South Africa lithium mining farmland conflict

South Africa's push to exploit its critical minerals, including lithium, for the global green energy transition has sparked a conflict with farming communities on the southeast coast. Since 2023, more than a dozen lithium prospecting licences have been granted, covering some 73,000 hectares across 117 farms, according to data from the South Korea — Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The South Coast Guardians Association (SCGA) warns that if all prospecting licences become mining licences, the impact would be catastrophic, threatening 30,000 jobs in farming, labouring, and services in the sugar-exporting and tourism hub. The existing lithium mine, operated by SA Lithium, plans to expand over 6,000 hectares, and has already relocated 150 farmers, according to director Ian Harbottle. Villagers like Albert Mthembu report cracked homes and dying trees from blasting, and some have been forced to relocate. President Cyril Ramaphosa has touted critical minerals as a 'sunrise industry' worth 40 trillion rand. Farmers and activists argue the mining will permanently degrade water and soil quality, undermining the long-term viability of farming. SA Lithium disputes these claims, saying it is compliant and has created over a thousand jobs. The conflict highlights the tension between economic development and environmental and agricultural preservation in the transition to clean energy.