The tourism brochures boast about its ‘pristine coastline’ and ‘zig-zagging rivers and streams’ in a ‘clean and safe environment’. They also mention its commitment to the ‘preservation of its natural heritage’. But if mining giant Exxaro KZN Sands gets its way, all this could be lost for future generations who may well wonder how a village like Mtunzini and its ravaged, dusty surroundings was ever known as the Jewel of the Zululand coast. Exxaro is due to start mining the 4 000-hectare Fairbreeze site in 2013 – once mining at Hillendale, near Felixton, is complete and the facilities currently being used at Hillendale are moved to a site near Highfield Country Home.

Digital artist's impression of potential damage

The minerals to be mined include titanium, ilmenite and zircon, with the richest deposits found in Fairbreeze C Extension adjacent the Xaxaza Leisure Park at the end of Mimosa Street where Exxaro hopes to start mining. All Hillendale staff will transfer to Fairbreeze and no new permanent jobs will be created. Exxaro anticipates that just over 1 000 temporary jobs will be created in the construction phase – mostly when the plant is physically lifted off the Hillendale site and moved along the N2 (the bridges will be lifted to allow the plant to pass underneath) to Fairbreeze and later when the plant is enlarged.

Once Exxaro gets the go-ahead to mine, the present vegetation on the mine site will be bulldozed and burnt, exposing large areas of soil which will then be broken down by a high-powered hydraulic process requiring 48million litres of water a day running 24 hours a day.  The minerals are then extracted from this slurry and the waste pumped to two slimes dams about 5kms away on the inland side of the N2. One of the main concerns of the Mtunzini Conservancy and the Mtunzini Residents Association (MRA) who are opposing the mining is that these mega-dumps, as they are also known, are not only enormous (600 hectares in size, 5 kms long and 1,4 kms wide) but are sited on environmentally sensitive wetlands, and will never be able to be rehabilitated. These dumps will become a permanent eyesore at the entrance to Mtunzini. To understand the size of these slimes dams, you have to imagine 17 golf courses the size of Mtunzini Country Club placed side by side.

“There is no evidence in the Basic Assessment Report (BAR), or elsewhere that we know of, to support the claim by Exxaro that such slimes dams can be successfully rehabilitated to economic timber production – or any other crop,’ said a spokesperson for SOS (Save Our Sands) which represents the interests of the Conservancy and the MRA. “It appears that the slimes dams could be a threat to safety, and blot our landscape forever. A literature search indicates that 30m high dam walls are at the upper safe limit for slimes dams. The planned Fairbreeze slimes dams will be 37m high in places. ”There is also no evidence to support the claim by Exxaro that the soil hydraulically shattered by the process can be ‘reconstituted’ and returned to the highly productive agriculture and forestry that is currently in place.“Exxaro claims that the existing Hillendale mine operation is supposed to provide all the answers with respect to rehabilitation of the mined area and the slimes dams and that lessons learned at Hillendale will be applied at the proposed Fairbreeze mine. “From our perspective, there is nothing to suggest that they have learned how to do anything at Hillendale. From recent visits to Hillendale, Google Earth images, and several aerial surveys there is scant evidence of successful rehabilitation work that has been completed and reported on and/or published in reputable journals.” “If Exxaro doesn’t get this right, we could be left with a wasteland,” says Jim Chedzey who leads the SOS campaign. Not only a wasteland but a town which has lost its allure and with little chance of future investment. According to the municipal valuation roll, the village of Mtunzini represents an investment of R1-billion with an annual rates base of R12-million.

In contrast, Exxaro is expected to make R1,2-billion profit annually in the 12 years that it will mine at Fairbreeze and is expected to pay uMlalazi Municipality only R1,6m in annual rates. Since King Cetshwayo’s white chief, John Dunn, discovered its charms in the 19th Century, Mtunzini has always been an attractive place to live or holiday in one of its many guest houses. Today it is just a hop off the N2 with easy access to Richards Bay, the famous game reserves of Zululand, King Shaka International Airport and Durban. It’s the kind of village where one will meet a zebra at the pedestrian crossing or a Woollynecked Stork at the stop street. It has a history of respecting its environment and sense of place. In the 1940s the local civic authority handed over large portions of the coastal forest to the Natal Parks Board as it was concerned about the high level of poaching taking place. A decade later Ian Garland moved to a neighbouring farm where he pioneered stream rehabilitation and started the first environmental education centre in South Africa. By the millennium, Mtunzini had become the first urban area to be granted conservancy status and it had received many accolades and conservation awards for its work in the clearing of alien invasive plants.

