Pretoria - Cabinet has mandated the Minister of Water Affairs, Bulelwa Sonjica to urgently establish a special task team to investigate how government can best deal with reports of acid water drainage in some provinces.
Acid mine water, or water contaminated with heavy metals as a result of mining activities, is affecting the Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and the Free State provinces.
"The reports suggest that this drainage is a result of mining activities and could result in serious health and economic risks for the provinces and the country," said Government spokesperson Themba Maseko on Thursday. He was briefing media following Cabinet's regular meeting this week.
He said during the meeting Sonjica was mandated to urgently convene a special task team to investigate and to develop "a clear and coordinated strategy to deal with the matter".
The task team will include the Ministers of Mineral Resources Susan Shabangu, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka, Minister in the Presidency responsible for the Planning Commission Trevor Manuel and the relevant MEC's from the affected provinces.
The task team will report back to Cabinet on the way forward.
Acid mine drainage occurs when sulphate bearing minerals are exposed to oxygen. The process, termed pyrite oxidation, is enhanced when water moves through and over the surfaces of acid bearing rock exposed through mining activities which disturb the underlying geology.
