Wild Coast communities lodge SAHRC complaint

The complaint was lodged on the basis of violating the right to information relevant to the exercise or protection of rights and the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations. John Clark said that the communities, represented by human rights attorney Richard Spoor, claim that the right to access of information was violated as local people were prevented from speaking to journalists and because the directors of the empowerment company, that had been drawn from the community, were left in the dark. The Human Rights Commission’s has confirmed that a complaint had been received and that it had been transferred to its Eastern Cape branch. Clark said that following the completion of the SAHRC investigation, the communities were prepared to take the case to the Supreme Court of Appeal in what could become a test case for environmental rights in SA. Full Mining Weekly report

Other environmental groups are warning that the proposed mining will destroy the eco-tourism potential of the region and bring few long-term benefits. The Daily Dispatch notes that they have also expressed doubt over the environmental record of MRC. Tristen Taylor, energy policy officer for Earthlife Africa, which has been opposed to the development since its inception, said small mining companies from Australia and Canada had ‘very bad’ environmental records. ‘They go into conflict zones and mine mineral deposits, after which they close up and disband. It\'s much harder to take a small mining company to task over environmental issues, because they are not around as long as the bigger companies that care about their reputation,’ he said. Taylor said after dry mining – the technique that will be used at Xolobeni – one could never really rehabilitate the land again. Full Daily Dispatch report