In Umzumbe, a leafy village in southern KwaZulu-Natal, residents living next to the SA lithium mine say they have already experienced negative impacts from the operation but have not been consulted about it. Photo: Aphiwe Moyo
A land dispute is plaguing two South African lithium mines. Lithium mines are important minerals for both the energy and transportation sectors.
The 2nd Africa Important Minerals Summit was held in Johannesburg on December 2nd and 3rd. Oxpeckers focused on mining lithium, a key component in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicle production and energy storage.
South Africa has two lithium mines recorded on the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy's 2024 list of operational mines, quarries and mineral processing plants.
These are the SA lithium mining project and Norabies mine in Umzumbe, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Namri Exploration and Mining project, just outside the small mission town of Steinkopf in the Northern Cape province, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Namaqua District Municipality. It is operated by.
Norrabees is a relatively small operation still in its early stages, scheduled to start operations in February 2024, restarting to process available lithium reserves in areas left behind in the 1960s, and Activities were focused on tantalum at the time. request. Tantalum is a corrosion-resistant metal used in electronics.
“At that time, they were mainly mining tantalum. They knew about lithium, but they didn't take advantage of it. So there's a lot here that can be processed before they start mining. We have a lot of reserves,” said Lian Ziaman, a geologist at Norabies.
More than an hour's drive from the Norabies mine is the now-closed Blesberg mine, which also mines lithium and tantalum. The company, operated by South African Lithium and Tantalum Mining (SALT), a subsidiary of Marula Mining, has been granted a mining permit by the Department of Minerals for the development and open pit mining of lithium, tantalum, niobium ore and feldspar until 24 May 2026. did. .
The 5-hectare operation is home to one of the largest known mineralized pegmatite deposits and the largest source of tantalum in the country.
Attempts to visit the mine and speak to Henk van Zyl, general manager of Marula Mining, were unsuccessful at the time of publication. The mine was reportedly closed due to land ownership issues.
land rights
Gerda Bezuidenhout, director of urban planning for the Namaqua District Municipality, said concerns about mining in the area were expressed not only by the local community but also by the Common Property Association (CPA), a land ownership body established under the Common Property Association Act. He said that it has been done. For beneficiaries of land reform, restoration and redistribution programs to manage land as a group.
Bezuidenhout said landowners and CPAs feel left out of the conversation surrounding land-use activities on their land, and there are conflicts over land rights within the Namaqua.
“Conflicts over land rights are a very important issue within the Namaqua. People who are landowners and chartered accountants Because they don't feel they have a say in what should happen on their land,” she said. .
Steinkopf resident and businesswoman Leticia Pandoe says that although there are concerns about Lithium 1 mining near Steinkopf, there is excitement and anticipation for the opportunities that lithium mining presents in Steinkopf and the surrounding area. He said there are also.
“We know that Steinkopf is one of the less developed towns, so these lithium mines will also help our town grow, especially Steinkopf and the surrounding villages. “We're also looking forward to seeing our town's infrastructure developed and more local residents being employed,” Pandoe said.
Pandoe said she is part of a local consortium. The consortium said it has developed a database of all entrepreneurs and contractors in the region who will submit to the mine and will ensure they are considered to bid for contracts when they become available.
Steinkopf is a town with a rich Nama cultural heritage, and many of these mines need to work with local communities to ensure that their activities do not disturb the region's rich cultural heritage and biodiversity. There is, he added.
“Once a mine opens or starts operating, they need to come to the community and listen to what they want and what their needs are. The same platform where we meet each other. I think things will go in a good direction if we can stand up for it,” she said.
“The mine can grow, and the business can grow.” [in a way] It will not affect the local people here because we know that our people are ancient cultural Nama people and we do not want our culture and traditions to die . ”
Important mineral strategy
Speaking at the first African Critical Minerals Summit in August 2023, Minerals Minister Gwede Mantashe said South Africa is committed to developing a critical minerals strategy to support industrialization and a just energy transition to a low-carbon future. He said it was at an advanced stage.
