Green team in Wild Coast crackdown

Green Scorpions head Div de Villiers, who headed the operation, said the focus was initially on tackling illegal hunting carried out by heavily armed poaching syndicates. But during the operation it came to light that three local municipalities in the area had also been involved in building roads without environmental authorisation through State forests and wetlands. 'The environmental crime that we have clamped down on so far is just the tip of the iceberg,' said De Villiers, after the week-long operation during which the 35-member task team covered an area from Mkambati in the north to Dwesa in the south. De Villiers said that as a result of illegal sand-mining, deforestation and uncontrolled road-building, the Wild Coast was becoming an environmental disaster zone. He said administrative compliance notices would be served on municipalities which contravened environmental legislation. Full Daily Dispatch report

And, the Green Scorpions have cracked down on an illegal coal mining company that supplied the Tshwane municipality, according to a Beeld report. The Scorpions instructed BJ Mining this week to cease illegal operations near Grootvlei. BJ Mining has a contract to deliver coal to the Rooiwal plant, but got the contract without the necessary environmental impact studies. The company was ordered to leave the premises and rehabilitate the environment. Full Beeld report