The Mineral Resources Department said on Thursday it would not grant prospecting rights to a state owned mining company to dig up the winelands.

Hundreds of farmers and environmental groups objected to a mining proposal made in February.

The African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation informed some Stellenbosch, Durbanville and Kuils River farmers of the mining bid.

The corporation would not respond to Eyewitness News’ questions as to whether the prospecting right application had been officially withdrawn.

The department’s Jeremy Michaels said the state owned mining company was not aware the area was a wine farming district.

Despite claims of ignorance over the wine farming area, Eyewitness News has a copy of the company’s prospecting right application and it has an annotated map of the winelands attached to it.

(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)