Its residents are fiercely protective of its eco-estate lifestyle and have fought many hard battles to keep it that way but the proposed mining is without a doubt its biggest challenge – taking up many voluntary hours of research, meetings, canvassing and fund-raising to cover legal fees. But for residents the stakes are high. Property owners have been offered naught for their comfort – only the fear that their life savings will drop and devalue as Mtunzini becomes a less than attractive place to live or visit. At present, there are more than 100 houses on the market.

Residents are mostly concerned about the fine dust which will blow from an open-cast mine 100 metres away, as well as the noise levels of a 24-hour a day, seven days a week operation. They are also concerned about their water supply and water quality. The mine will use more water in a day than the town uses in a month. Who can predict how this will affect this already critical resource, 10 years down the road? One of the toxic slimes dams is situated in the catchment of the Siyaya River which flows into the Umlalazi Nature Reserve, another dam falls within the catchment of the Nyezane River which flows into another protected area, the Amatikulu Nature Reserve.

Not to mention, the main drainage lines on the Fairbreeze site which flow directly into the wetlands behind the sand dunes in the Siyaya Coastal Park. The shock troops of this total onslaught on the town, are the residents of Xaxaza Leisure Park – a small community of 65 retired pensioners who will bear the worst brunt of the mining. This quiet, shady warren of narrow lanes lined with modest cabins and a popular caravan park only has a 100-metre barrier of nine-year-old trees between it and one of the dirtiest mining operations seen on the South African coast. “It’s absolutely dreadful,” says Xaxaza co-owner Merle Muller about  the prospect of mining right opposite her entrance. “I spoke to the owner of Harbour Lights [a caravan park on the Hillendale site] and he said: ‘Merle, the day they start mining you may as well close your business because no one is going to stay at your caravan park and the permanent residents certainly won’t want to live under those conditions.

“He said it was so dirty and dusty that residents had to wash everything every day if it had been left outside. We all wrote letters to Exxaro and the Minister begging them to move the mine a safe distance away from us. I posted 65 letters but it seems to have been a waste of time because we haven’t received a single reply. Not even an acknowledgement from Exxaro. And what’s it going to do to our health? We’re all pensioners here.” Also of huge concern is the future of the Twinstreams Environmental Education Centre situated just above the confluence of the Siyaya and Amanzimnyama streams. Begun 60 years ago by sugarcane farmer, the late Ian Garland, who foresaw the threat faced by the environment long before the present debate on climate change, Twinstreams is now run jointly by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) and Mondi (the present owners of the land to be mined).

Every year, more than 4 000 school children pass through the Centre where they have the chance to explore several pristine, diverse ecosystems, study riverine rehabilitation, the impact of humans on catchments as well as enjoy fun activities such as hiking along the beach and canoeing in the estuary. Because of Ian Garland’s proud legacy, Twinstreams has always been a valuable lesson to all who pass through it that individuals can make a vital difference. But to many, having an environmental education centre on the edge of a mine is a bizarre and abhorrent mental image. In its answer to the concerns raised about the future of Twinstreams Centre, the Addendum Report noted only that Exxaro ‘should financially assist with investigating suitable alternative sites’. In his lifetime, Ian Garland estimated that he had planted over 60 000 indigenous trees – not only on his own farm but along most of the watercourses on the Fairbreeze site and wherever he felt the landscape needed a bit of ‘cheering up’.

Mtunzini’s sense of place owes much to his voluntary tree-planting, enthusiastic guidance, first-hand knowledge and foresight. At his funeral in 2007, all the tributes referred to his life’s work of creating a forest along the Siyaya as his living monument. Who knows how this monument will look in 2020 if the mining goes ahead? ”Many of us learnt some valuable life lessons from Ian Garland and we saw what a lonely battle he fought most of his life to try and save the Siyaya catchment,” says longtime resident and farmer Bruce Hopwood. ”It’s painful for us to be in the Fairbreeze area and ponder the future of his extraordinary legacy. He only wanted to leave the world a better place than he found it and now we’re faced with its plunder by a faceless multi-national company that only sees profits and will never know what we have lost.”

source: mtunzini.co.za

Wild Coast on 50/50

Part One of a two part update on the Wild Coast Mining and ‘Troll Road’ will be broadcast today, Monday 26 Sept, on 50/50 on SABC 2 starting at 7.30pm.

