The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Edna Molewa will on Saturday, 26 May 2012 sign the Vredefort Dome Memorandum of Agreement.
The Vredefort Dome was inscribed as a World Heritage site, bringing the total of World Heritage sites to eight in South Africa. The intention to proclaim the site in terms of national legislation was gazetted in December 2007. However, the Vredefort Dome has not yet been proclaimed due to concerns raised by landowners.
Government has subsequently addressed most of the concerns and established a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee for coordination purposes.
The Memorandum of Agreement is an outcome of this collaboration and will be signed between the Minister and the landowners. The MOA will set out certain rights and obligations of the Parties and the manner in which the parties will cooperate with each other in order to ensure that the integrity and Outstanding Universal Value of the site will be maintained perpetuity.
The signing of the MOA is very significant as the proclamation of the site will now follow.