Residents and environmentalists in Eswatini have arrayed against Taiwan’s Michael Lee Enterprises in a battle over mining in the country’s picturesque Malolotja Nature Reserve.
The company has been accused of exploiting the park for green chert, a rare mineral found in the area, putting the park’s wildlife and natural beauty at risk.
Some locals and environmentalists are calling for an unbiased investigation to determine what damage, if any, is being caused by the green chert mining by Michael Lee Enterprises in the Malalotja reserve.
Government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo has maintained that no violations by the mining company have been confirmed and has urged community members to report any potential breaches to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy.
“We have spoken to both the Ministry of Natural Resources and we have spoken to the company," Nxumalo said. "The directors themselves, they are disputing what the community members have supposedly told you in respect to this company and its activities.
"However, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy has committed that they do investigations from time to time to ensure companies continue with compliance in terms of protecting environment and in terms of complying with the laws governing the mining industry in the kingdom of Eswatini.”
Taken to Maputo for export
Green chert is used to make jewelry and religious statues and for other religious purposes. After the chert is mined, it is trucked to Matsapha, the southern African kingdom’s main industrial town, then taken by railroad to Maputo in Mozambique for export.
In a statement to VOA, Michael Lee Enterprises said it was a “complying company that abides by the environmental regulations authority” in Eswatini.
The Makhonjwa Valley, a biodiversity hot spot within the Malolotja Nature Reserve, is a world-renowned ecological, archaeological and geological treasure trove. Decades of research have uncovered rare species of trees, cicadas, birds, amphibians and butterflies. It is also home to pristine waterways, forests and a wealth of untouched natural resources.
Environmentalist Dane Armstrong warns that mining in Malolotja is putting the site at severe risk.
“The company in question, the Michael Lee Enterprises, is already extracting vast quantities of rock at the head of the valley and has plans to mine an additional 400 hectares," Armstrong said. "This is going to have irreversible damage to the ecological integrity" of the area.
"While economic growth and job creation is critical for Eswatini and mining definitely plays an important role in this, there has to be a balance between protecting the very limited, crucially important biodiversity hot spots in our country. Malolotja Nature Reserve is a globally recognized area of extreme importance and a protected area, and it should be treated as such.”
Economic growth, jobs
The president of a traditional healers group, Makhanya Makhanya, disagrees, and sees the potential for economic growth and job creation as a means to combat poverty in the country, provided that the opportunities are reserved for the people of the former Swaziland.
“As a traditional healer," he said, "I support the government’s decision to mine the hidden wealth beneath the Earth's surface if it can bring economic opportunities to the people of Swaziland. However, I caution against outsourcing these jobs to foreigners, and instead, local employment needs to be prioritized in order to truly reap the benefits of this resource.”
The government is allowing the mining project to proceed until definitive evidence of environmental risk is uncovered. It is encouraging community-company dialogues for a fair resolution.
