Rallying support for rhino protectors
Action groups lined the R618 at the entrance to the Somkhele Mine to show their support.
COMMUNITIES surrounding the Somkhele mine expressed their support for the young international delegates who attended the Youth Rhino Summit at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) by cheering them on as they left the park.
With members of action groups opposing the proposed Fuleni mine, they lined the R618 at the entrance to the Somkhele Mine to show their support.
Spokesman for the Somkhele communities affected by the opencast mine, Gednezar Dladla, said the purpose of the event was to express the communities’ gratitude to those involved with the protection of rhinos, and to highlight the seriousness of rhino protection.
Apart from this issue, cracking houses, excessive dust, livestock deaths and contaminated water are some of the claimed effects experienced by the communities surrounding the mine.
Dladla noted that the mine lies upstream of Embukwini Dam which provides water to the area. During periods of rainfall, dirt, dust and contaminated water are carried from the mine to the dam, raising major health concerns.
Apart from communities suffering the effects of mining, action groups are concerned that more mines, such as the proposed Fuleni mine on the doorstep of world-renowned game reserves would exacerbate the current poaching crisis.
Sheila Berry, spokesperson for the Global Environmental Trust’s Communities and Wilderness Alliance (CAWA), said, ‘Saving rhinos and promoting well-being in the area requires a healthy buffer zone around the park that excludes mining and industry.’
Speaking about the Youth Rhino Summit, Dladla said, ‘Young people need to be watchful of mines that affect people’s lives and destroy the environment.
‘South African youth have the added responsibility of always making sure rhinos are protected for future generations,’ he concluded.
