The remarkable resilience of Xolobeni and the will of it's people
In 2002, rare minerals were discovered on the Xolobeni coast. Mineral Sand Resources (MSR), a subsidiary of Australian company Mineral Commodities Ltd (MRC) applied to mine them. Over a lifetime of 22 years, the mine would extract 9 million tons of ilmenite, titanium-iron oxide, rutile, zircon, and leucoxene.
Although mining rights were initially granted by the Department of Minerals and Energy in 2008, the decision was suspended after legal interventions by the Amadiba Crisis Committee and the Legal Resources Centre (LRC). The rights were revoked in 2011. But in March 2015, MRC filed another Mining Rights Application, through a subsidiary, Transworld Energy and Resources (TEM).
In 2016, after violent incidents in the area, MRC announced the sale of its 56% share in the Xolobeni mining project. However, this does not seem to have taken place and in 2018 MRC told shareholders that the government supported the Xolobeni mining project, although this was disputed by the Department of Mineral Resources.
Sigidi village is not easy to access. The simplest way to get there is to avoid the long, barely navigable access road, and to cut through the Wild Coast Sun casino, on the border between the Eastern Cape and Port Edward in Kwazulu-Natal, towards the mouth of the Mzamba river.
Here, a suspension foot bridge, built in 2015 by an Austrian organisation, runs across the river. This is the local residents’ main access route to shops and job opportunities.
Women laden with groceries make the trip without breaking a sweat. Elders brave the approximately 200m climb, stopping to rest on their knobkerries every few meters.
The Mzamba river mouth marks the start of the proposed Wild Coast mining development, which would span 22km along the coast in a 1.5km-wide strip. It is also where, according to the plans of the SA National Roads Agency (SANRAL), the Wild Coast N2 Toll Road will cut through the Sigidi community, leading to an enormous suspension bridge to be built just a few metres away from the current footbridge.
On a Sunday afternoon in June, a group of at least 20 residents came out to meet GroundUp in Sigidi village. Among them were old and young people, men and women. They are all part of the Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC), an advocacy group formed in 2007 to oppose both the mine and the road developments.
The ACC is represented by Richard Spoor Attorneys, and supported by various human rights organisations, including Amnesty International South Africa. The group has become a powerful force against the mine and road, in favour of sustainable development such as eco-tourism and sustainable farming.
Leaders have faced death-threats, assassinations, and violent attacks.
Xolobeni’s stunning waterfalls, rolling hills of light-gold grass, crystal-clear rivers, and palm forests are home to fish, monkeys, and snakes. The beautiful landscapes of the Wild Coast attract tourists from far and wide.
The coastal region is home to 200 endemic species, called the Pondoland Centre of Endemism. It’s one of 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world.
A project by Transworld Energy and Resources, subsidiary of Australian mining company Mineral Commodities Limited, to mine the sands along 22 km of the Xolobeni coast, in a Marine Protected Area, is fiercely resisted by those who think the future of the area lies in eco-tourism.
SANRAL’s Wild Coast N2 Toll Road project, which will cut through the coastal area, is also being resisted by some community members who belong to the Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC). They argue that the road will pollute the area and disturb their way of life.