He emphasized that there is no universal definition of “critical minerals” and that several countries use and define “critical minerals” interchangeably depending on their specific needs.
He said the “criticality” of a mineral should not be determined solely by who is using it to meet a need, and that the African continent must ensure that the extractivist nature of the past is not repeated. He said that Japan should develop its own critical minerals strategy. .
Questions sent to the Ministry of Minerals about the progress of the proposed strategy and whether it will be outlined at the second summit in December 2024 remained unanswered at the time of publication.
value creation
Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, senior economist and research fellow at Trade and Industrial Policy Strategy, said the need for such a strategy was timely, but more work was needed to implement it.
“For me, the question is, once a strategy has been developed, how do we go about implementing it? Because these master plans are often developed for the right reasons. But then they need to be implemented, so what's the point for me?' What matters is how to use such potential strategies. is. ” he said.
“It’s really important to look at how we leverage minerals for value creation, especially when it comes to employment. So the broader strategy needs to focus on labor-intensive activities in manufacturing, services, operations and maintenance. You have to guess.”
As global demand for lithium increases in tandem with mining activity in lithium mining in South Africa and other parts of the continent, local-level governance officials are asking national-level policy makers and strategists to It calls for the development of appropriate strategies that will yield benefits over time. Its indigenous people.
Brian Cloete, director of regional economic development for the Namaqua District Municipality, told Oxpeckers that the African continent has the potential to create optimal strategies for extracting critical minerals, but current mining laws are not allowing foreign owners or He said it was bringing profits to business owners.
He suggested that these strategies should focus more on promoting local ownership, which would also encourage more sustainable mining practices.
“Plan it for us, with us.”
Mr. Cloete and Mr. Bezuidenhout emphasized the need for any major minerals strategy and mine development plan to consider land ownership issues and start working at the local level.
“If we don't start right away with the base, we're going to be in trouble. It's about land ownership, the land on which the project will take place.”[s] We need to develop it,” Cloete said.
“Ownership has to be clear, and that ownership has to be unique, but a lot of these things are organized and negotiated at the national and state level. And on the ground, It's actually embarrassing just to see things happening.”
Mr Bezuidenhout said that despite the district playing a key role in South Africa's energy transition and hosting multiple renewable energy projects, local government officials in Namaqua district have He said he feels left out of some of the discussions surrounding the plan, which includes potential energy projects. .
“I think there's a gap in terms of communication to understand our situation and plan for us and not without us,” Bezuidenhout said.
Southern concerns
The SA lithium mine in Umzumbe, a leafy village in southern KwaZulu-Natal, has become a nightmare for neighboring communities. They claim they have already experienced negative impacts from the operation and have not been consulted about it.
Speaking on behalf of the Kwaronwa Tribal Authority in Umzumbe, local resident Merizwe Kaula told Oxpeckers that mine representatives had already begun exploration and mass sampling activities before the self-introduction was completed in early 2024. He said he visited tribal officials and promised to return for consultation. broader community.
Sindisiwe Cele, a resident of Enkeramandla village, which has a farm of about 40 households with a mix of youth and youth, reiterated that their side of the Umzumbe community was not consulted before work began at the mining site. Ta.
“We first saw cars and trucks rolling in before they started digging and clearing the area. Then rumors continued that the mine was coming and we all… I was asking what minerals they were mining.
“We have only heard by word of mouth that the minerals they are mining are also available where we are and that the mines could start coming closer to our homes, but to date No one engaged us,” Cele said.
“What we want from the mines is to send people to come and talk to us about what is going on, and also because we have been affected by the effects of the explosion. , we believe that there should be some compensation even through employment opportunities.''Not only will there be cracks in the housing, but there will also be noise and dust pollution,'' she said.
This study is part of the Oxpeckers #PowerTracker research series entitled 'The Human Cost of Energy in Africa'. Video production was done by Oxpeckers associates Dianah Chiyangwa and Suleiman M. Lawal.
