Mining rights versus community rights

This case study examines a conflict in South Africa between the Amadiba community and the mining company Transworld Energy and Mineral Resources over mining rights in the Pondoland Marine Protected Area, highlighting failures in community consultation and the tension between industrial mining and ecotourism.

• The Amadiba Crisis Committee challenged the legality of mining rights granted to Transworld Energy and Mineral Resources (a subsidiary of the Australian company Mineral Resource Commodities) in September 2008, citing potential environmental degradation in the Pondoland Marine Protected Area and "fatally flawed" community consultation.
• The Holomisa report from March 2010 identified several failures regarding the mining rights, including the lack of a study comparing mining gains to ecotourism, no proof of tribal authority consultation, failure to consider Department of Environmental Affairs objections, and the absence of an acceptable environmental management plan or impact assessment.
• The community is divided between two development paths: a government-favoured top-down growth strategy and a preferred local ecotourism project described as people-centred and bottom-up.
• The Amadiba Crisis Committee alleges that XolCo, the black economic empowerment (BEE) partner for Transworld Energy and Mineral Resources, does not actually represent the community, suggesting that BEE legislation intended for economic redress is being perverted at the community level.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2011). Mining rights versus community rights. https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-rights-versus-community-rights/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Mining rights versus community rights. 2011. https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-rights-versus-community-rights/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Mining rights versus community rights |date=8 June 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-rights-versus-community-rights/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2011mining, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Mining rights versus community rights}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-rights-versus-community-rights/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }