Ibhubesi Ore Exploration (Pty) Ltd v Department of Water and Sanitation
26 September 2018
Water Tribunal
Case No. WT 19/05/2011
26 September 2018
Members: F Zondach, with T Murombo concurring
In this matter, Ibubesi Ore Exploration (Pty) Ltd (Ibhubesi) took the decision of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to refuse its water use licence application in terms of the National Water Act, 1998.
The Tribunal found that “… it is an accepted principle that the Water Tribunal as an independent body has wide procedural and decisional powers as we noted above (para 111). The Tribunal is not confined to the consideration of the merits of the matter only, but is entitled to interrogate the nature of the administrative action to ensure that it is conducted in a manner that gives effect to the right to administrative action that is lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair.”
The Tribunal set aside the DWS’s decision on the basis that it made several procedural errors in arriving at its decision. The application was remitted the DWS with several directions.