This week it will be 20 years since St Lucia’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal was proclaimed SA’s first world-heritage site, but local activists say residents have not benefited economically from the preserve and want the area to be mined.
There is interest in mining dunes on the periphery of the St Lucia park, and local farmers and members of KwaSokhulu community have held several protest marches over the past two years calling for the activity to be allowed.
Subsistence farmers are also diverting water from Lake Sibaya to their fields, causing further threats to the park.
The iSimangaliso situation is in sharp contrast to Xolobeni in the Eastern Cape, where residents are in fierce dispute with Australian group Transworld Energy & Mineral Resources's plans to mine the titanium-rich dunes. Many fear the activity will mean displacement from their homes and environmental degradation.
An application by Eyamakhosi Resources — a company made up of former Richards Bay Minerals employees and local community members to mine vegetated dunes on the southern boundary of iSimangaliso — has been lodged with the mineral resources & energy department.
Zamani Khuzwayo, one of the local KwaSokhulu community leaders spearheading protests, said they are fully behind Eyamakhosi’s efforts to mine the area as “mining will bring economic development to local people”.
“Our people want mining because this park is visited by thousands of tourists, but we, as residents, are getting very little out of its existence. We will only benefit if there is mining activities here,” he said.
But Bheki Manzini, spokesperson for iSimangaliso Wetland Park, told Business Day that current CEO Sibusiso Bukhosini and his team were working to ensure that surrounding communities benefit economically.
“The park has empowered a number of community-owned companies to do work with the park. The others are operating boats, others are community-owned BnBs. About 23 locally owned companies have been put under our empowerment projects to benefit from the park. We will be doing more of that in the future.
“The park finds itself in an increasingly challenging environment in respect of the need to conserve the country’s world heritage along with an obligation to optimise poverty-alleviating development,” Manzini said.
Environmental organisations, activists and local tourism ventures are pushing back, saying any form of mining will not only lead to the park losing its world heritage status but also kill biodiversity in the area.
Edith Elliott of environment-monitoring group Conservancy KZN urged all South Africans to rally behind efforts to keep mining away from the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park.
She said the park consists of 3,280km² of natural ecosystems with rich biodiversity.
“These are unique, irreplaceable ecosystems of great beauty, ranging from subtropical dune forests, savannahs and wetlands and bordered by sandy beaches with coral reefs teaming with fish.
“Animals such as elephants, leopard, black and white rhino roam the area, with wetland crocodiles and hippo inhabiting watery habitats. Off the shores, whales, dolphins and turtles — such as endangered Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles — swim. The turtles return each year to lay their eggs on the sandy beaches,” she said. SA biodiversity and tourism could not cannot afford to lose such a gem.
Thabane Shale, president of the Zululand Chamber of Commerce, congratulated iSimangaliso Wetlands Park on reaching its 20-year milestone, saying it played a major role in the development of tourism in the region. He said only negotiations could bring about win-win solutions to the challenges facing the park and the local people.
“For us businesses, iSimangaliso has been thriving and its impact has trickled down and has been felt in the Zululand region, the KZN province and the country at large,” he said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.