'White gold' rush on KZN South

As prospectors chase lithium riches in the seaside town of uMzumbe, promises of potential employment and development clash with fears of noise, pollution and the long-term costs of mining expansion.

- By Tony Carnie

Investigations by Daily Maverick show that mineral prospectors are planning dozens of exploratory digs and surveys over extensive areas of commercial and traditional farming land on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast as part of a determined search for a lucrative mineral that is critical to the global renewable energy and communication industries.

One group alone (SA Lithium/Afli Exploration) has targeted more than 40,000ha of farmland for further exploration, including a large block of land stretching from Hibberdene to Port Shepstone, with some smaller parcels near the town of Umzinto.

Other groups have lodged further prospecting bids for lithium (and other minerals) over a similarly large area of land elsewhere on the South Coast.

What could this mean for communities?

Although lithium mining is currently confined to one relatively small (1,200ha) area of land next to the uMzumbe River, the scale and speed of the South Coast prospecting spree has raised fears about the adequacy of the public consultation and approval processes — and the risk of social and environmental impacts if other commercially viable mineral resources are found in this region.

Some residents fear that a new mining scramble could divide communities in a region with high unemployment rates, disrupt agriculture and lead to the expulsion of people from their homes and land if more lithium and other minerals are discovered.

Already, dozens of rural families in the immediate vicinity of the new Highbury lithium mine at uMzumbe have seen their lives disrupted because of their close proximity to this opencast mine, regular blasting operations and the increased volume of heavy trucks.

SA Lithium director Ian Harebottle denies that any residents will be compelled to leave, but acknowledges that several families closest to the mine are required to evacuate their homes at times during blasting operations.