lithium
Mi i g
lithium
fo
batte ies
is
a
g owi g
pa t
of
South
Af ica’s
pla
to
use
the
global
shift
towa ds
g ee
e e gy
to
evive
its
eco omy,
but
ow
it
faces
a
challe ge
f om
thousa ds
of
a g y
fa me s
who
fea
losi g
p oductive
la d
to
ope -pit
mi es.
O
the
southeast
coast,
whe e
a
lithium
mi e
ope ates
a d
mo e
tha
a
doze
p ospecti g
lice ces
have
bee
g a ted
si ce
2023,
sco es
of
ge e atio s-old
fa mi g
commu ities
a e
elocati g.
A
coalitio
of
activists
is
lau chi g
objectio s
to
the
p ospecti g,
which
acco di g
to
o e
g oup,
the
Suga
Ca e
G owe s
Associatio
(SCGA),
th eate s
30,000
jobs
i
fa mi g,
labou i g
o
se vices
i
this
suga -expo ti g
a d
tou ism
hub.
Data
f om
South
Af ica’s
mi es
depa tme t
eviewed
by
Reute s
show
lithium
p ospecti g
lice ces
layi g
claim
to
some
73,000
hecta es
(282
squa e
miles),
a
a ea
slightly
la ge
tha
the
city
of
P eto ia.
Most
of
it
is
fa mla d
spa i g
117
fa ms,
but
also
beaches.
The
existi g
lithium
mi e,
which
also
pla s
to
expa d,
cove s
150
hecta es
of
pits
a d
180
hecta es
of
waste
dumps.
clash
of
g ee
ambitio s
the
climate
c isis
a d
dis upted
oil
shipme ts
f om
the
U.S.-I a
wa
p opel
i vestme t
i
clea
e e gy,
South
Af ica
has
made
c itical
mi e als
key
to
its
eco omic
evival
pla s.
P eside t
Cy il
Ramaphosa
i
Feb ua y
told
pa liame t
South
Af ica
had
40
t illio
a d
($2.39
t illio )
wo th
of
c itical
mi e als,
desc ibi g
them
as
a
“su ise
i dust y”
with
pote tial
to
c eate
jobs
a d
st e gthe
the
i dust ial
base.But
fo
fa me s
o
the
southeast
coast,
the
lithium
ush
feels
less
like
a
su ise
a d
mo e
like
a
sto m.
“Should
all
these
p ospecti g
lice ces
be
g a ted
mi i g
lice ces,
the
impact
would
be
catast ophic,”
SCGA
Ge e al
Ma age
Heathe
McLoed
said,,
acco di g
to
Reute s.
“It
affects
the
small-scale
fa me s
di ectly,
thei
commu ities,
thei
shops,
a d
…
the
suga
mill”
ha dli g
thei
ha vests,
she
said
at
the
mill,
which
c ushes
2
millio
met ic
to s
of
ca e
a
yea
f om
2,000
small-scale
a d
600
comme cial
g owe s.
losi g
homes
a d
health
a
afte oo
i
Ju e,
Albe t
Mthembu,
62,
was
exami i g
the
fissu es
i
his
b ick
bu galow
i
the
hillside
village
of
Magog,
i
the
easte
KwaZulu-Natal
p ovi ce,
the
la gest
of
the
cou t y’s
th ee
lithium
hotspots.
He
told
Reute s
the
fissu es
we e
caused
by
blasti g
f om
the
mi es.A
excavato
o
the
adjace t
hill
was
kicki g
up
clouds
of
dust
as
it
shifted
ocks;
Mthembu
had
visited
the
docto
twice
fo
lu g
issues.
Havi g
lived
i
Magog
si ce
he
was
6,
he
wa ted
his
child e
to
i he it
the
house
a d
eat
law
occupied
by
chicke s.
Now,
he
sees
o
optio
but
to
move.“The
blasti g
is ’t
good.
