KZN coastal communities demand withdrawal of SA Lithium mine expansion over legal, environmental concerns

A coalition of Kwa Zulu-Natal coastal community organisations has called for the withdrawal of SA Lithium’s proposed expansion of its Highbury Mine near Umzumbe, arguing that the application process is legally flawed and the project poses serious risks to water systems, biodiversity and surrounding communities. All Rise Attorneys for Climate and Environmental Justice, on behalf of the UGU Mining Integrity Land Action Association (Umila) and 10 supporting local organisations, submitted the objection to SA Lithium’s applications to amend its environmental authorisation and waste management licence, on 29 April. SA Lithium operates the Highbury Mine, an open-cast lithium mine near Umzumbe on KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast — a lush, semi-tropical region of rolling hills, dense indigenous vegetation, river-fed systems and Blue Flag beaches that supports a thriving sugar cane and ecotourism economy. The company plans to expand the mine’s open pit from about 40 hectares to 150ha and enlarge its waste dump from 56ha to roughly 180ha. The expansion would increase annual production to 250 000 tonnes and extend the mine’s operational life by an estimated 20 years. Umila was formed by the Southbroom Ratepayers Association in March last year after concerns over a prospecting right application that was found to threaten the Umtamvuna River and its source, which supplies potable water to more than 100 000 homes. Since then, the organisation says it has tracked 19 mining and prospecting-related applications across the South Coast, submitted 10 objections, lodged one appeal and raised funds to secure independent environmental legal expertise for affected communities. At the centre of the coalition’s latest objection is its contention that SA Lithium is using the wrong legal process for the proposed expansion. Kirsten Youens, an environmental justice lawyer at All Rise Attorneys, said the company was attempting to use a Basic Assessment process to simultaneously correct errors in existin