‘Community activists protesting devastating impacts of coal mine shot at and arrested’ 17 March 2021

Community activists were shot, injured and arrested by the police while peacefully raising grievances against Ikwezi coal mine in Dannhauser, KwaZulu-Natal for poisoning their air, cracking their houses and killing their livestock with their mining activities. On the outskirts of Dannhauser, in KwaZulu-Natal, police used rubber bullets to shoot at a group of environmental justice community activists who were protesting peacefully outside of Ikwezi Mining’s Kliprand Colliery in KwaZulu-Natal. The activists were trying to have their grievances heard by the management of Ikwezi, whose colliery operates in the local community’s backyard. This came just two days after the South African Police Service members allegedly shot and killed Mthokizisi Ntumba during a Wits University students’ protest, and a few days before another Wits student was shot by police in Johannesburg.

…Community members also contend that they are losing livestock because they are grazing on grass covered with black coal dust, and they think that mine waste may have contaminated some of the local water sources. “The experiences of the community next to which Ikwezi operates its coal mine are standard for so many mining communities across the Mpumalanga Highveld,” says Robby Mokgalaka, community coal campaigner from environmental justice group groundWork. “Mining companies arrive with many promises, but it is those communities that then face devastation to their lives and livelihoods, without sharing in any of the profits.” Participants in the two-day protest outside Ikwezi’s coal mine were unarmed and non-violent, and were not trespassing on any property. Yet while community representatives were negotiating with mine officials during the second day of protest for a suitable meeting venue to discuss the community’s grievances, police opened fire on the group when they refused to disperse. Various activists suffered injuries.

…The Constitutional right to protest peacefully and unarmed continues to be unreasonably violated by the South African Police Services. It is unacceptable for the police to use violence and unlawful arrests against the community members who are merely trying to protest to assert their rights for a better life. However, exercising the right to protest is increasingly becoming a risk and danger to activists’ freedom and to life. “Condemning the acts of members of the South African Police is no longer enough: we need tangible interventions from government to reform how police view and respond to peaceful protest,” says Matome Kapa, attorney and head of the Activist Support & Training programme at the Centre for Environmental Rights.