Xolobeni family attacked

RENEWED violence, in the form of a vicious attack on the homestead of a young family in Xolobeni on Sunday evening last week, has left the Amadiba community terrified.

“We never rest. People are once again sleeping in the bush and in the fields,” said Amadiba Crisis Committee member Nonhle Mbuthuma.

Members of the crisis committee, which was formed to oppose the Xolobeni Mineral Sands dune mining project in their area, believe the increasing aggression is connected to the widening gulf between the pro-mining and anti-mining factions within the community. The controversial bid by Transworld Energy and Minerals (TEM), a South African subsidiary of the Australian mining company, Mineral Commodities, to mine 22km of Wild Coast shoreline, has fuelled discord between the two factions for more than ten years.

Ms Mbuthuma and her fellow crisis committee member Mzamo Dlamini claim the trouble started at about 8pm when shots were fired close to Mtentu village, one of the coastal Amadiba villages affected by the mining application. Some minutes later, a white bakkie parked close to the home of a young couple and their two-year-old child. The family was at home at that time.

According to the committee members, three men stepped out of the vehicle and started banging on the door without speaking a word. Three shots were eventually fired and windows were smashed. When the householder opened the door, prepared to defend his family, the three men stayed outside and smashed another window. The aggression lasted for nearly an hour, during which time not a word was spoken. The men left after firing a final shot. Strangely, no spent cartridges have been found at the scene of the violence. The husband and wife who came under attack are known opponents of the Wild Coast dune mining.

It is alleged that, while the attack was taking place, the ward councillor, Nokwamkela Mteki, and her brother, Kenneth Mteki, called the Mpisi Police Station, just a 15-minute drive away. However, according to the crisis committees, no police arrived until the following morning when two officers came to take a statements. The South Coast Herald has contacted the station and is waiting for a reply.

The most recent attack follows earlier shooting incidents over the December holiday period and an attack against Amadiba headwoman, Cynthia Duduzile Baleni.The four men arrested in connection with the violence, are out on bail and are due to appear in court in Mbizana on April 8.

Another development that is of concern to the Amadiba Crisis Development is that they have found out that consultant Pieter Badenhorst, who was appointed to do the necessary environmental impact assessment for the mining, has stepped down.

Neither the committee members nor their legal firm, Richard Spoor Inc, have been officially notified of this and they have been unable to ascertain who has been appointed to take over the assessment.

The South Coast Herald has contacted Debbie Ntombela of TEM asking about this, and is awaiting a reply.