SOUTH AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY MONTHLY

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SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY MONTHLY
BRIEFINGS, MAY 2009

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1. (U) Summary: This is the South African Environment, Science and
Technology Monthly Briefings Newsletter, May 2009, Volume 4, Number
5, prepared by the U.S. Embassy Pretoria, South Africa.

Topics of the newsletter:

-- Scientists Develop New Carbon Emission Reduction Process

-- South Africa and Uganda Sign S&T Bilateral Agreement

-- South Africa Frogs Facing Extinction

-- Lion Park Forced Out by Development

-- Rare Orchid May Become Extinct

-- Environmental Group Calls for Investigation of Gauteng
MEC for Conservation


-- Municipal Health Service Sees Deterioration in Water Quality

-- Poor Water Quality Limits Business Growth

-- SANParks Opposes Mining Project at Mapungubwe

-- Monthly Factoid

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Scientists Develop New Carbon
Emission Reduction Process
--------------


2. (U) Wits University Centre of Material and Process Synthesis
professors David Glasser, Diane Hildebrandt, Brendon Hausberger and
Bilal Patel, and Rutgers professor Benjamin Glasser have made a
breakthrough discovery that reduces carbon dioxide emissions from
the source and that can be applied to a range of processes. David
Glasser said that their research developed new techniques for
analyzing what causes emissions, and how to design processes to
reduce carbon dioxide emissions. He added that once these processes
are understood, it is "relatively simple to eliminate unnecessary
emissions and minimize the contributions from other sources."



3. (U) Glasser cited as an example a plant making liquid fuel from
coal. He said with their process the plant can reduce its overall
CO2 emissions by using CO2 and hydrogen as intermediaries. He noted
that the plant achieves higher emission reductions using CO2 and
hydrogen, even though this appears to be an inferior method.
Glasser added that there is a pilot plant running in China and a
demonstration plant in Australia, which incorporate these ideas.
Glasser said the technique can be applied to a number of different
processes, giving it a substantial impact on combustion processes.
The center at Wits has 40 post graduate students and about 20 full
time employees who are funded by industry.

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South Africa and Uganda Sign
S & T Bilateral Agreement
--------------


4. (U) South Africa and Uganda signed a bilateral Science and
Technology Agreement on April; 16, 2009. The two countries will
jointly identify scientific and technological priorities and
consolidate resources. South Africa and Uganda have been
negotiating the agreement since 2006. Areas of cooperation include
bioscience, indigenous knowledge systems, environment and climate
change, energy research, innovation management capacity, information
technology, and human capital development. Uganda and South Africa
will continue their current joint efforts under the Group on Earth
Observation project. Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi
Mangena said that, over the past decade, South Africa's science has
been greatly enriched by collaborations with African counterparts.


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South Africa Frogs Facing Extinction
--------------


5. (U) North-West University African Amphibian Conservation Research
Group Director Dr Louis du Preez warned that the South African frog
populations are rapidly decreasing. Du Preez, who is also the Head
Qpopulations are rapidly decreasing. Du Preez, who is also the Head
of the Green Trust Threatened South Africa Frog Project, is chairing
an effort to produce the first-ever conservation action plan for
South Africa's twenty-one threatened frog species. Du Perez noted

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that the rapid decline in frogs is cause for alarm because frogs are
the thermometers of environmental health. He noted that frogs are
exposed to the complete range of air, water and land pollutants
since they live in both aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Several South Africa frogs are restricted to small geographical
areas and the loss of their habitat has a devastating effect on
population numbers. The habitat of the Ghost Frog in the Elandsberg
Mountains, for example, has become a pine plantation. Pine needles
acidify the water in the stream areas where the frog lives. Du
Perez and two doctoral students recently discovered the first Ghost
Frog seen in years in the Elandsberg Mountain.


6. (U) Du Perez says the Elandsberg forestry companies are
collaborating with the Green Trust to conserve this frog, hiring a
fulltime ecologist and bringing in expensive equipment to 'pluck'
trees from the stream area where the frog lives." Another
endangered frog is Rose's ghost frog, a rare species found only on
Table Mountain, where it lives in streams and moist, forested
gorges. It is under threat from invasive plants, increasing numbers
of visitors and the high number of fires. The construction of more
water holding areas has taken away water from the streams where the
frogs' eggs and tadpoles develop. The Western Cape NGO 'Friends of
the Western Leopard Toad' is helping to conserve this threatened
species, which lives and breeds in the urban environment of the
TOKAI/Muizenberg/Fishhoek. Western Leopards are frequently killed
by cars speeding on the roads. The Friends have erected toad
crossings that say: "Caution! Western Leopard Toads."

