MIDDELBURG — Two community marches held on 22 April and 30 April in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality have exposed divisions among residents over the leadership and representation of Liberty Coal’s Community Stakeholder Forum, with some accusing the structure of excluding the community while others question the motives behind the protests.
The protests followed the launch of a new stakeholder forum in February 2026.
The previous forum was dissolved in December 2025 after the mine identified concerns that some members did not fully represent community interests.
The first march was led by Mandlenkosi Mkhwanazi, who accused the forum of failing to communicate with residents.
However, some residents strongly disputed the claims and questioned the intentions behind the marches.
“They are being pushed by other people who want access to the mine for their own gain,” said one resident who asked not to be named. “We don’t know who they are representing anymore. It feels like this is not about the community but about personal business opportunities.”
Another resident, Vusi Mahlangu, echoed similar sentiments.
“It’s the same story every time. Someone comes forward claiming to speak for the community, but behind them are people who just want tenders or contracts from the mine. The real community gets forgotten while a few benefit,” Mahlangu said.
Community stakeholder forums are required under South Africa’s mining regulatory framework to provide a platform for engagement between mines and host communities on issues such as employment, procurement and social development.
At the forum’s February launch, Liberty Coal representative Nelisiwe Mabaso said the stakeholder forum aims to dismantle informal community structures that exploit job seekers.
“These structures promise people jobs but end up giving opportunities to their relatives,” Mabaso said.
She added that the company would now communicate directly with communities through elected forum members and prioritise hiring from host communities.
“Going forward, job opportunities will go to mine host communities rather than outsiders brought in by these structures from beyond Steve Tshwete Local Municipality while locals remain unemployed,” she said.
Mkhwanazi maintained that residents have not received proper feedback since the forum was established.
“Since the forum was elected, we have heard nothing from them. There has been no feedback, no community meetings, no reports. It is as if they disappeared the day they were appointed,” he said.
“We are left in the dark while decisions about our homes and livelihoods are made without us.”
A second march on 30 April was organised by Thulani Mthimunye of Ukhezolunye Community Empowerment, raising similar concerns about representation.
“The people sitting in that forum are no longer speaking for us. They were elected to carry the voice of the community, but now they are protecting their own interests. The community has been locked out of the very process that is supposed to represent us,” Mthimunye said after the march.
Protesters allege that forum members are not representing the broader Steve Tshwete community and that decisions linked to mining operations and social obligations are being made without wider consultation.
Questions were sent to Liberty Coal in response to the concerns raised by the protesters, but no response had been received by the time of going to print.
Mkhwanazi and Mthimunye made the allegations after the formal launch of the stakeholder forum, which drew community members from various wards. The validity of the claims remains contested, and it is still unclear whether they reflect the full situation or only part of it.
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