In Eastern Cape, South Africa there is a large area of titanium-rich sand.
This sand is a high demand area and has attracted a mining company from Australia, Mineral Commodities Resources. As they have tried to get consent to mine in the area they have run into many roadblocks. One might ask, what kind of consequences can mining an important resource be? In this particular area there is a village named Xolobeni. This village is home to indigenous tribes, who have lived on their ancestral land their entire lives.
Since the first proposition to obtain rights to mine in the area in 2008, the Australian mining company sparked a resistance in the Xolobeni villagers. They formed the Amadiba Crisis Committee to help prevent the mining company from taking over their lands. This mining proposal is a clear violation of the villager’s human rights
and it even violate environmental rights. In 2008, Mineral Commodities Resources were granted mining rights but several years later those rights were revoked due to the impacts the mining had on the environment. In 2015, the mining company was again rewarded mining rights to excavate 22 km of titanium-rich sand. But in 2016, all mining was halted when a leader of the Amadiba Crisis Committee was assassinated. When Mineral Commodities Resources applied for their mining rights for a third time, the High Court could not grant them a mining license without the consent of indigenous communities.
This mining extravaganza is the same issue that the Dakotas are going through in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone pipeline. The $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline would
stretch through four states; North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. The proposal has been completed other than a portion that would go under Lake Oahe in North Dakota which is just short of a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation. The $8 billion Keystone Pipeline would stretch over many states including; Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Like the mining proposals of South Dakota, these pipelines propose environmental and human rights issues. Peaceful protests turned violent as police officers engaged the protesters shooting non-lethal rounds, tear gas, and other non-lethal tactics.
If the mining proposals in South Africa go through and the Australian mining company takes over, the Xolobeni tribes will face injustices to their human rights. The titanium mine is located between the tribes and the Eastern Cape coast. This presents are major issue of the villagers making their way to the coast. The land that the mine sits on is a large portion of their farmland. The Amadiba residents don’t just survive on their agricultural business but flourish from selling at the coast. If this land is taken away, their economy may drop as they will have to find new place to grow and new ways to sell their crops. One may suggest, “But what if they got jobs in the mines? The opening of the mines will provide them with jobs.” This is not the case. The Amadiba residents are not educated and mines are heavily machined operations. The opening of this mine would significantly decrease the value of life in these tribes.
The area in which Mineral Commodities Resources wish to mine, is labelled as a “transition zone”. A transition zone is an area of environmental transition between sub-tropical and temperature climates. This area is a biodiversity hotspot, where you can’t find the species of plants around the world. Power lines and plumbing are not a part of the Xolobeni region. You find drainage pits, a solar panel here and there, and water wells. Mines are sophisticated areas of work. Along with the minerals they are extracting, they produce toxic waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and destruction of the surrounding lands. Since there is no plumbing in the Xolobeni region, the toxic liquid waste would have one place to go… into the drainage ditches. Air pollution is a very large factor in the mining industry, as all methods of mining affect the air quality which affects the quality of life in the surrounding area. This once bio diversified area will be turned into the stomping grounds for a mineral exploration company if proposals are accepted.
Citations:
“Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines: How Did We Get Here?” CNN, Cable News Network, www-m.cnn.com/2017/01/24/us/dapl-keystone-pipeline-environment-protesters-trump-order/index.html?r=https://www.google.com/.
Bega, Sheree. “’This Land Is Part of Our Identity’.” IOL News, ‘IOL’, 12 Feb. 2019, www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/this-land-is-part-of-our-identity-19255771.
“Ruling against Mining Company Is a Win for Xolobani Community.” Early Marriage and Harassment of Syrian Refugee Women and Girls in Jordan, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/11/south-africa-ruling-against-mining-company-a-victory-for-marginalized-communities-across-the-country/.
Burke, Jason. “The Coastal Village, the Mining Giant and the Battle for South Africa’s Soul.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 June 2016, www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/12/south-africa-titanium-mining-giant-xolobeni.
Bennie, Andrew. “OP-ED: Mining Will Not Bring Jobs to Xolobeni.” Daily Maverick, Daily Maverick, 15 Jan. 2019, www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-01-15-mining-will-not-bring-jobs-to-xolobeni/.
Mtshali, Samkelo. “Titanium Mining Will Have ‘Devastating’ Effects on Livelihoods.” IOL News, ‘IOL’, 27 Sept. 2018, www.iol.co.za/mercury/business/titanium-mining-will-have-devastating-effects-on-livelihoods-17242799.
“How a Proposed Strip Mine Brought Conflict to South Africa’s Wild Coast.” Yale E360, e360.yale.edu/features/titanium-mine-conflict-south-africa-pondoland-rhadebe-caruso.
Pictures:
“The Keystone XL Pipeline Has Won Approval in Nebraska.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 25 Nov. 2017, www.economist.com/united-states/2017/11/25/the-keystone-xl-pipeline-has-won-approval-in-nebraska.
South Africa Travel Blog, www.places.co.za/html/visualfind.html.
“Xolobeni Court Ruling Has No Effect on N2WCR Project.” SANRAL Stop Over, 7 Jan. 2019, stop-over.co.za/xolobeni-court-ruling-no-effect-n2wcr-project/.