Black farmers’ union joins battle to halt mining

With time and options running out, Mpumalanga farmers are gearing up for a mass action against the Department of Minerals and Energy should it approve over 200 mining applications for the Mpumalanga highveld.
National African Farmers Union (Nafu) president Motsepe Matlala, who farms with citrus in the Standerton area, said more mines in the area would spell disaster for him and other farmers. He said Nafu want to organise an indaba and invite the departments of minerals and energy, and water and forestry, to see if there was a viable alternative that would satisfy both farmers and the mines. “There will be no farms in this area in the next 20 years if government doesn’t take the situation seriously,” he warned.
An Wits University investigation confirmed chemicals from mines leaching into Mpumalanga’s rivers were responsible for the death of aquatic life in the Loskop Dam, Lake Chrissie and the Olifants River.
Standerton Agricultural Forum chairperson Helgaard Rautenbach said farmers are appealing to the public to also get involved. “Government should turn down the applications because the mines wouldn’t just affect farmers, but also poor communities who depend on the water for drinking and subsistence farming,” he said.
He noted farmers aren’t against coal mining, but that areas like the Mpumalanga highveld, which is the catchment for major rivers, should be avoided. – Peter Mashala