The Gert Sibande District residents in Mpumalanga told the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development during its public hearings on the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land (PDAL) Bill, that they have mixed feelings about the Bill as it is. While they are grateful about it on the one hand as it promises to address land problems, they are concerned on the other hand about its late arrival as the land in the area has already been monopolised for mining business by mining companies.

The committee held its last public hearings on the Bill at the Gert Sibande District Municipality Council Chambers yesterday following successful hearings that it conducted at Ehlanzeni and Nkangala district municipalities in the province.

The Gert Sibande residents told the committee that mining has taken over their area. They said land in their district is dominated by mining. According to them there is a mine next to the other in the district and the existing farms are affected by chemicals that are used by mining companies. Furthermore, the participants claimed that the chemicals have also affected underground water sources in their district.

The participants stated that there is a need to identify and differentiate between land for mining business and for agricultural purposes. They added that the problem they are experiencing is that mining companies are in control of all the land in the district and its rightful and legitimate owners – the people – have become beggars for survival from the mining companies.

The committee heard that farm dwellers are evicted and pushed into small and overcrowded areas within the farms. The residents highlighted that they are living under excruciating and unbearable conditions in the farms. They said they have lost their farms and livestock and have no alternative land to go to.

They called for protection by government against what they described as merciless evictions by farm owners. They said anti-eviction legislation should be implemented to ensure that mining companies find alternative land for farm dwellers before they evict farm-workers and dwellers. Some of the farm dwellers pleaded for assistance to get their land back.

The residents said they are noting that the land which the mining companies use for mining is not pre-evaluated and based on that observation, they suggested that there should be community committee structures that should collaborate with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and other relevant stakeholders for proper inspection of the mining companies to ensure that they comply with all the existing regulations on mining where there is mining.

The Acting Chairperson of the committee, Mr Ndumiso Capa, assured the participants that the committee will consider all their views on the Bill and write a report that will be submitted to the National Assembly for its deliberation. He told them that the committee has noted that the majority of them confuse the current process with Section 25 and that the committee will bring that before the attention of Parliament.

Source: Parliament of South Africa