A group of community members in the resort town of Hibberdene on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast have filed an objection to oppose plans to allow a lithium mining company to extend its mining zone.
The community alleges that the mining company, SA Lithium, is going to wreak havoc in the area and should not be allowed to operate beyond its current area, where there are also unresolved issues.
Lithium is the new gold
Lithium is an essential element used in the production of batteries, glass, and aluminium items.
If allowed to expand, the activists allege that its mining activities would likely affect the nearby resort town of Port Shepstone, which falls under the Ray Nkonyeni local municipality.
This is contained in an objection that was sent to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and the Department of Tourism.
The community submitted the objections under the banner of “We Are South Africans”, a grouping of civic movements fighting for a better and fair South Africa. They said the objection is not a rejection of development. It is a demand for accountable, rehabilitative, and transparent governance that prioritises South African lives, landscapes, and livelihoods.
Risks exposed to communities
“Despite prior licensing approvals, prospecting operations have consistently failed to deliver on promises of job creation, skills development, and local economic upliftment.
“Instead, communities have been left with: damaged land and infrastructure. Also unrehabilitated sites and environmental degradation, disrupted tourism and cultural desecration. And opaque processes and procedural unfairness,” they said in the objection.
Furthermore, they said prospecting activities have endangered wildlife. They have contaminated water sources and destabilised geological terrain.
Dust, noise, and blasting have harmed crops, homes, and the tranquillity essential to tourism. Ancestral graves and heritage sites have been disturbed. This violates cultural rights and strips communities of dignity and identity.
“The current extractive model prioritises foreign markets over South African communities. Raw minerals are removed, ecosystems are devastated, and no meaningful beneficiation occurs. This violates the principles of equitable development and national sovereignty,” they added.
Conditions demanded by residents
The community then presented six demands. These include the immediate suspension of all pending prospecting applications and independent audits of all previously approved permits. Also full public disclosure of rehabilitation and compliance records and mandatory cumulative impact assessments for all future applications. Establishment of a joint oversight committee with community representation, and creation of a formal restitution framework for affected parties.
