'Community and mining company clash over vanadium-rich land’ 28 January 2021

Tensions are high between the villagers in Mononono in North West Province and mining company Ikwezi Vanadium after at least seven people were injured, some seriously, in protests since December 2020. On 8 January, members of a private security company, the National Strike Intervention Unit (NSIU) shot rubber bullets at Mononono residents who were protesting against Ikwezi Vanadium’s activities on Haakdoornfontein farm. One of the injured was Thumeka Ngcishi who told GroundUp she had spent five days in the hospital, some of them in intensive care. Community members fear that further clashes may result in more injuries, should the two sides fail to reach a consensus about mining activities on Haakdoornfontein farm.

According to Sam Ditsele, a member of the Mononono Community Structure, the community wants Ikwezi to stop its activities until it has clearly communicated its mining plans, and how the community will benefit from or be compensated for Ikwezi’s mining on Haarkdoornfontein farm. The community has also requested an environmental impact assessment because the farm is close to a gravesite and houses. The farm is on government-owned land in Mononono, near the Limpopo border. Long-time Mononono resident Olina Lepote told GroundUp the land had been used by the community of Mononono for many years “I was born and bred in Mononono, and for as long as I can remember, we have used the land for grazing. Our cows drink water from the nearby water source and we have people from our community buried in a graveyard a few metres from the farm. That land is communal land,” she said.

…At a community meeting on 19 January attended by GroundUp, community members expressed fear and disappointment at the situation. They said their concerns about access to land and resources on Haakdoornfontein farm remained unresolved. So did requests for clarity about an environmental impact assessment and the relocation of cattle. Community members who live closest to Haakdoornfontein farm complained about the noise the machinery makes during the extraction of samples. Lepote said she struggled to sleep because the machines were running until late at night. Many community members said they favoured a mine which would provide employment and opportunities for the people of Mononono but were uncertain whether Ikwezi would guarantee that. aAsked whether Mononono residents would be hired by Ikwezi at any point, Ngwenya said, “the recruitment processes are ongoing with preference given to the local communities, including but not limited to the Mononono community”.