Community leaders experience injustice

BY Kgang Moloko – this post first appeared on Tunatazama

PLACE: North West Province, Bojanala District Municipality – Rustenburg Local Municipality, Phokeng Village

IN SUMMARY: In the post below we hear that community leaders in the Kraaipan area face injustice as they protest against the Harmony Kal Gold Mine. The mine employs few locals, lacks community engagement, and has brought no development to the village, which suffers from poor infrastructure and no running water. Five former leaders were arrested after leading a protest for local employment. They were detained for three days without knowing the charges and later accused of carjacking, though the case remains unclear. The leaders were found guilty but are unsure of the exact charges. They feel abandoned by their community and await sentencing, anxious and unsupported. 🔽 read the original post below 🔽

Community leaders experience injustice.

A drive from Mahikeng the capital city of North West province a flat plain area on N18, the landscape is of mass farm areas with pockets of villages along the national road. Approaching a 60 km drive one is greeted by rare mountains on each side of the road, but as you approach, they turn to be mine tailings and it is an open cast mine called Harmony Kal Gold Mine, mining gold in the Kraaipan area.

Driving to the nearest village is 14 km from the mine on the N18 is a village that is recognizable by old silos. An opinion that the area used to be a mining area was confirmed by locals that the area used to be a farming area even in the vicinity of the mining operations. The village is a typical rural village with 1 tarred road passing through the village, there is no running water, and passing the schools you notice that the schools still use pit latrines for the sanitation system. The village has no development.

On the 5th of September 2024, we met with 5 individuals who are former community leaders who led a march to Harmony Kal Gold. They are demanding the employment of the local community as the mine hires a high number of people from other areas and the other was lack of mine development to the community. It is alleged that during the march a car was torched and after a few days the 5 leaders were rounded up by the police and arrested. That is 4 males and 1 female, held for 3 days in holding cells without charge or information why they were charged and only to be charged with carjacking after 3 days.

‘Note that all 5 names are protected in this report’.

 

*Thabo says, “When the police came to arrest us, I asked them what the charge was, and they answered by ‘I know what I did’ and I said I don’t know they should tell me why I’m arrested then They said I will hear at the police station” All the 5 confirmed that they were not informed why they were arrested. Thabo continued “I kept on asking what the charge was. The answer was “I seem to talk too much and think I’m smart”. *Lerato said, “We were taken to the holding cells and stayed for 3 days without any information about why we were arrested and not charged, after 3 days we were charged with carjacking”. Thabo interjected, “We went to court and the prosecutor said there is nothing like carjacking in this case and a better charge must be brought forward, but we don’t understand what is the new charge, when we asked who opened a case against us they said, the mine said it did not open a case and to this day we don’t know who opened a case, I guess it is the police who opened a case”.

The traditional council acquired a lawyer on behalf of the 5 leaders, the lawyer told them the case had no basis and that it would be dismissed, and the case was moved to Atamelang Magistrate court. At that court, all 5 were found guilty but they are not sure on what charges exactly as they feel their lawyer let them down and not telling them everything. “We are confused, and eaten by anxiety, as we were found guilty but sent home and told we must wait for social workers as they will come and see us as per court order before the sentencing, but we don’t know what the social workers are coming to see us for”. Said Thabo. They said that they have been waiting but they have not come and no information on when they will come. It is just a wait-and-wait situation that is taking its toll on them.

This is taking its toll on us because we are found guilty, we are not coping at all, and the community has distanced itself from us, afraid that they might be next and have abandoned the fight against mine injustices, it is like we are being used to scare the community, we are waiting for October for sentencing”. Said *Jomo

The mine does not employ residents, only a few are working for contractors and a high number of employees are from other areas and most do not speak Setswana which is the language spoken around the province. There is no development in the village, no mine consultation with the village, we don’t know what the mine is bringing for us and when we demand better engagement with the mine, we are silenced. There is no running water in the village, the taps are dry, and we depend on water tank trucks. We need social changes in the village. Concluded Thabo.

This is an isolated area with no other nearby mines, as the mine is located in a predominantly farming area. These leaders don’t know much about their rights as a community against the mine, and they don’t have any great support from Civil Society, they need solidarity for strength, and it is an injustice to them to stay 3 days in holding cells without charge.

 

*Not their real names.