By BONGUMUSA SIMELANE | 2024-11-05

THE first day of the public hearing on the mining of green chert mining in Malolotja saw residents seizing the opportunity to voice out that they want the mine to go ahead for job opportunities.

They said the jobs were needed by the locals especially the youth.

The residents made their submissions before the tribunal chaired by Manzini Principal Magistrate David Khumalo yesterday at Gobolondlo Hall.

One of the residents, Sarah Shange from Nsangwini said the residents would love to see the mining of the green chert stone going ahead as there were a lot of people who were unemployed.
She said the mine could create a lot of job opportunities for the local people in Pigg’s Peak especially the youth.

Shange went on to plead with the relevant stakeholders to cooperate and navigate a way forward on how this can be done without affecting the nature and wildlife at Malolotja.

She said this was after they heard as residents that the mining of the green chert stone would affect the nature in Malolotja.

“We would like to see the employment of our local people and by this we are not saying that people from other communities outside Pigg’s Peak should not be employed.  
But we hope that we will be given first preference when it comes to jobs,” she said.

Another resident Sifiso Mhlanga who is an ex-miner said mines had the potential of growing a country’s economy and that will be the same with Eswatini if the green chert stone was mined. He said countries that were into mining were flourishing economically and Eswatini should not be denied that opportunity.

He added that on the concern that there might be environmental damages during and after the mining of the stone, that he hoped the Eswatini Environmental Authority will be in a better position to see how that can be maintained.

Meanwhile, Philile Dlamini also from Nsangwini maintained that a lot of EmaSwati will benefit from the mining.

She said not only will there be job opportunities but small businesses will also benefit. She added that this will mean a lot to the people of Pigg’s Peak and the country’s economy at large.

In the same vein, Pigg’s Peak Indvuna yenkhundla Mthobisi Vilakati also shared the same sentiments saying that it was His Majesty King Mswati III’s call to see such investments taking place in the country to benefit the people.

He said there are some beneficiaries of the Regional Development Fund who have purchased some heavy plant machinery and they would also like to be subcontracted at the mine.
“On the issue of water contamination, I think we need to get a way on how that can be handled and prevented with the utilisation of the expertise available in the country,” he said.

Vilakati added that the people from his constituency have welcomed the opening of the mine and they are eagerly waiting for it to start operating so that they can get jobs.

He stated that what they have done as Inkhundla council is that they have engaged the investor where they wanted assurance that the local people are prioritised and that the investor abides by the laws of the country during operations stage.

Call to move the wildlife
from Malolotja

RESIDENTS from Pigg’s Peak are of the view that the animals and the protected plant species can be moved to another place to open way for the mining of the green chert.

The residents said this was because the nature reserve had since been identified as one of the major concerns from other stakeholders.

One of the residents Sara Shange said she did not think the animals in Malolotja and the plants are helping them enough economically.

She said the animals and the mine can co-exist.
“First of all, we are made to pay to see these animals of which we don’t have a problem with but there is no economic return on that towards the people,” she said.

Echoing her words was Philile Dlamini who said as residents they did not know what was the benefit of the animals in Malolotja hence they advocate for the mining of the green chert stone.
protected

She said they had never been taken to a free lecture by Malolotja about the animals and the protected plants species there.

She said the mine and Malolotja needed to come together and charter a way forward because they could not stand to lose job opportunities because of animals.  

She also stated that the mine would be employing a lot of people compared to the nature reserve withless employed people. Meanwhile, Sifiso Mhlanga said the animals could be moved to another place and open way for the mine.

We are tired of burying every week - Youth

SOME young people also made sure that their voices were heard when  they said that they are tired of burying their age mates who happened to have been shot and killed while trying to steal green chert.

Buyisile Mabuza said there was a high number of young people dying from the region while trying to steal the stone.

She said it was for that reason they wants the mining of the stone to be allowed.
“We have a high number of young people who are into drugs due to the stress of being unemployed.

Some of them end up committing crimes and a lot of them are in prisons as we speak,’’ she said.

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