Minister holds back Xolobeni mining licence
The Daily Dispatch – East London
2008/10/01
MINERALS and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica has put on hold a licence awarded to an Australian company that was due to mine titanium at Xolobeni on the Wild Coast.
The move comes after lawyers representing the Xolobeni villagers who are opposed to the project wrote to Sonjica a week ago demanding she suspend or withdraw the licence before October 1, failing which they would approach the courts.
In the letter, Sarah Sephton of the Grahamstown-based Legal Resource Centre (LRC) demanded an appeal by villagers opposed to the mining project be heard and that a process of proper consultation takes place.
Sonjica awarded the mining rights to Australian-based company Mineral Resources Commodities (MRC) and its South African partner Transworld Minerals and Energy Resources (TEM), to mine titanium in Xolobeni earlier this year. The licence was due to come into effect on October 31.
“The licence has been put on hold because the minister made an undertaking to consult with various stakeholders such as traditional leaders who claimed (they) were not consulted on this, and also to allow the appeal process against the mining to take place,” said ministerial spokesperson Sputnik Ratau.
He said the licence would not take effect until the appeal process was finalised. Ratau could not say when the consultation process with traditional leaders would start. He however denied the minister was under pressure to hold the licence following threats of legal action from lawyers representing villagers.
Sephton said the villagers were thrilled by the decision “and hope the minister will set aside the decision to grant the mining licence altogether”.
Zeka Mnyamana, chief executive officer of Xolobeni Empowerment Company (Xolco), which has a 26 percent stake in the mining project, said the appeal process should go ahead.
Attempts by the Daily Dispatch to get comment from John Barnes, chief executive officer of TEM, were unsuccessful. – By MALUNGELO BOOI
Mthatha Bureau
Posted on October 1st, 2008
Filed under: Newspaper and Media
some of the people need the mine at Xolobeni, no matter what. I believe that the mine will improve the economy of the Bizana Locations or villages, including the Bizana as the whole
I believe the mining will give people a better life, since it will bring Jobs to them. The mining will play a big role in increasing the economy of the South Africa as a country we are all proud of. We all know that as the South Africans, the Value of this country lies in the minning industry. Minning is the only thing that we are Good at interms of Producing in this country. I’m saying all these words as the future young man of this country. lets all be happy about the minning thing, because the future of this country is there, meaning the future of the current Generation is there and even the future of the Next generation is based on projects like that one of xolobeni Minerals.
Dear Mxo
Thank you very much for posting a comment on our website. May I first introduce myself to you? My name is Sinegugu Zukulu, my home is about 15KM from Xolobeni. It is true to say that mining would bring some development to Xolobeni and Bizana as a whole. In your statement “some of the people need the mine at Xolobeni, no matter what”; is also true, the only problem is that those people are so few in number that they are unable to discuss the mining at Xolobeni. They resort to going to villages far from Xolobeni and canvas there. When the DME minister went to Xolobeni to announce her decision to grant the mining license she was surprised to find that more than 90% of residence of Xolobeni were opposed to the venture. Her fuction programme could not start up until 15h00 in the afternoon. The people of Xolobeni were toyi-toying saying they do not want mining on their land. To the surprise of many ill-informed people who were watching for an opposition demanding mining, there was no opposing front, because all the other people who were there had been bussed in from all over the place. Because of this the Minister decided to send another delegation from her office to talk to the people on 20 of August. They failed to convince the people. Then the minister came back again to listen to the people on the 12 of September, that is when she decided on the stay of execution of the mining license, up until she has consulted fully with people and traditional leadership.
I do not know for you, but I for one respect the decision of the people of Xolobeni. They have been able to put in better arguments than educated people like me and you, and I respect them for that. It is that argument that has convinced the minister to put on hold the issuing of the license. Even if the she decides to issue it, the community of Xolobeni is prepared to go to court against that decision. Do you know why people of Xolobeni are opposed to this mining enture??
Looking forward to engage you in this discussion.
Regards
Sinegugu Zukulu (Mr.)
Sanibonani
There are many of these land issues happening all over South Africa. I am looking at what is currently happening in KZN with the Dubai company and its AmaZulu park/resort.
I stand with all these communities that resist these so called “development”. Government needs to do more in empowering people with skills so that they can be able to use the land more effeciently. Land is the most valuable resource that we could have as a people and we should be very weary on who we let own our land.
After years of being landless and all other things – can we please be given time to enjoy what has always been ours.
mining will certainly bring in quick benefits to the local community,the problem with mining is that its a dying industry therefor it will always be unwise to put all of our eggs in it compared to fields like ecotourism which are growing and put more emphasis on achieving sustainable livelihoods.I command the community of Xolobeni for going against the the proposed mining project,the decision of the community shows that we (africans)can now make long term decisions by examining the impacts of our current actions.I say the community must go the ecotourism route because its better to start getting benefits in a small percentage but for a very long time rather than having benefits pouring in for a short period…….when it comes to mining, terms like sustainability means a little or nothing,they only care about their interests and immidiate benefits,as for Bulelwa Sonjici,she cant even back up the granting of the mining license(she is actually tectically bankrupt)all she does is blame Richard Spoor,she is not fighing the ecotourism alternative but rather trying to diverse the attention of the people by talking about the history of Mr Spoor who happens to be white,here the crux of the matter is that mining is not an approriate activity at Xolobeni……….the goverment is also contradicting itself by granting a mining lisence to the Australian “Fat cats”,the constitution says that “No mining activities should take place in a marine protected environment” If this mining business is to be persued ,we the people will lose faith in the goverment because it overrides its own laws.
Here in Soth Africa we have one of the best constitutions in the world but some of our leaders act like teenagers(they are easily tempted,we easily lose sight of where we want to be as a country).
May the good Lord Have Mercy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Snegugu I am sop glad to hear that a third of the community does’nt support this environmentally unkind activity…….i do acknowledge the fact that the community is poor but let us not fall into a trap that we will never get out of…….the impacts of mining are irreversable.