Xolobeni: An Assault By The State

The assault by the state on the community living at Xolobeni, Mbizana, in the Eastern Cape drags on as the Amadiba people are again compelled to seek the protection of the courts.

- Jonathan Erasmus

Northern Pondoland has been a hotbed of activism and violence ever since Australian mining company Mineral Commodities (MRC) expressed an interest in mining the dunes along their pristine coastline. The titanium to be extracted is required for components of tablet computers and smartphones.

The community won a significant battle in November when the North Gauteng High Court ruled that Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe will have to obtain the full and formal consent from the Xolobeni community prior to granting mining rights.

However the Amadiba Crisis Committee which represents the affected community of Xolobeni also opposes the SA National Road Agency’s (Sanral’s) advanced plans to build a toll road along the Wild Coast, linking Durban and East London. They believe the route for the highway has been shifted closer to the coast, cutting their community in half, specifically to facilitate the proposed mining operation. The action committee is now challenging these plans in court as well.

This time they are accusing the state agency of ignoring any input from the public consultation process and merely rubberstamping a pre-approved N2 highway project – splitting at least two rural villages in half – without their consent. They have said the decision by the department to allow the road to go ahead did not factor in the socio-economic impacts of a toll road to these impoverished rural communities. Sanral has been trying to build the toll road for the past 15 years.