Part 2 will go out the following week on 3rd October. This will feature plans for the revival of eco-tourism, and the launch of a fund raising campaign to raise funds for local residents to challenge the N2 Wild Coast Toll road authorisation. To keep up-to-date with the developments of Sustaining The Wild Coast, who are promoting sustainable and long-term development of this area, please like them on Facebook HERE and follow them on Twitter HERE, and encourage others to do the same…

John G I Clarke

In addition, SWC advocates against culturally and ecologically inappropriate developments such as the proposed mining at Xolobeni and the recent decision on the N2 toll road extension, which they are presently opposing. See various articles here: 1, 2 and 3.

SWC are looking to spread the word about what they are doing and raise some funds for expected court battles. I think they have done a very admirable job with Xolobeni. Please like them on Facebook HERE and follow them on Twitter HERE, and encourage others to do the same…

You and I will be forgiven for never having heard of Verlorenvlei, but Ms Susan Shabangu should not be. She is, after all, South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources and it was her department that recently issued a prospecting license for tungsten ore that could result in the destruction of this internationally significant wetland system near the West Coast town of Elands Bay. When questioned at a meeting of the Cape Town Press Club last week, Shabangu claimed ignorance of both Verlorenvlei and the prospecting licence.

Let’s enlighten the minister and ourselves. Verlorenvlei is a coastal freshwater lake – one of the largest in the country – fringed by reedswamps and connected to the ocean via a shallow estuary. It’s one of the largest natural wetlands and estuarine ecosystems in the Western Cape and is listed as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention, the international treaty concerned with the conservation of wetlands.

Through the seasons Verlorenvlei is home to anywhere from 5 000 to 20 000 birds. Of the more than 180 bird species identified three are near-threatened globally and eight are threatened in South Africa. It supports more than a quarter of the Western Cape’s population of the rare Great White Pelican and is a critically important moulting ground and summer refuge for several duck species.

This valuable ecosystem is threatened by the development of a mineral deposit called Riviera Tungsten, which holds an estimated reserve of 10.86 million tons of tungsten oxide. The application process for the mineral rights has been protracted, controversial and hotly contested, which makes Shabangu’s claim of never having heard about it rather perplexing.

In 2005, Bongani Minerals, a company under the directorship of Phemelo Sehunelo, a former municipal manager of Kimberley and Trevor Pikwane, a diamond trader from the same town, first applied for prospecting rights, but they were refused on account of the potential pollution associated with the mining activities. In 2006 the company brought another application which was granted, but subsequently challenged on procedural grounds. The license lapsed before a judicial review of the case could go ahead.

Not perturbed Bongani Minerals lodged a third application in 2009. The acting Regional Manager of the Department of Mineral Resources presiding over this particular application was Ms Duduzile Sibongile Kunene, who also happens to be Sehunelo’s girlfriend – the couple co-own a house in Pretoria. Sehunelo is also the founder of Imperial Crown Trading, the company that mysteriously obtained prospecting rights for Kumba’s Sishen iron ore mine.

One would think that all of this intrigue would have somehow filtered through to Minister Shabangu by the time her Department granted Bongani Minerals the prospecting rights to the Riviera tungsten deposit in July. Apparently not. The proposed open cast mine will be 20 to 50 hectares in size and excavated to a depth of 200 metres. Its lifespan is estimated at less than 20 years, but it’s expected to have a potentially devastating impact on the area’s water resources.

The tungsten deposit is located in the catchment area of the Moutonshoek Valley and beneath two locally important aquifer systems. Conservationists have also expressed concerns about the mine’s effect of the Krom Antonies River which provides the main surface water flow into Verlorenvlei. This intricate hydrological system stands to suffer irreversible damage as a result of tungsten mining, both through water extraction and pollution of ground and surface waters.

The survival of Verlorenvlei isn’t the only thing at stake. Also under threat are the unique fauna and flora of the surrounding area which falls within the Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor, as well as the farms of the fertile Moutonshoek Valley which are dependent on ground water for irrigation and provide much employment for the local population.

Surely all of this amounts to enough in the way of troublesome circumstances for Minister Shabangu to have at least familiarised herself with the prospecting licence that was issued in her name. Clearly she doesn’t think so. Regarding the bigger picture, Verlorenvlei seems to be part of an accelerating trend of government-approved mining- and “development”-related projects in ecologically sensitive areas like Mapungubwe or the Wild Coast. And while each case may have its own peculiar complexities, the core equation shared by all is one that pits long-term environmental sustainability against short-term financial profit.