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Lion Park Forced Out by Development
--------------



7. (U) Lions have ranged freely throughout Johannesburg's Lion Park
for forty-one years, but a high-density development is forcing the
Park to relocate. The new development will include 1528 residence
on various sized plots. Current residents question whether the
rural area's infrastructure will be able to handle this increased
capacity. Local resident Nicci Wright, an engineer, said that the
area is a wetland fed by natural springs, and that the proposed
sewage system locates its pump at the lowest point in the area. She
said when she questioned the effectiveness of this location she was
told that Randburg Water would handle all maintenance. Wright said
she knows of three pumps handled by Randburg that are currently out
of order and pumping raw sewage into the Klein Jukskei and
Hartebeespoort Dam. Developer Golder Associates Africa's
representative said that an extensive EIA was completed and all
environmental issues were addressed with sufficient mitigation
efforts. Lion Park Acting Manager advised that the staff and
animals would move after the FIFA World Cup in 2010 when their
contract officially expires. He noted that the Lion Park is no
longer in the rural areas as it used to be, and that "we are in the
middle of the suburbs now. It's not very nice."

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Rare Orchid May Become Extinct
--------------


8. (U) The only known population of a rare wild orchid is threatened
by development plans near the Cradle of Humankind in Maropeng.
Conservationists say the orchid could become extinct. Black Eagle
Project spokesman Arthur Alberston added that endangered or
QProject spokesman Arthur Alberston added that endangered or
threatened animals such as caracal, jackals and leopards move
through the area and the development would interrupt their transit
paths. The application for this high-density residential and
business unit project is pending with the Gauteng Department of
Agriculture, Conservation and Environment (GDACE). Albertson says
the project violates several national and provincial regulations and
policies. If GDACE does grant the permit, the NGOs say they will
take legal action to stop the construction. GDACE, Mogale City and
the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens officials claim they
have been investigating the feasibility of establishing a
2,000-hectare reserve in the that areas which would safeguard the
orchid's habitat and allow restocking of wildlife.

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Environmental Group Calls for Investigation
of Gauteng MEC for Conservation
--------------


9. (U) The Environmental and Conservation Association (ECA) has
filed a lawsuit seeing to overrule Gauteng MEC for Agriculture,
Conservation and Environment Khabsisi Mosunkuntu's decision to
permit permitting a new road through one of Gauteng's wetlands.
Various media reports have also raised questions about Mosunkuntu's
decision to overrule GDACE ruling that the road should not be built,

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citing Musunkuntu's involvement with the developments seeking the
roadway. Gauteng Democratic Alliance Leader Jack Bloom submitted a
dossier detailing Mosunkuntu actions involving irregularities in
eight separate developments across the province to Gauteng premier
Mbhazima Shilowa last year. Bloom called for a commission to
investigate Mosumkuntu. ECA Chairman Nicole Barlow said the
wetland's road is yet another example of Mosumkuntu "sidestepping"
the law and making decisions contrary to GDACE's expert opinion.

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Municipal Health Service Sees
Deterioration in Water Quality
--------------


10. (U) Tshwane municipal health service division tabled a report
before the Metro Council on May 1, 2009 describing the rapid
deterioration of the quality of water and food in the area. The
report contains findings by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC)
for the period July 1, 2005 to June 2008. Food and water samples
were taken and tested for compliance with the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics
and Disinfections Act. ARC samples included tap water, reservoirs,
bottled water, and water in tankers, boreholes, rivers and streams.
Food samples were taken from pasteurized milk, raw milk, dairy
products, juice and ice cream. ARC's findings indicated that 57% of
all water samples complied with legal requirements; 60% of bottled
water complied; 53% of food complied with legal requirements
regarding microbiological analysis (a six percent decline from
previous period; and that 63% of food complied with legal
requirements regarding chemical analysis (a 35% decline). The
report stated that there are serious personnel shortages in
municipal health services due to the council's alternative service
delivery (ASD) process.

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Poor Water Quality Limits Business Growth
--------------


11. (U) Independent water expert Anthony Turton said South African
businesses growth could be constrained by the lack of clean water
resources. He added that business should stop the "blame game" and
act swiftly in partnership with the government to deal with the
threat. Turton said, "Business cannot sit idle any longer. We need
new partnerships between the government, organized business and the
national science councils to develop and resource a fresh strategic
vision." He advised business to see water as a business rick and to
form partnerships similar to those formed in response to crime.
Turton stated, "Companies must understand business risks in terms of
input, process and output and then develop mitigation strategies for
each of these sets of issues."


