Fears of violence as Wild Coast mining row simmers
The Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) on Tuesday accused Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe of “preparing a provocation” in Xolobeni after the community received reports that he intends to visit the Wild Coast area on Sunday.
The Xolobeni community in the Eastern Cape scored a significant victory just over a week ago after the High Court in Pretoria ruled that, in terms of the interim protection of informal land rights act, the minister may not grant mining rights without the community’s consent and the people affected by that mining right.
The community has been at loggerheads with the department of mineral resources while waging a 15-year-long battle against the issuing of a mining license to Transworld Energy and Minerals (TEM), a subsidiary of Australian mining company MRC, to mine titanium along the Wild Coast in Mbizana. The last meeting Mantashe had with the community on November 17 did not end well.
ACC spokesperson Nonhle Mbuthuma said the party had received reliable reports that the department plans to transport people from all around, even from districts in KwaZulu-Natal in a bid “to convince the people in Xolobeni that they need mining”.
Mbuthuma said a tender for “mass catering” has already been sent out by Mbizana local municipality. She said no contacts were made with the Umgungundlovu Traditional Council lawyers and ACC before the reported visit.
Mbuthuma said their lawyers had called the department, stating that there can be no meeting in Xolobeni. The department was not immediately available to respond to written questions over the reported visit by Mantashe.
“We are shocked what the minister is prepared to do. If people from outside are brought to Xolobeni to sign attendance registers, such people or police may also attack us, as happened on September 23,” Mbuthuma said.
“We appeal to ANC leaders who are not personally invested in Xolobeni mining to intervene and stop this. We expect [the department] to cancel these plans right now.” – ANA