Xolobeni is a cluster of rural communities on the eastern coast of South Africa. Most households are self-sufficient; living off the land and fishing in the sea, occasionally traveling two hours to the closest shops to buy sugar, oil and other basic provisions.
They have been fighting against proposed titanium dune mining for nearly 20 years as the mineral rich land of the Wild Coast is seen as an opportunity for international mining companies to profit, with only the resistance of local residents standing in their way. For more than a decade, Australia’s Mineral Resources Limited has persisted with their application to mine the area, despite repeated opposition from the community.
Should mining proceed it will displace hundreds of people from their ancestral land, cut off their access to the sea, pollute surrounding villages, grazing lands and water sources; and destroy grassland, estuary and marine ecosystems. It will necessitate the relocation of ancestral graves, and in this way sever the Amadiba people from their cultural roots.
On the 23rd April 2018 the Amadiba Crisis Committee took the Department of Mineral Resources to court, requesting that the court rules that no license to mine the are can be granted without the community’s consent.
On the 22nd November 2018 the Gauteng High Court ruled that the Department of Mineral Resources must obtain full consent from the community before a mining license is issued.
THE POSTCARDS
To support the Amadiba campaign we created a set of postcards showing the community of Xolobeni and the variety of ways in which the land plays an important role in their lives. We printed the postcards and asked each person to write, or dictate, their own message to the Australian mining company and the South African government.
A set of postcards was sent to the mining company and another was given to Mr Gwede Mantashe, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy of South Africa.
The writing of these postcards was facilitated by the photographer and two members of the community. In the event that the subject was unable to write, the postcard was dictated to the photographer or a member of the family or wider community. Quotes have been corrected in the captions where necessary.
IN THE MEDIA
The Guardian | Daily Maverick | It’s Nice That
For publications, exhibitions and interviews, please contact thom@thompierce.com
This project was kindly funded by the South Africa Development Fund.


Fakazile Joyce Ndovela
“I have cattle, sheep and goats. I grow crops and plough my fields. I don’t have a husband but I survive off the land. The water feeds everything, the crops, the animals and my family. I don’t want to change the way I live.”


Clinton Pawana
“We get our food from the sea, it is how we live and how I feed my family. I sell crayfish to the community so I can send my children to school. My grandfather fought to keep this land and I will fight for it for my children. We are healthy and happy here, the mine will change everything.”


Maxolo Mboyisa
“The best life I have is connected to this Pondo land. You can’t have a good life if you are only concerned with money. I get herbs for my medicine from the land around my home. I respect the land and it provides for me. My ancestors are buried here and I need to protect them from the mining.”


Fazile Danca
“My family are buried on this land. My father, brother and grandchild are all here, as well as many others. In Pondo culture we cannot move them. If the mine comes we will have to leave and they will stay behind. This land is sacred to us. Maybe others don’t understand but it is very important.”


Luleka Funwa
“The land feeds our family and the sea is part of our lives. We come here to think and to collect water for our health. We need free access to the sea, it is our right as a community. Even if we are allowed access, the mine will pollute the sea, it will never be the same.”


Nobuhle Ndovela
“The wood that we collect here is very important to my family. Parafin and gas stoves are dangerous for our health. We have always used firewood for cooking, it is how we live. We don’t want the mine, this land has everything we need.”


Nokwakha Mboyisa
“The sea (is) essential to my family and the community. We get our food from the sea. We collect mussels, limpets, oysters and octopus. We use what the sea provides to keep us healthy. We cannot live without it – hands off our land.”


Nolusizo Ndovela
“The sea is very important to us. If a member of the family dies in an accident we must come and wash in the sea to cleanse to ourselves. The seawater is sacred to us, it helps us to stay healthy and to sleep well. This is our culture and we don’t want the mine to come and take it away.”


Nomsa and Valumsindo Fana
“We don’t want mining because it will pollute the soil that we use to grow maize and feed the cattle. It will kill the crops that we rely on for an income and to feed our family.”


Nokwamkela Mteki
“If the mine comes I will have to move, otherwise I am just waiting to die. The surrounding environment will be gone along with the farming. There will be no water, it will be sucked up by the company. If they come, it means they are coming to kill our way of life.”


Mandla Mbuyisa
“When the mining happens this forest won’t be healthy any more. The sand will cover everything and the trees will die. As a community we understand that the environment is important. We have balance now but the water will be gone and there will be nothing to feed the trees.”


Mashakumani Yalo
“We are happy living off the land. We have everything we need. We don’t need to be given handouts. This is the life we are used to and we don’t want it to change. We say no to the mine.”


Mambondi Ntuli
“I am a farmer and I have lived off this land all my life. If we are moved away I will have to start again in a new community. They will not be from the same church as me and may not understand my religion. This will cause me lots of problems.”


Thabisa Mbuthuma
“If the mine comes we will have to leave this land. The noise and the sand will be too much. If we move away our lifestyle will change and we will have to leave our ancestors behind. We need to protect the land for future generations.”


Bonisile Elsie Sibiya
“In our religion the sea is very important. We use it to baptise and to heal. The mine will stop us from accessing our land (and) sea, which will make our lives very hard.”


Khanyisile Ndovela
“If the mine comes it will pollute our water and destroy our land. We will be moved away to live in townships without the space we need to farm. This land means everything to us.”


Mabhude ‘Camago’ Danca
“The natural streams provide us with water and we use the land to grow our crops. The mine will use up all the water and take away the wealth of our land.”


Mashayina Mthwa
“I am growing all of my food in this land. We need to pass it down to our children and grandchildren so that they can enjoy the same life that we have had.”


Vezokhwakhe Ndovela
“At the moment we have access to the sea. We can fish to feed our families and, if we catch many, we can sell them to the community. If the mine is built the access will be cut off. The water from the estuary will be polluted. We will not be able to fish any more.”


Fundile Madikizila
“As a subsistence farmer I directly depend on this land for a living, meaning anyone who destroys my land is destroying any person living in this community.”
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