Residents of a village in northern KwaZulu-Natal fear being permanently removed from their homes and ancestral land as the mining company Tendele has already started laying the groundwork for three new mines -- before the Environmental Impact Assessment and public consultation process have been finalised.

A large convoy of heavy earth-moving vehicles has rumbled into the rural village of Emalahleni in northern KwaZulu-Natal, carving away tonnes of soil and vegetation in preparation for new anthracite mining pits.

The fleet of excavators, bulldozers and dumper trucks has been labouring day and night for the past two weeks as the Johannesburg-based Tendele (Petmin) mining group races to lay the groundwork for three new mines in the area -- even before the mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA) and public consultation process have been finalised.

Tendele, which acknowledges that it is heavily indebted to banks and shareholders and faces liquidation, has been itching to break ground here for several years -- but has been restrained by a series of court actions by the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation (Mcejo).

Mcejo's members fear being removed permanently from their homes and ancestral land or of having to live on the fence line of open-cast coal mines for the next few decades.

As things stand, current mining laws only require the evacuation of people and homes within a 500m radius of mine blasting zones. According to Tendele, more than 90% of affected residents in this rural community have voted freely...