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The document denounces the murder of Mama Fikile Ntshangase, a member of the Somkhele community and vice-president of a sub-commission of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation (MCEJO). Ntshangase was killed on October 22, 2020, after refusing a bribe from Tendele Coal Mining (Pty) Ltd to drop legal actions against the expansion of the Tendele coal mine, which would have displaced 21 families. The statement highlights a broader trend of human rights violations against environmental and land defenders across Africa, driven by the expansion of mining, oil, and gas activities by multinationals. It demands that South African authorities, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, conduct impartial investigations and calls for a binding international instrument to regulate states and end the impunity of multinational corporations.

Friends of the Earth International denounces the killing of Mama Fikile Ntshangase, a member of the Somkhele community and vice-president of a subcommission of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organization (MCEJO). Ntshangase was murdered on October 22, 2020, after opposing the expansion of the Tendele coal mine, owned by Tendele Coal Mining (Pty) Ltd (a Petmin subsidiary), which threatened to displace 21 families. The organization highlights a broader trend of increasing human rights abuses against environmental and political activists across Africa, where transnational companies expand mining, oil, and gas activities despite local opposition. The statement calls on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other authorities to ensure an impartial and exhaustive investigation into the murder and other attacks on community rights defenders. It further advocates for a legally binding international instrument to regulate transnational corporations and end corporate impunity.

This document is a draft written reply from the South African Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs to a National Assembly question (No. 1578) posed by Mr J H van der Merwe (IFP) regarding water shortages in the Dukuduku and St Lucia areas of KwaZulu-Natal.