We’ve
got
kids,
we’ve
got
a imals,
the
t ees
a e
eve
bei g
damaged,”
he
said
o
the
slopes
of
the
village,
whe e
dyi g
t ees
d ooped,
as
pe
Reute s.Mthembu’s
f ie d
has
al eady
left,
his
house
educed
to
ubble
by
wo ke s
expa di g
the
mi e,
acco di g
to
th ee
village s.
Seve
othe
houses
we e
visibly
disma tled.
Reute s
i te viewed
11
fa me s
i
the
a ea,
all
of
whom
sha ed
simila
co ce s.Mea while,
a
spokespe so
fo
the
mi e al
esou ces
depa tme t
did
ot
espo d
to
Reute s’
equest
fo
comme t.The
p ivately
ow ed
mi i g
compa y
was
elocati g
village s,
but
ma y
we e
u happy
with
the
ew
la d,
Mthembu
said,
as
it
was
emote
a d
less
suitable
fo
pla ti g.
SA
Lithium
Di ecto
Ia
Ha bottle
said
it
had
elocated
150
fa me s,
all
willi gly.
“If
the e’s
o e
challe ge,
I’m
u able
to
move
them
fast
(e ough)
because
eve ybody
is
sig ifica tly
bette
off,”
he
said,
as
pe
the
epo t.
ca bo
pa adox
e e gy
equi es
less
mate ial
ext actio
tha
the
fossil
fuel
i dust y
it
is
eplaci g.
A
2024
B eakth ough
I stitute
pape
showed
that
coal,
South
Af ica’s
powe -ge e atio
staple,
ext acts
1,180
to s
of
mate ial
pe
gigawatt,
o
ave age,
compa ed
with
59
to s
fo
wi d
a d
45
to s
fo
sola ,
i cludi g
all
the
mi e als
fo
batte y
sto age
i
a
ave age
i stallatio .Yet
la dscape-sca i g
mi i g
emai s
a
co te tious
pa t
of
the
t a sitio
i
cou t ies
f om
Po tugal
to
the
U ited
States.
Rock
waste
ca
deg ade
la d
quality,
as
has
happe ed
i
Aust alia
a d
Chi a.“Yes,
it
…
does
make
a
hole.
Yes,
the e
a e
dumps,
but
we’ve
do e
exte sive
(a ti-pollutio )
wo k.
We
a e
mo e
tha
complia t,”
Ha bottle
said,
addi g
that
the
mi e
had
c eated
ove
a
thousa d
jobs.Acco di g
to
o e
fa me s’
submissio
o
SA
Lithium’s
pla s
to
expa d
ove
6,000
hecta es,
the
mi e
could
“pe ma e tly
deg ade
wate
quality,
soil
quality
a d
educe
the
lo g-te m
viability
of
fa mi g”.
Ha bottle
disputes
that.
“No
wate
f om
the
mi e
eve
goes
i to
a y
of
the
ive s”
but
i to
dams
to
be
used
fo
p ocessi g
o
dust
supp essio ,
he
said.
futu e
at
stake
Lithium’s
ope atio s
a e
ti y
compa ed
with
the
a ea
bei g
p ospected,
whe e
fa me s
g ow
a
a ual
millio
to s
of
ca e
a d
macadamia
uts.
That
wo ies
locals
mo e
tha
the
existi g
mi e.“The
futu e
of
fa mi g
he e
is
go e,”
said
Joe
Nkala,
51,
a
ca e-g owi g
co sulta t
to
small
fa me s,
o
a
hilltop
with
suga
fa ms
dow
o e
side
a d
a
black-g ey
gash
o
the
othe .
“My
kids
will
have
to
fi d
a
ew
life.”Fo
South
Af ica,
the
lithium
boom
ep ese ts
a
cha ce
to
positio
itself
as
a
key
playe
i
the
global
g ee -e e gy
supply
chai .
But
fo
the
fa me s
of
KwaZulu-Natal,
it
ep ese ts
a
th eat
to
thei
la d,
thei
livelihoods
a d
thei
way
of
life.
As
the
wo ld
aces
to
deca bo ise,
the
huma
cost
of
that
t a sitio
is
becomi g
impossible
to
ig o e.
i puts
f om
Reute s)