Relocated community suffering

Community Alerts, Lorraine Kakaza, Mpumalanga, Carolina, 2018/11/02

Middelburg Environmental Justice Network(MEJN) in Mpumalanga Middelburg was visited.

A site visit at a mine called Black Wattle mine near Middleburg town was visited where we have met the community that has been relocated by the mine last year and they started staying there from 1991 and they were renting.

This land belongs to be a white man, Mr Grobler farm name Vaalbank plot no 18.
This community was relocated without compensation and where they were moved, there is no tap water , no electricity, there is poor sanitation and no good health facilities as well as school.

The mine is not 500 meters away, there is dust issue , they get water from the Jojo tanks that is pumped by electricity from a borehole and they are staying on the temporary structure. they are afraid that they will be removed by the mine without notice.

Baba Mabuza a local community, said that it’s difficult to convince the mine that there was an agreement between the land owner and the community members that they don’t deserve to be discriminated since they don’t have the tittle deeds.

Children are also suffering from the dust, the Mine also contributes by giving the dirty coal to the community. they struggle to get fire wood as they have to hire bakkies in order to collect it as they don’t have electricity ,the electricity there is to pump water.