Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe will have his hands full this weekend as he tries to defuse growing opposition to mining on community-owned land in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape Wild Coast.
Mantashe was scheduled to hold meetings with three communities over three days‚ seeking to calm tensions that have emerged over current and future coal and heavy-mineral mining plans‚ including a high court case in which community members are demanding the closure of the Somkhele coal mine on the border of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve.
He will also visit the Xolobeni area on the Wild Coast‚ where an Australian-backed dune-mining venture has been put on hold following the unsolved murder of prominent anti-mining leader Bazooka Radebe.
The department said Mantashe’s visits formed part of the “ongoing frank and open discussions” with mining companies‚ communities and other stakeholders “to rebuild relationships and levels of trust”. On Friday, he met representatives of the Zululand Anthracite Colliery and KwaMlaba community near Ulundi‚ in KZN‚ to discuss recent tensions that have included arson attacks on coal trucks and a mine shaft.
He is holding another meeting on Saturday with the Tendele mining company and the Mpukonyoni community near Mtubatuba‚ following a high court application last month in which local residents called for the immediate closure of sections of the Somkhele mine‚ also in the north of the province.
Residents‚ dozens of whom were evicted from their homes to make way for mining‚ have argued in court papers that the mine is operating unlawfully – allegedly with no environmental authorisation‚ no municipal planning approval‚ no waste-disposal licence and no permits to shift ancestral graves.
They also complained about lost grazing for cattle and goats‚ cracked houses from blasting operations and risks to their health due to water and air pollution.
The mine has denied its operations are unlawful and argued that nearly 1,000 mine workers would lose their jobs if the mine is forced to shut down to remedy alleged regulatory violations.
On Sunday‚ Mantashe will be in the village of Xolobeni‚ just south of the Wild Coast Sun Casino‚ following violence and divisions between anti-mining and pro-mining groups.
Local anti-mining leader Radebe was gunned down outside his home in March 2016‚ but more than two years later, police have yet to make any arrests.
After the murder‚ Australian company‚ Mineral Resources Commodities‚ announced it was pulling out of the proposed dune-mining venture because of “ongoing violence”, but a few months ago stated it had not abandoned its ambitions to mine at Xolobeni.
Visits aim to ease anti-mining tensions
Image: File/ Daylin Paul
Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe will have his hands full this weekend as he tries to defuse growing opposition to mining on community-owned land in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape Wild Coast.
Mantashe was scheduled to hold meetings with three communities over three days‚ seeking to calm tensions that have emerged over current and future coal and heavy-mineral mining plans‚ including a high court case in which community members are demanding the closure of the Somkhele coal mine on the border of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve.
He will also visit the Xolobeni area on the Wild Coast‚ where an Australian-backed dune-mining venture has been put on hold following the unsolved murder of prominent anti-mining leader Bazooka Radebe.
The department said Mantashe’s visits formed part of the “ongoing frank and open discussions” with mining companies‚ communities and other stakeholders “to rebuild relationships and levels of trust”. On Friday, he met representatives of the Zululand Anthracite Colliery and KwaMlaba community near Ulundi‚ in KZN‚ to discuss recent tensions that have included arson attacks on coal trucks and a mine shaft.
He is holding another meeting on Saturday with the Tendele mining company and the Mpukonyoni community near Mtubatuba‚ following a high court application last month in which local residents called for the immediate closure of sections of the Somkhele mine‚ also in the north of the province.
Residents‚ dozens of whom were evicted from their homes to make way for mining‚ have argued in court papers that the mine is operating unlawfully – allegedly with no environmental authorisation‚ no municipal planning approval‚ no waste-disposal licence and no permits to shift ancestral graves.
They also complained about lost grazing for cattle and goats‚ cracked houses from blasting operations and risks to their health due to water and air pollution.
The mine has denied its operations are unlawful and argued that nearly 1,000 mine workers would lose their jobs if the mine is forced to shut down to remedy alleged regulatory violations.
On Sunday‚ Mantashe will be in the village of Xolobeni‚ just south of the Wild Coast Sun Casino‚ following violence and divisions between anti-mining and pro-mining groups.
Local anti-mining leader Radebe was gunned down outside his home in March 2016‚ but more than two years later, police have yet to make any arrests.
After the murder‚ Australian company‚ Mineral Resources Commodities‚ announced it was pulling out of the proposed dune-mining venture because of “ongoing violence”, but a few months ago stated it had not abandoned its ambitions to mine at Xolobeni.
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