Sensitive handling of mining rights dispute is vital

The violent confrontation during what was meant to be a community meeting at Xolobeni underlines the fragility of the dispute over proposed mining in the area. A meeting organised by Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe descended into chaos when the two groups – one in favour of mining and the other opposed to the idea – clashed on Sunday. This led to the police intervening to break up the confrontation. Prominent lawyer Richard Spoor was arrested during the fracas for allegedly inciting public violence, but he was later released on warning. Spoor represents the Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC), the group opposed to mining.

At the end of the day the meeting continued with only the pro-mining crowd in attendance.

This defeats the very purpose for which the meeting was convened in the first place. Mantashe was quoted as saying that the meeting was to “hear” from the community.

“We have to know where we are going, whether the mining is going ahead or not,” he is quoted as saying.

But the ACC is not convinced, arguing that the government has already chosen the pro-mining side of the debate.

This is unfortunate as the government should be playing a neutral role in the dispute. Comments made by Finance MEC Oscar Mabuyane at the same meeting are not helping the situation. He told the meeting that the mining of the sand dunes would not undermine tourism to the area, but rather that the two would co-exist without eroding the environment. This suggests that the government has already picked its side.

At the heart of the dispute is the charge by the ACC that the community has not been properly consulted by the government and they want the latter to seek their consent before Australia’s Mineral Resources Commodities, is granted the mining licence. What happened on Sunday further escalates the tensions between the two community groupings on the one hand and also between the ACC and the government on the other. Preservation of the environment is important and so is economic development, especially in a province with the highest unemployment in the country.

The matter can only be resolved through negotiations and not violence.

Every stakeholder should take their seat at the negotiating table.

Preservation of the environment is important and so is economic development, especially in the Eastern Cape