12. (U) Turton said the water problem SA faced was that of quality
and quantity, as well as demand and supply. He said, "By 2035 SA
will need 65-billion cubic kilometers of water and our current
national stock stands at 33-billion. Our problem is that we are
managing our water resources so badly, and are putting pressure on
available fresh water." Turton also suggested that the country's
water allocation reform process should ensure that industry - which
contributed about 80% of gross domestic product (GDP) but received
only about 20% of water allocation - should get more water at the
expense of agriculture, which received about 60% of water allocated
but only contributed about 2% to GDP . Turton resigned from the
Qbut only contributed about 2% to GDP . Turton resigned from the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research last year after he
made controversial remarks about the implications of SA's water
situation on socioeconomic development.

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SANParks Opposes Mining Project at Mapungubwe
--------------


13. (U) South African National Parks (SANParks) is challenging an
application for a R3 trillion mining operation to be established at
the entrance to the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site. SANParks
spokesperson Wanda Mkhutshulwa said on April 20, 2009 that SANParks
was opposed to the project because it threatened the environment
around Mapungubwe, particularly the quality of its water.
Mkhutshulwa noted that SANparks mandate is to ensure the environment
surrounding the national parks is protected. She stated, "From our
view, the mining project will have a negative impact on the water in
the park." Department of Minerals and Energy spokesperson Bheki
Khumalo stressed that the mining project was not a done deal.
Khumalo said, "After all objections have been registered and all
concerns considered the department will make a determination. We
are still months away from that."


14. (U) The proposed mining site is near the Limpopo River, which
forms the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe. The closest

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town is Musina. The mine's western boundary is seven kilometers
east of the Mapungubwe National Park, and the coal processing plant
infrastructure would be twenty-seven kilometers from the Mapungubwe
World Heritage Site. The proposed colliery would have the potential
to produce five-million tons a year of coking coal, starting with
one-million tons a year and ramping up to full capacity by 2011.
The life-of-mine stretches beyond 2040. Independent Power Producer
(IPP) Mulilo Energy is considering constructing a power station in
the area, although CoAL said it was not reliant on the sale of coal
to the power station to make the project feasible. The power
station would ultimately produce about 900 MW, and initial designs
show that it would be located directly below the CoAL tenement area.



15. (U) The Mapungubwe National Park is a game reserve and home to
the archaeological treasure of Mapungubwe, a kingdom predating that
of Great Zimbabwe. Mapungubwe was the base of a trading empire that
traded with the people of China, India, Egypt and Persia, exchanging
ivory, gold around the year 1200. The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
became South Africa's fifth World Heritage site in July 2003, and in
May 2004, it was officially announced as the Mapungubwe National
Park. The site was discovered in 1933, and is said to be where an
Iron Age metropolis was ruled by an African king almost one thousand
years ago. Mapungubwe National Park Manager Tshimangadzo Nehemani
said the Park had 26 000 visitors in 2007. A new interpretation
centre will open by the end of this year, allowing the public to
view the gold work uncovered at the site, including the world-famous
tiny golden rhino, a gold scepter and gold bowl.


16. (U) Coal of Africa (CoAL) Chief Operations Officer Riaan van der
Merwe stated in a community meeting that the project would create
14,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities during the
construction phase and 30,000 direct and indirect jobs during the
operational phase. Local business owners have complained that the
CoAL still has not addressed concerns raised at previous meetings,
including the need for an environmental impact assessment study on
how local roads would be affected by coal-hauling trucks and dust
from the coal. Mopane Bush Lodge Manager Paul Hatty said, "We have
such a beautiful environment here. The atmosphere is clean and all
of that will be wiped out by the coal business." Hatty added that
the lodge, which is seven kilometers from the proposed mine site,
drew over one hundred international visitors last year, all of whom
visited the heritage site. He said, "We will lose our clients as no
sane person will pay money to be swallowed by coal dust."


17. (U) Vhembe District Municipal Councilor Mapulanka Baloi welcomed
the proposal, saying it would benefit many people. He added that
the mine would create new levels of economic development and
employment and bring the province to a new level of prosperity. Van
der Merwe emphasized that CoAL would manage the mine in accordance
with mining environmental regulations. Hatty responded that "Even
with the best environmental controls, the environmental degradation
caused by coal mining, similar to that around Witbank, will kill any
hopes of growing tourism, both international and local, to this
prime pristine area of Africa." Local businesses and residents
also fear that if this project is approved, more coal mines would be
Qalso fear that if this project is approved, more coal mines would be
established in the area. Hatty said, "Anglo Coal has already
purchased four farms even closer to the National Park and Heritage
Site, and three other farms next to Mapungubwe Park entrance show
promising signs of exploitable coal."

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Monthly Factoid
--------------


18. (U) In 2002 South African internet entrepreneur Mark
Shuttleworth, then age 28, became Africa's first astronaut. Three
years later Google adopted Shuttleworth's Ubuntu software as its
in-house operating system.
www.southafrica.info/about/414421.htm#innovat ions

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