Hoogekraal Prospecting application

[Rock Guy]

Mining rights in SA are "complicated", so I won't be worried about the Hoogekraal trails before I see a drill rig on the hills. These guys are doing one of two things.

1) They may be legitimately interested in mining for aggregate, the geology (hornfels) in the area is certainly correct for mining aggregate. It's also what gets mined all at the neighboring quarries. If this is true they are probably well versed in the art of making a deal under the table and it will almost certainly materialize. Sadly, the mineral resource industry in SA is incredibly corrupt.

or...

2) Its someone that knows that the area is perfect for mining aggregate, but has no interest in actually mining it. The sole purpose of acquiring the license is to keep it until someone willing to mine buys it from them. If this is the case then the shelf company probably belongs to someone with connections in the DMR.

Hopefully it's the latter and we get to have Hoogekraal trails a little while longer.

[lechatnoir]

Apparently wine farmers in the area as well as Swartland have been anti quarrying in the area for some time. Perhaps it's worth making contact with them as to what routes to take and try to build on any success they may have had.

As @Rock Guy said, DMR is what it is, so if the right palms get greased, no fighting will top it. But at least try...

[DJR]

In the notice itself, in the very first paragraph, it states clearly that it is about prospecting for construction aggregate. In other words, a quarry for stone. All those who speculate and post **** without reading the notice...............I just shake my head.

As for Hoogekraal being a recreational area that mountain bikers have rights to..............it is private property, agricultural land and it is 100% up to the owner to allow you there or not. We have no "right"

As for the owner wanting to prospect with the idea of starting a rock quarry there............as long as he does it legally, and the notice indicates that he is at least trying to do that...........then that is within his rights as the owner, to develop and earn from his investment. If you have proof of illegal dealings, expose it, but don't throw around unfounded speculations. Making a farm like that profitable is very difficult. Mountain biking money does not help much.

As for not wanting another quarry in your riding backyard.............I understand that, but tell me whow much the quarries on Faircape and Contermans are negatively impacting on your riding. Both co-exist peacefully with farming and mountain biking.

We all want roads improved, houses built, offices built.............the stone must come from somewhere..............close by..............to make it feasible. You can't make an omelette without breaking an egg...........as long as it is broken correctly. All quarries close to the city were closed many years ago for environmental reasons (think Glencairn, Vredehoek, Bo-Kaap, Tyger Valley......). The next nearest place is Durbanville Hills.

Object, by all means, but THINK before you do, get the FACTS, make your objection count...............or you'll just be another ranter without substance.

Edited May 18, 2021 by DJR

[Quagga]

1 hour ago, DJR said:

In the notice itself, in the very first paragraph, it states clearly that it is about prospecting for construction aggregate. In other words, a quarry for stone. All those who speculate and post **** without reading the notice...............I just shake my head.

As for Hoogekraal being a recreational area that mountain bikers have rights to..............it is private property, agricultural land and it is 100% up to the owner to allow you there or not. We have no "right"

snip

Object, by all means, but THINK before you do, get the FACTS, make your objection count...............or you'll just be another ranter without substance.

Thank you for posting this
Here is my thinking, TBMTBC members should understand that we are riding on a the owners land and if he now wants to change the type of income he gets we should not go and petition against it.
We can make a bad name for ourselves with an action like that. In the process make finding more farms to ride on very difficult
 
If I owned a piece of land and see MTB'ers petitioning etc I would think twice before I will let my land be used. Just now I change my mind in 2 years and want to change how the land is used, now I face a huge uphill battle with petitions etc

Edited May 18, 2021 by Quagga

[DJR]

21 minutes ago, Quagga said:

Thank you for posting this
Here is my thinking, TBMTBC members should understand that we are riding on a the owners land and if he now wants to change the type of income he gets we should not go and petition against it.
We can make a bad name for ourselves with an action like that. In the process make finding more farms to ride on very difficult
 
If I owned a piece of land and see MTB'ers petitioning etc I would think twice before I will let my land be used. Just now I change my mind in 2 years and want to change how the land is used, now I face a huge uphill battle with petitions etc

Also, this far, here is zero indication that there is ANY intention of closing the trails there. In the same area there are several other farms with working quarries where riding is allowed and where many riders are not even aware of those activities.

Edited May 18, 2021 by DJR

[Rock Guy]

1 hour ago, DJR said:

In the notice itself, in the very first paragraph, it states clearly that it is about prospecting for construction aggregate. In other words, a quarry for stone. All those who speculate and post **** without reading the notice...............I just shake my head.

As for Hoogekraal being a recreational area that mountain bikers have rights to..............it is private property, agricultural land and it is 100% up to the owner to allow you there or not. We have no "right"

As for the owner wanting to prospect with the idea of starting a rock quarry there............as long as he does it legally, and the notice indicates that he is at least trying to do that...........then that is within his rights as the owner, to develop and earn from his investment. If you have proof of illegal dealings, expose it, but don't throw around unfounded speculations. Making a farm like that profitable is very difficult. Mountain biking money does not help much.

As for not wanting another quarry in your riding backyard.............I understand that, but tell me whow much the quarries on Faircape and Contermans are negatively impacting on your riding. Both co-exist peacefully with farming and mountain biking.

We all want roads improved, houses built, offices built.............the stone must come from somewhere..............close by..............to make it feasible. You can't make an omelette without breaking an egg...........as long as it is broken correctly. All quarries close to the city were closed many years ago for environmental reasons (think Glencairn, Vredehoek, Bo-Kaap, Tyger Valley......). The next nearest place is Durbanville Hills.

Object, by all means, but THINK before you do, get the FACTS, make your objection count...............or you'll just be another ranter without substance.

