TOLL ROAD - ARTICLES AND DOCUMENTS OF INTEREST

BRIEF HISTORY OF TOLL ROAD CONTROVERSY
(The three paragraphs below  are from the Draft Scoping Report - April 2006 - Executive Summary)

'A previous environmental Record of Decision (RoD), issued on 3 December 2003, authorised the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) to undertake the proposed N2 Wild Coast Toll Highway, but numerous appeals were subsequently lodged with the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism objecting to the authorisation granted to SANRAL.

On 9 December 2004 the Minister upheld the appeals and set aside the authorisation on the grounds that the appointed environmental consultant did not meet the requirement for independence as contemplated in the EIA Regulations (as amended). The Minister’s decision also indicated that this did not preclude a new application for environmental authorisation from being submitted, as the authorisation was not set aside on environmental grounds.

Following a proposal call by SANRAL in January 2005, SANRAL subsequently appointed CCA Environmental (Pty) Ltd (CCA), in association with Nomi Muthialu & Associates (Pty) Ltd (NMA), as independent environmental consultant to submit a new application for environmental authorisation and to undertake the required EIA of the proposed project.'


The following reports appeared in the Mercury.
28-04-2005 - Wild Coast Toll Road Plan Revived
29-04-2005 - Toll Road

People have been concerned that the route of the proposed toll road has been chosen to serve the interests of the miners. The following doc contains a great deal of info about  mining plans for the Xolobeni area along the Wild Coast.
Xolobeni Mineral Sands Project

April 2006 - Draft Scoping Report - This document appears on the SANRAL website,  www.nra.co.za and contains a great deal of info about the proposed toll road including maps of the proposed route as well as alternative routes.

A public meeting was held at the Harding Town Hall to discuss the Draft Scoping Report.
21-04-2006 - Minutes of public meeting  - Harding

The following doc is a summary of public comments reguarding the Draft scoping Report which SWC invited as part of the SWC response to the Draft Scoping Report.  It contains a great deal of info on the various reasons why people are opposed to the toll road proposal.
08-06-2006 - SWC Response to Draft Scoping Report
   
LATEST NEWS

Various IAP’s and NGO’s were invited by EIA consultants Nomi Mathialu and Assocs. to a workshop to submit proposals for alternative routes for the N2 toll road.

The following SWC newsletter complains of bad planning and bias making it impossible for those opposing the toll road to make their case effectively.
07-07-2006 - SWC Newsletter -  Report Back - N2 Alternative Routes workshop

The following doc contains the minutes of the Alternative Alignments Workshop held at the SANRAL head office in Pretoria.
04-07-2006 - Minutes Alternative Alignments Workshop

An Alternative Alignments Workshop was held at Harding Country Club.
27-07- 2006 - Minutes of Alternative Alignments Workshop - Harding

 

    
FURTHER DOCS AND INFO

Lylie Musgrave has prepared the following article as a summary of the Wild Coast situation for SWC
24-7-2006 South Africa’s Wild Coast - Mecca for World Tourists, or Highway to Hell? 

News Article  - Business Report - A Significant archeological find on Transkei's Wild Coast which may delay, if not halt, the proposed mining in the area by Australian company Mineral Commodities.
20-11-2005  Business Report - Old Axe May Chop Mine Plan  

The A.R.C.'s (Alliance of Rural Communities) response to the draft scoping report based on their findings from the homestead - to - homestead survey that they conducted. In all, 1800 homestead were interviewed.
07-06-2006  ARC Response to the Draft Scoping Report for the Proposed N2 Wild Coast Toll Road

Media Release. Five of South Africa’s major environmental (NGOs) have agreed to a collaborative approach to address sustainable development and environmental conservation on the Wild Coast. 
05-07-2006  NGOS Call for Urgent, Coordinated Strategy on Wild Coast to Ensure People Benefit

Kwazulu-Natal Minister of Transport Bheki Cele has sent the clearest message yet that the provincial government is against the proposed N2 Wild Coast toll highway planned to start at Amanzimtoti on the South Coast.
23-06-2006  Daily News - South Coast Toll is a 'Non Issue'

The National Roads Agency has come under renewed fire from members of the KwaZulu-Natal parliament and from civic groups for its failure to consult them properly over plans to build new toll roads in the province.
29-06-2006  Mercury News Report - Roads Agency Rapped Over KZN Toll Plaza