The Richtersveld community is divided on government plans for a huge “green hydrogen” project in Boegoebaai Port in the Northern Cape.
The remote Richtersveld communities have had bad experiences. They endured a long land claim battle against state-owned diamond company Alexkor, ultimately winning a landmark case in the Constitutional Court in 2003.
A settlement reached in 2007 established the pooling and sharing joint venture, with Alexkor holding a 51% interest and the community 49% through the Richtersveld Mining Company (RMC).
The agreement included restoring mining rights to the community, financial compensation for their losses from diamond mining since the early 1900s, and environmental rehabilitation.
But the community gained little from the initial settlement due to the internal conflict it fuelled, a dysfunctional Communal Property Association, as well as maladministration and state capture.
Now a section of the community fears a repeat of the diamond mining experience with the government’s development of the Boegoebaai Port and its green hydrogen megaproject in a vastly expanded Namakwa Special Economic Zone. The project has the backing of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In December, about 200 members of the Richtersveld community wrote to the Northern Cape Economic Development Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (NCEDA) and the Communal Property Association (CPA) committee seeking clarity on an access agreement for the special economic zone, largely on land owned by the community.
The letter expressed concern about the legality and legitimacy of decisions by the CPA committee and the agency that affect the community’s property rights. They allege noncompliance with the Communal Property Association Act, specifically the lack of go-ahead from the majority of CPA members.
Willem Cloete, a CPA member who was born and raised in the Richtersveld town of Lekkersing, said that after the Constitutional Court victory in 2003 “everyone looked forward to and believed that [their] circumstances would now change”. But the community became divided after the 2007 settlement, he said.
Cloete sees the green hydrogen project presenting a “similar situation. It is being done without consultation with communities and without permission,” he said.
“They must provide us with an independent environment assessor here if they want to build the harbour, so the community can understand what will be the advantages and disadvantages and make informed decisions,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigating Unit announced on February 12 that it is investigating corruption and maladministration allegations at the agency.
The agency did not respond to a request for comment.
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