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, South African National Parks (SanParks) and Coal of Africa yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see the three parties working together with regards to mining next to the Mapungubwe world heritage site in Limpopo. The agreement was signed in accordance with section 24G of the National Environmental Management Act. Coal of Africa is involved in mining activities next to Mapungubwe. The Department of Environmental Affairs and SanParks will be monitoring closely and ensuring that Coal of Africa adheres to the regulations agreed upon. As part of the agreement, the integrity of the world heritage site will be maintained through “comprehensive biodiversity offsets programmes, thereby optimising benefits to local communities.” Coal of Africa was forced to stop activities at the Vele site in Limpopo last year, following non-compliance with the National Environmental Management Act. Last month, the department granted the company approval to restart construction and operations in line with activities that had been approved by the department.

Singing the MoU on behalf of government, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Deputy Director-General, Fundisile Mketeni, said his department will ensure that the parties adhere to the agreement. “Government has a responsibility to ensure that compliance is adhered to,” he said. With regard to the heritage site, Mketeni said government will defend it and ensure that it is not in danger. Coal of Africa CEO, John Wallington, said through the agreement, they seek to increase economic growth. “This agreement is a declaration of intent with the goal of creating and developing a sustainable model of co-existence which should set new and more inclusive standards to be aspired to,” he said, adding that mining plays a major role in job creation. Wallington said with the help of the government and SanParks, they will seek to be pioneers in finding the right balance between conservation and economic development. “We have a responsibility to protect the natural and cultural richness of the heritage site, whilst substantially increasing the size of the economy and thereby creating jobs that our country desperately requires,” he said.

According to the agreement, the parties will promote alliances in the management of natural and cultural resources, ensure compliance with the provisions of the agreement, encourage social, economic and other partnerships among stakeholders. This will also include promoting integrated planning, research, education, awareness and capacity-building, collaborating in formulating detailed biodiversity offsets programmes and implementation plans and providing adequate financial, human and other resources for effective implementation of the agreement. South African National Parks’ Hector Magome said they will ensure that Mapungubwe is well preserved. “It is our mandate to preserve and protect and to ensure wise use of natural resources,” he said. According to Magome, SanParks manages about four million hectares of parks in the country. Regarding the detailed biodiversity offsets programmes to be developed, the agreement states that the programmes will be underpinned by, amongst others, natural heritage conservation, cultural heritage conservation, tourism development and water resource management.

source

But by July 2011 the South African Government had granted Australian-owned mining company, Limpopo Coal, a series of permits to construct a large opencast coal mine in this ancient cultural landscape. Many people do not agree with this.

Please watch the short 2 minute film below- all we ask is that you share it as wildly as possible, on the internet or on other social media channels.

You can also join the campaign at:

www.savemapungubwe.org.za

www.facebook.com/SaveMapungubwe

A full press release is attached, should you need any more information or pictures please let me know.

Many thanks,

Jenna van Schoor

I just thought you might like to celebrate in this good news.

For the moment SWC are extremely pleased that social and environmental justice for the amaMpondo people seems to have been upheld.

SWC will comment further once we have had a chance to consider at length Minister Shabangu’s conditions for re-consideration of the mining application.

Regards Val

___

Minister Susan Shabangu has informed Sarah Septhon, legal representative of the Amadiba Crisis Committee that the mining rights awarded in July 2008 to Australian owned Transworld Energy and Minerals (Pty) Ltd (TEM) and the Xolobeni Empowerment Company (Pty) Ltd  (Xolco) have been revoked.

Accordingly the complaint lodged by the Amadiba Crisis Committee with the Public Protector last week against the Minister for the long delay in announcing her decision has been withdrawn.

The Amadiba Crisis Committee and Sun International together lodged objections to the award of the mining rights in September 2008.   A Special Task Team chaired by senior ANC MP Nkosi Patekile Holimisa found that the award of mining rights was in several respects in violation of legislated requirements.

The Minister has however left the door slightly ajar to allow the applicants a ninety day period in which to re-apply.

The attached documentation explains the Ministers decision.

Comment from the Amadiba Crisis Committee and the NGO Sustaining the Wild Coast which has supported them, will be forthcoming, but I offer the following comment in my professional capacity as the social worker who has been privileged to work with local residents for the past five years.

