regardless of geographical location.

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