Amadiba Crisis Committee 2017-07-05:
“We don’t want any ’18 month moratorium’. Make your choice, Minister Mr Zwane, and heed our decision to say no thank you to your mining. Otherwise see us in court.” This was the message from over two hundred 29 June at the Great Place in Xolobeni on the Wild Coast, in a response to DMR Minister Zwane’s declared ‘moratorium’ of 9 June.
“Either you grant the mining license, or you reject it. Because we know that these 18 months is not for us. It is for you to strategise. The 18 months also presents a danger of violence to us.”
“Please, make sure you don’t send any more so called ‘specialists’ here. We told your department, the provincial and the national government, your ‘task teams’ and your ‘delegations’ that we don’t want mining here. You have all the information you want.”
“You have failed to answer our demand for a declaratory court order that we have the right to say NO to mining. We filed it in September 2016. You failed to answer in November, in January, in March, in May, and now the State Attorney failed again to file DMR’s answer on 26 June. You have failed to meet all deadlines. Are you shying away from meeting the community in court?”
“We are going ahead to plan our own agriculture, eco-tourism and energy projects that will provide sustainable development also for our children and their grandchildren, in this community and by our neighbours. “
“But local roads and other basic infrastructure have been denied us for so long. We also have to address basic services ourselves.”
Amadiba Crisis Committee:
Spokesperson: Nonhle Mbuthuma 076 3592982; Chair: Sbusiso Mqadi 063 4964074
For the legal case against “Xolobeni Mining Project” on the Wild Coast: Henk Smith 0832661770 (Legal Resource Centre), and Richard Spoor 0836271722 (Richard Spoor Inc).
For the legal case against the N2 “Green Route” Toll Road through coastal Amadiba area on the Wild Coast: Cormac Cullinan 0829299055 (C..Cullinan and Associates).
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