MINING ON THE DOOR STEP

VUSI MABASO

Mining on the doorsteps

#MININGINTHEFENCELINE

In addition to the mines in Nkomazi that is in Mangweni, Sihlangu and now Madadeni is the worst of them all because what is happening in Emalahleni especially in Vosman has come down to Nkomazi Local Municipality.
In Nkomazi Local Municipality under Madadeni and Sibange villages of Mpumalanga Province is where the people of the nearby villages will experience the impacts of the coal mining.

The arrival of Mangweni mine and Sihlangu Nkomazi anthracite mine have triggered mine owners (the big fishes) to search for more coal and found it at Madadeni/Sibange now they are busy extracting coal without thinking for the community and dividing them into groups destroying the unity against community members.

The nearby community members who have to clean now and then because of the dust caused by the mine. The farmers will also be affected as the stream passing near the mine has dried up, even if the rain comes it won’t be useful to them because it already polluted by the mine blasting.

The mine owners (the big fishes) are taking advantage of the underprivileged and unemployed Communities especially those who are depending on the grant from the government.

The law enforcement and the Department of Minerals Resource and Energy must explain how did they grant mining to operate next to the communities. The mines also have to show where and when did they do consultation with the community.

The mine must be forced to do medical check-ups to the community and again every year till the life span of the mine comes to an end because the impacts of coal does not affect only the employees but every one staying in the two villages.