Xolobeni tense as Mantashe announces independent survey to decide on mine

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe on Wednesday announced the commencement of an independent survey in Xolobeni in the Eastern Cape, where the community would decide if controversial mining would proceed in the area.

“On the basis of the outcomes of the survey, we will then take a firm decision on the way forward,” said Mantashe in a statement after meeting with the Xolobeni community.

“If mining goes ahead in Xolobeni, it must be sustainable and coexist with tourism, agriculture, and other economic development initiatives.”

The mineral resources department said the survey was in line with one of the outcomes of the judgment in the High Court in Pretoria last year, calling for thorough consultation of the Xolobeni community prior to any granting of a mining right.

If the community says no, there will be no mining, if the community says yes, mining will proceed, the department said in a statement.

The mineral resources department said the survey would commence in the next few weeks.

“Whichever right-owner is granted the licence to mine must also adhere strictly to the provisions in the MPRDA [Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act] and Mining Charter, including implementation of social and labour plans,” Mantashe said.

The visit was Mantashe’s second meeting with the broader community, which is located in Bizana in the Eastern Cape.

The meeting was tension-ridden, with strong opinions on both sides of the spectrum within the community, notably towards the end of the meeting. As a result, police used stun grenades to disperse the crowd at the event.

Shameful end to Xolobeni ‘consultation’ as community chased away with stun grenades again.

After starting very late, and sitting through speeches, 15 of our clients lined up to speak.

The 1st speaker pretended to be ACC, then dramatically said “we want mining”.

Meeting over. pic.twitter.com/qWPVEbeflE

— Johan Lorenzen (@JohanLorenzen) January 16, 2019

Mantashe was accused of downplaying the tension in his post-meeting interview with eNCA, the media house tweeted.

#Xolobeni @DMR_SA Minister @GwedeMantashe1 downplayed chaos at his community meeting in Xolobeni. Just in the middle of our interview, police use stun grenades to disperse the crowd inside the tent. #eNCA pic.twitter.com/5cIAtGdEsd

— Siphamandla Goge (@SiphamandlaGoge) January 16, 2019

On Tuesday, the Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) action group contradicted the statement by Mantashe that he would be visiting the volatile Xolobeni community.

In a statement on Monday, the department of mineral resources had said that during his last meeting with the ACC in November 2018, the ACC had requested Mantashe to come back and meet with the broader community in Xolobeni, but this was disputed by the ACC.

The ACC has banned Mantashe from Xolobeni and said he was not welcome in the area as the community had been at loggerheads with his department over 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.

In November, the High Court in Pretoria ruled that in terms of the Interim Protection of Informal Land Rights Act, the minister of mineral resources may not grant mining rights without the consent of the community and the people directly affected by that mining right. Mantashe is appealing this ruling.

– African News Agency (ANA)

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