August 31, 2008 Edition 2

Fred Kockott

Urgent leadership intervention from the government, mining representatives and community stakeholders is required to prevent violent conflict over proposed multimillion-rand titanium mining along the northern Wild Coast.

This is the call from an independent consultant to the Australian mining company, Mineral Resources Commodities, and the police head of crime prevention in the area, Supt Herbert Mbana.

Environmental consultant Tony Barbour and a colleague were chased out of the area this week after being threatened by villagers whose land stands to be expropriated and homes destroyed to make way for the Xolobeni Mineral Sands Project. “We were told in no uncertain terms that our safety could not be guaranteed,” said Barbour, who had gone to the coastal region to interview affected households and obtain information from the families to enable resettlement and offers of compensation.

Threats against the mining consultants follow the assault of a local headman, Ndabazakhe Baleni, who has since fled the area under police protection. It was also reported that Sinke Mncwabe, who had recently moved away from the coastal area amid growing tension over the mining, had been killed on Friday in an area further inland, where he was creating a new home.

Tensions

Police confirmed the murder of Mncwabe, but said it was not necessarily connected to the Xolobeni mining saga.

Mbana said tensions over the mining had recently risen, requiring daily police patrols.

This follows the visit two weeks ago by Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica to announce that the Xolobeni Mineral Sands Project would go ahead.

High security was in place and heavily armed police had to quell protests from about 100 people before the minister could address huge crowds that had gathered.

That night, Baleni, a headman in the Mgungundlovu tribal authority area where mining is planned, was attacked and assaulted.

“It is suspected that the headman was taking sides with people who want to mine the area,” said Mbana.

“There are a lot of people in his area who don’t want this mining. We have had to take the headman to a safe place outside the area.”

Barbour said direct consultations with affected households about expropriation of their land and compensation offers had not taken place before Sonjica’s announcement that mining was going ahead.

“We are now going to households, advising people of the negotiating process through which they will be compensated and moved to a different area.”

Posted on September 2nd, 2008
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