STATEMENT

The decision of Minister Shabangu closes a very long and frustrating chapter in the quest of the Amadiba residents for sustainable livelihoods.

To put it colloquially, a large and aggressive “dog” has been removed from the manger that it has occupied over the past three years, obstructing the local residents from pursing sustainable livelihood’s from nature and heritage based eco tourism.  Although the ‘dog’ has been given the chance to reapply for control over the ‘manger’ it is now inconceivable that it would ever be able to take up occupation again, because over the next six months plans are afoot to revive the once celebrated community based eco-tourism initiative known as Amadiba Adventures.

With the COP 17 Talks taking place in six months time in Durban, together with the Wild Coast Sun Resort and other partners, the local residents will now ensure all available tourism accommodation on the Wild Coast is fully booked with international visitors who will be invited to celebrate an Avatar like victory of an indigenous people who cherish their natural environment and ancestral traditions.  They declared the rich titanium deposits on the Wild Coast ‘unobtanium’ after they saw that film, and have gone one better than the NaVi warriors by using non-violent, constitutional means to oust the mineral addicted invaders.

The Amadiba Crisis Committee is now planning a huge celebration and plans to reconstitute themselves and the Amadiba Peace and Development Committee to facilitate healing and peace building in a community that was once a peaceful haven, but which has over the past five years seen constant tension and conflict.

While I welcome the Ministers decision I cannot understand how the Minister can conclude that the applicants took all reasonable steps to consult with the relevant parties.   The Human Rights Commission found that consultation was woefully lacking as far back as 2007, and the only remedial ‘consultation’ process that I am aware of was when the BEE partner Xolco submitted forged and fraudulent names of some 3000 local residents claiming their free and informed consent.   Minister Shabangu also has in her possession a long interview with a former Xolco member who resigned in protest together with two other directors after they realised that he had been co-opted into what he described a “corrupt scheme to sell the land of the people”.

Moreover it is worth noting that during the Local Government Elections ANC members from the mining affected area nominated candidates who were opposed to the mining to contest the elections.  The voters followed suit by overwhelmingly electing the ANC candidates with their declared anti mining position, rather than the rash of independent candidates who suddenly appeared, backed by the pro-mining lobby.

I assume that Minister Shabangu was waiting for the elections before announcing her decisions, and hope that she is reassured that there can be no local political backlash.  The Mbizana municipality is one of the poorest in the country and the local council needs support to make full use of the astounding natural and heritage resources at its disposal to promote jobs and development.

Notwithstanding these reservations, I wish to personally congratulate the Honourable Minister bringing some measure of closure.  She has had to juggle a very hot potato which has not cooled down over the past two years since she assumed office.

___

John G I Clarke

Consultant Social Worker, Development Facilitator, Writer.

I write this now as the deadline to submit an appeal against the proposed highway is this Wednesday 19th May. All too often, we have good intentions and then time flies by and nothing is done. If you would like to voice an appeal, there is a petition. But I think an official appeal will be more effective and I have collected the necessary documents for download here. Please find an official appeal form (I have filled in the details that I will submit) and a generic appeal motivation outlining the reasons for my appeal. You can use these as your own and change where you feel necessary. All documents must then be faxed to Minister of Environmental Affairs (Fax: 012 320 7561) by Wednesday 19th May.

I don’t want to force anyone into anything but consideration of local communities’ opinions and the environment are something I feel strongly about. Here are some tools and information for us as citizens to participate in public deliberation. Hopefully it will be worthwhile to use them.

I have written about the proposed mining of the Xolobeni area. See blogposts here, here and here. The local mining company says that it will bring employment to the area. Those opposed say it will bring destruction. I feel that an area of such biodiversity and uniqueness should be preserved as a heritage site. This will allow for sustained livelihoods and the preservation of the natural environment.

Here are some recent articles detailing:

Cancelled hearings

Shady dealings in ‘getting support’ from the local community

Opposition Facebook Group if you would like more info

SWC Chair

Box 44, Harding

Contact cell 083 4416961

swcoastval@gmail.com

XOLOBENI MINING IS A TEST CASE OF HOW MUCH COMMITMENT GOVERNMENT HAS TO LOCAL DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES.

Should local destinies be decided locally? That is the heart of the issue around the Wild Coast Xolobeni mining debate.