You are aware that mining/prosepecting rights and surface rights are two completely different things right? Its more than likely not the owner of the farm that has applied for the prospecting license. It is incredibly difficult for the common man to acquire a prospecting or mining license in SA. So no need for anyone to get all up in the farmer's face. If for some reason you have inside info that it is in fact the farmer, you should keep that info to yourself.

 

 

[DJR]

54 minutes ago, Rock Guy said:

You are aware that mining/prosepecting rights and surface rights are two completely different things right? Its more than likely not the owner of the farm that has applied for the prospecting license. It is incredibly difficult for the common man to acquire a prospecting or mining license in SA. So no need for anyone to get all up in the farmer's face. If for some reason you have inside info that it is in fact the farmer, you should keep that info to yourself.

 

 

Yes, I understand how it works. I have a place in the Karoo and with the fracking plans, I have educated myself about the process.

No, I have no inside info about this applcation.

I do however have an interest in a recreational activity in them-there-hills over and above the mountain biking. We have had an arrangement  with some of the farmers going back about 25 years. Mostly it was very informal and done on a basis of mutual trust and a handshake. I have seen several developments on the farms over that period, ranging from quarries, mountain bike trails, restaurants to business/industrial parks. The one thing that always paid off for us, was to keep a good personal relationship with the farm owner. Ticking off the farmer is the one quick way of getting thrown out. (Ticking of his wife is the fastest way!) 

 

Edited May 18, 2021 by DJR

[JJACK]

Did a loop of most of the farms this weekend. Bloemendal - Hillcrest - Contermans - Hoogekraal - Faircape . In awe of the natural beauty of the land around us, it's a massive privilege for us to be able to share it with the private land owners.

A massive shout out to them and the trails builders and the TygerbergMTB club keeping them open for members.

Chapeau to you all !!

[Danger Dassie]

Sonop near Hartebeespoort is an interesting one. Plenty farms and quarries coexisting within the same area, some owned by the same farmers. It does seem though that there are environmental problems as far as mining goes.

A house we stopped at for water refused to allow us tap water and instead gave us drinking water from a cooler. According to the owners they cannot use the tap water because of seepage from mining operations, including the municipal town water which is questionable alreadt because of erratic maintenance.

[Robbie Stewart]

Some mates and I spent Saturday morning sessioning the skills park at Hoogekraal. If we lose this awesome trail (arguably the top trail in the TBMTB network) it will be a massive blow. I'm guessing its the quarry to the North West of the farm that is wanting to mine the rest of the hill.

[flymango]

On 5/18/2021 at 11:01 AM, Rock Guy said:

You are aware that mining/prosepecting rights and surface rights are two completely different things right? Its more than likely not the owner of the farm that has applied for the prospecting license. It is incredibly difficult for the common man to acquire a prospecting or mining license in SA. So no need for anyone to get all up in the farmer's face. If for some reason you have inside info that it is in fact the farmer, you should keep that info to yourself.

 

 

I've got some contacts at DMRE who will secretly share this information for a small fee ... ????

[Rock Guy]

16 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Some mates and I spent Saturday morning sessioning the skills park at Hoogekraal. If we lose this awesome trail (arguably the top trail in the TBMTB network) it will be a massive blow. I'm guessing its the quarry to the North West of the farm that is wanting to mine the rest of the hill.

I'm guessing it's Afrimat. They run the operation at Contermans, which actually coexists quite peacefully with the trails there.

[Rock Guy]

16 hours ago, flymango said:

I've got some contacts at DMRE who will secretly share this information for a small fee ... ????

Haha, that's okay. I'm not too fussed about who exactly the aggregate players are in the Cape peninsula.

[Vaultboy]

So, this whatsapp is doing the rounds. I don't know who the BSB team are, or whether there's any truth in that the farm has been bought by a mining company, but it makes no material difference to the application. But in this age where disinformation spreads easily, some factual correction is probably required. 

Hoogekraal has been sold to a mining company.

Please help us OBJECT to the proposal of a prospecting/mine here on the Hoogekraal Farm. The prospecting/mine would directly affect this area, the natural beauty would be destroyed.

Objections are open until 5 June, after which the decision will be made.

 *Please EMAIL your objections to Siphumelelo Mbali (‪062 920 2525‬) siphumelelo@siteplan.co.za

Let’s save the natural beauty of our environment and our trails!

Kind regards,
The BSB Team
Hoogekraal Farm

 

Edit: Also just to point out that this whatsapp could have originated from someone impersonating BSB. There's no way to verify the source. 

 

Edited May 28, 2021 by Vaultboy

[MORNE]

30 minutes ago, Vaultboy said:

So, this whatsapp is doing the rounds. I don't know who the BSB team are, or whether there's any truth in that the farm has been bought by a mining company, but it makes no material difference to the application. But in this age where disinformation spreads easily, some factual correction is probably required. 

Hoogekraal has been sold to a mining company.

Please help us OBJECT to the proposal of a prospecting/mine here on the Hoogekraal Farm. The prospecting/mine would directly affect this area, the natural beauty would be destroyed.

Objections are open until 5 June, after which the decision will be made.

 *Please EMAIL your objections to Siphumelelo Mbali (‪062 920 2525‬) siphumelelo@siteplan.co.za

Let’s save the natural beauty of our environment and our trails!

Kind regards,
The BSB Team
Hoogekraal Farm

 

 

 

that must be black sheep bikes...

this obviously has major consequences for them. (they run the 'LBS' at hoogekraal)

<<<<PS: no affiliation btw

Edited May 28, 2021 by MORNE

[PhilipV]

Jeez, sending out requests to others to object against the main interest of your new land lord seems a great way to shoot yourself in the foot. 

Methinks BSB might need to start looking for a new location in the future.