""I thank God I am alive", standing firm against mineral extraction in South Africa"

As a child, Nonhle Mbuthuma would wake up in her family’s thatched hut listening to the waves crashing on South Africa’s Wild Coast, then go and play on the sand dunes, head off to school or help her parents cultivate sweet potatoes and bananas on the family plot...Today, she can rarely stay in the same place for any length of time and is more likely to be keeping her ears alert to signs of danger. At times she needs bodyguards or goes into hiding.

She is battling for her community’s right to say no to the exploitation of their territory. South African judges have been considering this question since 20 April, when Mbuthuma and her neighbours got their day in court against an Australian mining company [Mineral Commodities] that has pushed for access to lucrative titanium deposits discovered in the russet dunes where she used to play…“The law says we have a right to be consulted, but what we say doesn’t seem to matter. We have told the company many times that we don’t want their mine. How many times do we have to say no?” she asks…

The mining company said it was listening to community leaders and opponents’ fears are largely unfounded. It promised not to destroy homes, to leave dunes untouched, to create buffer zones beside ecologically sensitive areas and to restore the land after the work is finished. “The company believes that the development of the mine and the balancing of the environmental impacts with the social and economic upliftment can be managed to the satisfaction of all stakeholders,” said Mark Caruso, executive chairman of Mineral Commodities, which is now in the process of divesting its 56% share in the project.