MANY Mtunzini residents have reached a saturation point with the continuous negative publicity that the town has had to suffer from the uninterrupted accusations levelled at the Tronox mining initiative.
The prophets of doom who allege the future of Mtunzini will be destroyed by the mining operations, enjoyed much publicity in newspapers.
The question is what has been achieved with all the publicity, legal actions taken and even now the objection to the PDA application by Tronox to mine C Extension.
The latest being the criticism by the Conservancy’s Barbara Chedzey in the Zululand Observer of what the majority of residents believe could be to the benefit of the town and its environment against the inevitable mining operations.
The possibility of restoring the Siyayi catchment area and the flow of the Siyayi River, as was the case in the past before the eucalyptus plantations, is a promising prospect that should be accepted with open arms.
Apart from that the restoration of a natural environment around the town should be welcomed. We have already got zebra roaming our streets and a few more game would create a unique environment. Surely this issue can be managed jointly by the mining company and reasonable people in town for the benefit of everybody
The suspicions being spread by the Mtunzini Conservancy has become a characteristic of this body and it is about time that they stop nullifying the good work that they have done to criticise and refine the rehabilitation conditions of the Fairbreeze mining. Mtunzini is quite tired of being continuously bombarded with the negative.
The argument that is now being used in their criticism of the biodiversity conservation rehabilitation plans is pathetic for an organisation that has had access to excellent and knowledgeable environmentalist advice. The alternative land use of the area, because it is adjacent to town lands, is unpredictable.
The focus should now shift to what impact the proposed development between the existing town and the garage is going to have on the local community and one trusts that the Mtunzini Residents Association will now shift their focus to more urgent issues in town.
REALIST