The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has announced that it will hold a legal hearing in Durban to hear oral submissions as to why amaPondo communities are opposed to titanium dune mining along the Wild Coast. DMR say the submissions will be taken into account in the Minister’s decision whether to give the go ahead for the mining application. This sets a precedent for DMR, who do not usually consider oral appeals.

No doubt many complicated legal arguments will be given at the hearing. No doubt weighty considerations will be given as to whether DMR has complied with legislative requirements, whether adequate public consultation has taken place with communities, and whether South Africa should be allowing this sort of mining operation to take place by a foreign Australian mining company.  Particularly when this type of mining has been disallowed in the home country of Mineral Resources Commodities, the Australian owned mining company that have applied for a mining license in the area. And particularly when the Wild Coast region is considered one of South Africa’s most environmentally vulnerable and ecologically important areas, where local communities have built up a long tradition of life based upon the fruits of the land, and are dependent upon the soil and the water and the natural resources of the place for their subsistence livelihoods.

The arguments that will be heard at the DMR hearing no doubt are important and necessary.

But at the heart of the issue is a much more simple matter.  To what extent are local people free to decide on their own local destinies?

AmaPondo Communities who live in the areas that will be mined are adamant that they do not want the mining. They say it is contrary to their deeply held ancestral traditions, will erode their social fabric, and undermine their ability to sustain themselves as they have done for centuries.

These Wild Coast communities, over three years of interaction with Sustaining the Wild Coast, have revealed what sort of ‘development’ they want for their region. It is not the sort of development that is being foisted on them by the likes of Australian speculative mining companies and DMR under the name of ‘progress’ and ‘poverty relief’. AmaPondo communities argue that the change that mining will bring to their environment will destroy their local social structures and customs and traditions. They do not want a development path that will damage the environment to which they are so closely connected. The amaPondo do not want a development path where they become the downtrodden lackeys of ‘outside’ interests.

Rather, they want to be active participants in developing small scale community livelihoods projects based around eco-tourism, extend their farming capacities, and develop small community based business ventures. They want to improve their schools’, they want improved health facilities, and better maintenance of the existing local road infrastructure. They want to be fully involved protagonists in their own future, shaping a development path that is compatible with their cultural identity and the natural environment that has supported them for generations. They do not want to have someone else’s idea of a ‘future’ foisted upon them.

This issue is clearly not a case of ‘mining or no development’ as supporters of mining tend to argue. It is a choice between mining, which is being pushed by people who do not live in the area to be mined and so will not directly bear the consequences of the impacts and disruptions to their lives that mining will bring, and other types of development that are favoured by local people.

Ironically, this is not the first time the AmaPondo have faced a battle to have a say in how their local destiny unfolds.

In 1959, under the guise of ‘development’,  ‘poverty upliftment’ and ‘self rule’ the Nationalist government passed the Bantustan’s Act and set about re-organizing the amaPondo’s traditional system of tribal rule by democratically elected chiefs and headmen, into a system of state appointed magistrates and tribal leaders who were little more than government stooges. The Nationalist government also initiated ‘betterment schemes’ which removed the small scale peasantry off their scattered plots of land into state sponsored village settlements.

In an article of the time Ben Turok* commented “This threat of dispossession of their land the African people regard as the removal of their last shred of security”.  Turok ironically observed after a tour to the districts that the Eastern amaPondo who had resisted ‘betterment’ seemed to remain better off than their Western Pondoland counterparts who had succumbed to the ‘betterment schemes’.

So deep was the amaPondo resentment at interference over their right to be engaged participants in a democratic form of local government, that they instigated a rebellion in 1960 that came to be known as the Pondo Rebellion. Although that rebellion was summarily and violently crushed by the government of the day, one might suppose that the amaPondo might have felt the battle had finally been won in 1994, when South Africa’s first democratically elected government ousted the Nationalist party.

Yet this was not to be.

Once again they are faced with an initiative that threatens to dispossess them of the rights to their land and deprive them of choice in the outcome of their own local future. Again this initiative is presented under the guise of ‘development’ and ‘poverty upliftment’.

Time will soon tell if the amaPondo have finally won their battle to be protagonists in their own destiny, or if they will once again be faced with subjugation by a government more concerned with exerting centralized authority and decision making, than in fulfilling the wishes of ordinary people to have a say in how local development processes unfold.

*Ben Turoks article, The Pondo Revolt, can be found on the SWC website www.swc.org.za