The town of Port Edward is abuzz with movement says Cathy Kay of the Save the WildCoast Campaign. According to local residents, the Australian based Perth Company, Mineral Resource Commodities  is currently looking for real estate in Port Edward to set up offices. Residents are looking to upgrading accommodation to rent to contract workers while it has been said that Mr John Barnes, the Chief Geologist for Mineral Resource Commodities is looking to re-locate to Port Edward from Richards Bay.

A road has been graded down to the mouth of the Mnyameni River says Cathy Kay. There has been no EIA carried out for this road that we can establish. The Planning Department in Bizana seems unaware of this road. An ordinary sedan car can now make its way down this road whereas before one required a 4X4.

Speaking to one of the locals about the road it was stated that the road was being graded at the request of one of the Chiefs, however the road extends far beyond any cluster of settlement. The Mnaymeni block is the first block to be mined for titanium says Kay and it all seems just to co-incidental. Photographs show that after the first rains, soil erosion will be a problem and will pollute the currently pristine Mnyameni River

Mineral Resource Commodities have intimated that they now wish to build the Mineral Separation Plant in Bizana which will create approximately 170 jobs. Minister van Schalkwyk will be making a decision on the appeals to Record of Decision before the 4th December according to J.P. Louw spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

Minister van Schalkwyk was left with decisions that the previous Minister, Minister Valli Moosa, was not prepared to make, possibly because of his nomination as president to the IUCN. Minister van Schalkwyk is in an unenviable position says Kay, as he was not responsible for any of the foregoing  decisions on the N2, but will no doubt be pressurized or “rough-shod” by other senior ministers, as he was at the meeting held in Quakeni in July of this year

One can only speculate, says Kay, that  Minister Van Schalkwyk, may as a trade off,  re-route  part of the proposed N2 Toll Road toward Bizana. The route will then follow the original Greenfields section through the Pondoland Centre of Endemism which includes the two suspension bridges across the Msikaba and the Mtenetu.

50/50 interviewed Mr Rocha of the Department of Mineral and Energy earlier in the year. He went on air stating that no licence to mine had been granted to Mineral Resource Commodities. One can only wonder why the Australian based mining company is mobilizing staff and resources into the Port Edward area if they are not confident of getting the go ahead.

There is speculation that Dow Chemicals have purchased the future trading for the Xolobeni mineral deposit. A recent brochure on Coega ties the N2 Toll Road into the success of this deep water port, says Kay. It is even more fascinating to see who is involved in terms of shares in Coega and the N2 Toll.

The Quanza Group, headed by Mr Dumisa Dlatu, is co-ordinating a meeting to be held at the WildCoast  Sun on the 4th December where Nazir Alli  the CEO of the South African National Roads Agency, Dr Chippy Olver, D-G Department Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr Zamile Qunya, the Black Empowerment Partner of Mineral Resource Commodities, Dr P.G Mayende D-G of Department Land Affairs, the Eastern Cape Council of Churches Chairman, Rev Faith Kamanga,  the Mayors of Bizana, Quakeni and Port St Johns and Traditional Leaders, will be present.  The meeting is being held to introduce the Sustainable and Integrated Development Initiative for the Wildcoast to all interested and affected parties.

The Pondoland Queen, Queen Sobhuza Sicgau, is in Swaziland at present. Once again the Royal Household will not be present at such an important gathering says Kay.  At a similar meeting held in Port St Johns earlier this year, the Royal Household received their invitation on the morning of the meeting and were unable to attend.

That meeting devolved into an attack on the KZN region and all KZN participants were virtually told to “go back home  - as you have a  Toll road” says Kay. “ I doubt that any of the affected communities between the Mazamba and the Msikaba River have been invited or even know about this meeting”.

Further investigation into the N2 Toll Road, indicates further conflicts of interest with a Board Member of SANRAL being a non executive Board Member of WBHO, one of the construction companies.

ENDS/………..

Contacts

Mr Dumisa Dlatu Quanza Group  084 323 6277

Mr John Barnes 083 441 5748

Cathy Kay - Save the Wildcoast Campaign  072 610 3361

Queen Sobhuza Sicgau  082 699 4039