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The dispute between jobseekers from the KwaMbonambi community in KwaZulu-Natal and Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) turned deadly when a community activist and his cousin were gunned down last weekend.
Thokozani Mabika (33), a leader of the jobseekers’ committee, and his cousin Ndoda (36), who had come to visit him from Jozini, died in a hail of 9mm and
AK-47 bullets in the attack on the Mabika homestead in KwaMbonambi, where RMB’s smelter is located, on Sunday.
Thokozani had been involved in community protests, which closed the mine for several days during the week leading up to his murder.
The killers left a note on the floor of his house, which is a few hundred metres from the RBM smelter, warning other members of the jobseekers’ committee that they would be killed if they continued with their protests.
According to members of the committee, who declined to be named because they fear for their lives, Thokozani had received death threats on his way home from a meeting of the liaison committee set up to resolve the dispute, which had stopped production for more than a week earlier this year.
The halt in production placed more than 2 000 full-time and 2 000 contract jobs in jeopardy.
The KwaMbonambi community and their neighbours in Sokhulu have been demanding more jobs and contracting opportunities.
Fresh protests began towards the end of last month when community members began blockading the access roads and disrupting production because of a lack of progress in talks with government and RBM.
Plans to extend the mine’s life by opening new sites at Port Durnford were also jeopardised.
“We are living in fear for our lives,” said a member of the committee, who refused to be named.
“A while ago, Thokozani and others who were going to a meeting of the joint structure with RBM were threatened by two men. We knew that there was danger, but nobody thought they were going to start killing us.
“Thokozani was with us. His cousin wasn’t even part of the jobseekers’ structure. Those people who killed them did not know who he was. They thought he was Thokozani’s other brother, who is part of the structure. They shot the wrong person,” he said.
“On Friday, we had finished the strike and were going to meet on Monday to stop operations for another week.
“We were aware that there were people who wanted us to stop the strikes because we were interfering with their business, but we have needs as a community,” he said.
“In the note, they threatened to get us one by one.”
He said the Mabika family had not been able to follow the proper rituals ahead of Thokozani’s funeral today because they were afraid that the attackers would come back.
SA Police Service spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed that the two men were shot dead by unknown assailants.
“Both deceased suffered wounds to the head and body. The motive is unknown. Charges of murder were opened at KwaMbonambi Police Station for investigation,” Gwala said.
A local businessman who has been involved in talks with the community and RBM, and who also asked to remain anonymous, said the area was “very tense” because of the killings.
“Everybody here is fearful. It is very tense. The RBM trucks are running again, but people are scared. This killing is because the jobseekers are a threat to somebody’s business interests. This is like Xolobeni [in the Eastern Cape],” he said.
In June, anti-mining activist Sikhosiphi “Bazooka” Rhadebe was murdered in Xolobeni, which prompted the pull-out by titanium mining company Transworld Energy & Minerals.
“It is clear that somebody had decided to kill these young people because they were costing him money. This is a very dangerous situation,” the businessman said.
RBM community relations head Fundi Dlamini told City Press the company was aware of the “tragic” killings, which “might” be related to the conflict
over jobs.
Dlamini said RBM had asked the uThungulu District Municipality to “escalate” the need to get the provincial government-driven process to try to accommodate community demands back on track.
The process had been delayed by the elections and the change in leadership in the economic development department in the province.
“We need to get the process moving again,” she said. “We also need the dispute in the area over the traditional leadership to be resolved so that finance can be released for community development and job creation.”
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