13 The Biodiversity, Food Security, and Poverty Nexus in the Musina-Makhado Special Economic

The unintended consequences of mining, such as loss of community and traditional livelihoods and increases in the cost of living, have led to the assertion that the original residents of mine-affected areas were better off before mining took place (Davids and Skinner 2006; Magadzu 2021; Owen, Kemp and Marais 2021). [...] Of particular significance is the Bill of Rights, enshrined in Section 24 of the Constitution, which unequivocally links social justice to environmental protection, stating that ‘Everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being and to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations through reasonable legislative and other. [...] A Comments and Response Report (CRR) showing the inclusion of the I&APs’ perceptions, and the manner in which the EAP would address these, are integrated by the EAP into the final EIA report submission. [...] It is also concerning that the EAP involved in the initial round of public consultation resigned after refusing to recommend the MMSEZ and a more compliant EAP was appointed to complete the EIA on the MMSEZ (Mbangula, Shirinda and Thompson 2021). [...] The stated aims of governments to boost investment to drive economic development and job creation—as in the case of the MMSEZ—should not occur at the expense of the environment and people’s livelihoods.