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- One 12 months after the homicide of South African anti-coal mining activist Fikile Ntshangase, no arrests have been made.
- A authorized software to stop the growth of the Somkhele coal mine, which Ntshangase strongly opposed, has once more been postponed by a South African court docket.
- Tensions inside the communities stay excessive because the mining firm is pushing residents to signal relocation agreements earlier than its current reserves are depleted in 2022.
On Oct. 22, 2020, three gunmen shot 63-year-old Fikile Ntshangase lifeless in her home in Ophondweni, in northeastern South Africa. One 12 months since Ntshangase’s killing, the provincial police are nonetheless looking for the perpetrators.
“The matter continues to be beneath investigation, no arrests made,” KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Thembeka Mbele instructed Mongabay.
“As there are skilled hitmen concerned, it isn’t very simple,” mentioned Ntshangase’s lawyer, Kirsten Youens, who’s now representing Ntshangase’s daughter.
Ntshangase was properly referred to as an outspoken critic of Tendele Coal Mining Pty’s Somkhele open-cast mine, one of many largest within the nation. The coal mine, on the sting of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Recreation Reserve within the northern a part of KwaZulu-Natal province, has been working since 2007. In 2016, Tendele, a subsidiary of South African mining firm Petmin, acquired a license to broaden its operations by an extra 222 sq. kilometers (86 sq. miles), requiring the relocation of 21 households.
The brand new mining proper was vehemently opposed by the Mfolozi Group Environmental Justice Organisation (MCEJO), a neighborhood activist group. In 2018, the group appealed the choice by the South African minister of mineral sources to permit the mine to broaden.
Because the deputy chairperson of MCEJO, Ntshangase was one of many leaders of the marketing campaign towards Tendele’s growth plans and had been subjected to threats months earlier than she was killed, in response to her daughter, Malungelo Xhakaza.
Her killing gained consideration past South Africa. It was highlighted within the U.N. Particular Rapporteur’s evaluation of killings of human rights defenders worldwide, revealed in April this 12 months. It was additionally talked about in a brand new World Witness report on the 227 killings of land and environmental defenders in 2020. “She organised, she campaigned, and educated individuals about their rights. In the end, I consider that’s what price my mom’s life,” Xhakaza was quoted as saying.
Inside South Africa, the homicide prompted outrage amongst environmental and human rights teams. “This homicide is so emblematic of the impunity and lack of accountability by the state, mining firms and police,” mentioned Winnet Shamuyarira, who coordinates motion on militarization and violence towards ladies at WoMin African Alliance. She places Ntshangase’s case in step with struggles in different components of the nation, like these towards a titanium mine in Xolobeni and the Ikwezi coal mine in Newcastle. “Those that say ‘NO’ to mining actions face intense repression, violence, and silencing.”
Tendele distances itself from any connection between the crime and its mining actions. “There has not been one single piece of strong proof that hyperlinks the mine to the homicide,” Tendele Coal Mining’s CEO, Jan du Preez, instructed Mongabay. Whereas he agreed that there’s stress in the neighborhood, he mentioned there’s “propaganda towards a mine that’s making an attempt to outlive and within the course of help and enhance the livelihood of greater than 40,000 individuals.”
With the corporate promising jobs to the group, and a few group members, together with native conventional leaders, in favor of the mine’s growth, stress in the neighborhood was excessive. “There have been threats, there have been bullets that had been shot,” Sifiso Dladla from Motion Assist SA, who has campaigned alongside MCEJO for years, instructed Mongabay. As residents have been more and more urged by the mine to signal relocation agreements to make means for the brand new mining license, tensions reportedly elevated additional.
Nineteen of the 21 households that the mine seeks to relocate belong to MCEJO members. What number of of those households have signed the proposed relocation settlement is unclear, as Ntshangase’s homicide has left residents fearful about talking up towards the mine.
“Lots of people have been intimidated, particularly those that need to signal the relocation settlement,” mentioned Youens, whose nonprofit regulation agency, All Proper, represents MCEJO. Their opposition, nevertheless, continues to be “completely adamant.”
Whereas a court docket attraction by MCEJO and two different candidates — searching for to cease the mine from working fully on account of irregularities in its operations — was dismissed by South Africa’s Supreme Court docket of Attraction earlier this 12 months, the applying Ntshangase was spearheading, difficult its growth, is ongoing. The applying towards the brand new mining proper was lodged by MCEJO members three years in the past and was scheduled for a listening to earlier this month, on Oct. 6 and seven.
However the case was postponed. “For the fifth time,” mentioned Dladla from Motion Assist SA, which in April joined MCEJO’s court docket software towards Tendele’s growth along with three different organizations: the World Surroundings Belief (GET), Mining Affected Communities United in Motion (MACUA), and the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Community (SAHRDN).
The choose postponed the listening to as a result of quantity of paperwork — nearly 8,000 pages have been submitted by the candidates alone. The delay is inflicting frustration amongst all teams.
In keeping with Dladla, it has led to elevated stress on group members to signal the relocation agreements, because the mine is threatening employees that their jobs are going to be misplaced. He referred to as on the judiciary to hurry issues up and work via the paperwork as shortly as attainable, “as a result of individuals on the bottom are intimidated.”
For Tendele, the problem can be urgent. In keeping with CEO du Preez, the mine’s current sources are going to be depleted by 2022. “Ought to the mine be unable very quickly to start opening up an prolonged space on account of these actions, the mine can be compelled to shut and can cease working not later than June 2022.”
Youens says the mine is beneath stress for an extra motive. “The mine is making an attempt to rush it as a result of they will’t get any cash from the financial institution whereas there’s a pending court docket case,” she mentioned.
“We are attempting to get an pressing case and we haven’t had a response, which is a bit irritating.”
South African activist killed as contentious coal mine seeks to broaden
Banner picture: Protest towards Tendele, 2018. Picture by Rob Symon by way of Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
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