Support the Amadiba Coastal Communities in their struggle to protect their land and livelihoods from mining, and help them to grow sustainable economic opportunities through tourism and agricultural projects.

For nearly two decades, the Amadiba Coastal Communities have been resisting the destruction of their land and rural livelihoods. They have sacrificed time and resources to the struggle, and suffered intimidation, violence and the assassination of their leader, Mr Bazooka Radebe in 2016.

Indigenous communities worldwide occupy approximately 20 percent of the land which is home to 80 percent of the earth’s biodiversity. The struggle of the Amadiba is emblematic of the struggle of indigenous communities around the world. Typically, their resistance is against the destruction of areas of high biodiversity and great natural beauty by governments and corporates through extractive industries and other imposed “development” projects. For centuries, the Amadiba have been the custodians of the Pondoland Wild Coast, a biodiversity hotspot and world renown Centre of Endemism. Under their care, the 22 km stretch of coast from Mzamba in the north to Mtentu in the south has remained unspoilt.

The passionate and food secure farmers of the Amadiba Coastal Communities do not want to be uprooted from their ancestral farming and grazing land. The area they occupy is also recognised as one of the most endangered cultural heritage sites in South Africa and has enormous eco and edu-tourism potential. The Xolobeni Red Dunes are a significant archaeological site located within the region. They are yet to be fully explored. The proposed open-cast mining of titanium from the coastal dunes would last for only 22 years. It would totally destroy this national treasure of pristine beaches and estuaries, grasslands and the life and livelihoods of the people.

The Amadiba need help in funding the development of further tourism and agricultural projects to show that there are more sustainable alternatives to mining as a driver of economic opportunity. 

Your donations will be carefully used by the Amadiba Coastal Communities Development Association in their ongoing endeavours to grow low impact tourism ventures that optimise benefit for local residents and grow a sustainable local economy that does not destroy their way of life and a place of irreplaceable biodiversity and beauty.

For more updates, join the Amadiba Crisis Committee on Facebook.