Sekuruwe: Consent and Mining on Communal Land
A tailings dam that holds the polluted water left over from processing platinum ore now covers the village’s agricultural land. The dam will extend up the valley to cover natural springs and wetlands. Environmental researchers from WITS University predict that once the tailings enter the wetlands it will pollute the underground water and contaminate Sekuruwe's boreholes.
Sekururwe is small community in Limpopo. They lost most of their agricultural land in 2005 when it was leased to a platinum mine. These photographs were taken as the community fought to get further compensation from the mine. They believe they were not fully involved in the consultation process or made aware of the affects the mine would bring to the economy of the village, their way of life, their ancestral graves and underground water.
As a result of negotiations initiated by the Legal Resources Centre the mine made a substantial offer for financial compensation in 2011. South African law stipulates that consent must be gained before mining on communal land yet it is unclear how and whom this consent is gained from.
©Zute & Demelza Lightfoot / Legal Resources Centre
