The public participation tool Ripl launched by Protect the West Coast in Cape Town this week has opened the door to a new era of democratic oversight over the granting of mining and prospecting permits on the West Coast.
MD of Protect the West Coast (PTWC) Mike Schleback said that the public reception showed that that Ripl (www.ripl.co.za) was set to live up to its name, sending a ripple across the South African media landscape into the homes of concerned individuals who can make their voice heard to stem the deluge of mining applications that threaten the West Coast.
The evening at Jack Black’s Taproom consisted of the screening of two short documentary films about the damage being wrought to the environment and communities up the West Coast, followed by a panel discussion with leading legal and scientific minds, which included audience input and questions.
Discussion centred around how Ripl gives the public power to engage with, and influence, the way decisions are made when granting mining companies permission to prospect or mine. Other topics included how to combat corruption in mining, the metrics of how public participation can be measured, and challenges of overcoming a lack of communication technology in remote communities.
“The evening was a powerful reminder just how important public opinion is within the regulatory framework that governs the application process, and just how easy it is to be part of the democratic process, no matter who you are, or what qualifications you hold,” Schlebach said.
Ripl’s innovation lay in its integration of public participation tools with real-time updates on mining applications. Users received instant notifications about new applications via SMS or email, ensuring that they are informed and ready to act. A streamlined user-experience and design eliminated the need for complex paperwork or legal expertise.
“By law, mining companies must give public notice of their applications so the public can become Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) to make comments and engage with the process. However, this Public Participation Process (PPP) is archaic and unwieldy, with exposure to only a handful of people,” Schlebach said.
With Ripl, the net was cast much wider to a much greater audience,which would bring a strong element of public oversight to the process, and assist mining companies to do things properly.
“In essence, Ripl is a public service that will also streamline the job of the Environmental Assessment Practitioners who make the applications on behalf of the mining companies so the appropriate oversight by I&APs is upheld,” he added.
After the panel discussion and audience Q&A, five beautiful framed photographs of the West Coast were auctioned, raising about R11,000 for PTWC.
Cape Town digital agency iBay, the development company who created Ripl, were represented by Ryan Wilder, the project lead, who expressed his gratitude to PTWC for the opportunity to make history in the fight to hold mining companies accountable on the West Coast.
Wilder said that Ripl was an important tool in upholding democratic process because it enabled anyone to find out about new mining applications, register as an I&AP and lodge their concerns or objections to a torrent of applications pouring in to mine or prospect for diamonds and heavy mineral sands.
“Ripl enables people to be part of the solution — to actively participate in PTWC’s efforts to hold the mining industry legally accountable,” he said.
Schlebach said that the platform would revolutionize transparency in mining applications due to a seamless user interface that condensed a complex process into a simple format that enabled anyone, from surfers and fishermen to, academics, activists and local communities, to become part of the decision-making.
“We are not against legal and sustainable mining, but on our journeys up and down the West Coast, we have seen the damage, and have researched a historical legacy where the remoteness of the West Coast has led to many examples of a lack of rehabilitation, where mining activities has been detrimental to the environment and her people.”
“South Africans are a people who know the collective power they hold. Ripl is a way to wield this power,” he said.
In October, West Coast property owners Braam and Therese Nieuwoudt filed a trespassing charge against Richwill Diamonds (Pty) Ltd for allegedly prospecting on their coastal farm Waterval in the Northern Cape without their consent. A deluge of mining applications on the property exemplifies the need for a moratorium on all new mining across the entire region until a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is conducted to assess the cumulative impact of mining.
Despite decades of legal battles to secure land and mining rights, the people of the Richtersveld remain bereft of a share in mining wealth under their ancestral lands. Now the community is angry at a new challenge over the Green Hydrogen and Boegoebaai mega-project that again threatens to run roughshod over their rights.
