South Africa Issues Mining Company Second Shutdown Notice for Environmental Violations

JOHANNESBURG—Authorities in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province have issued a “precompliance notice” to Australian mining company Coal of Africa Ltd. (CoAL), advising it to cease activities at its Mooiplaats mine.

The local Green Scorpions environmental compliance unit accused the company of conducting activities without authorization under South Africa’s National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), Sunday Mbatha told BNA in an e-mail. Mbatha is director of communication for Mpumalanga’s Department of Economic Development, Environment, and Tourism.

The mining company faced a Nov. 11 deadline to submit a rectification application or risk receiving a compliance notice, which the department said would halt ...