MINING: MORE ACTIVITIES TO BE BANNED IN SUTHERLAND AREA

MINING: MORE ACTIVITIES TO BE BANNED IN SUTHERLAND AREA

• 28 January 2026
• Minerals & Energy
• SA Legal Academy

With a view to ensuring optimal conditions for astronomy and related scientific endeavours, the Department of Science & Technology intends expanding the list of mining activities banned in the Sutherland Central Astronomy Advantage Area, Northern Cape.

To that end, the department has gazetted a notice calling for input by 24 March 2026 on proposals that could see exploration and prospecting activities prohibited in the area. Open cast mining and mining dumps at ground level were banned in May 2019, along with hydraulic fracturing.

This is noting that:

• in February 2014, Sutherland was formally declared an astronomy advantage area under the 2007 Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act, and that
• in April 2019, regulations were gazetted among other things protecting the area from:
  • artificial light pollution
  • activities creating air pollution, and
  • activities associated with electricity generating wind turbines.

Sutherland is home to an observatory built in 1973. It should not be confused with the MeerKAT telescope, which is located near Carnarvon and was completed in 2018 as a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope. The SKA project is an intergovernmental radio telescope initiative, with South Africa and Australia having been selected for the construction of its southern hemisphere cores (Wikipedia).

• January 2026 Government Gazette notice (input sought)
• May 2019 notice
• May 2019 regulations
• Sutherland astronomy advantage area declaration
• Act (SAFLII)

Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch

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