By Tholakele Thabane
Caiford Manganye is a 25-year-old from Mokopane in Limpopo. He embodies an impeccable
example of youth activism. Manganye, the branch coordinator and Green Hydrogen Project
Leader for MACUA, has dedicated himself to fight for climate justice and to hold mines
accountable for their actions in his hometown of Mokopane.
Manganye’s journey in activism began in 2020 when he joined MACUA and was motivated by
the daily challenges faced by mining communities. These challenges include the ongoing
blasting, air pollution and contaminated water. He believes that capacity building in
communities is key to effective activism.
“The challenges need me to fight for my community, stand up and be a voice for my
community,” Manganye said. A year after he joined MACUA, in 2021, he became the acting
branch coordinator. Last year, Manganye officially the Mokopane branch coordinator.
Living in a mining community has been a difficult experience for him as they experience
different challenges daily. His daily task is to challenge the mines and bring information to
the community as a way of enriching them about the possibilities of a better, pollution-free
environment.
“Communities need to be informed and empowered before taking action," he says. "We need
to enhance their knowledge and comprehension before submitting memorandums or
picketing.”
Manganye, who holds a qualification of Office Practice from the Tshwane University of
Technology, said since he became an activist, he has seen a great deal of change in his
community. They are putting more effort to care for the environment as they no longer burn
waste but instead recycles it.
Manganye uses his learned experiences to advocate for his community’s rights and for a
better life. He rightly articulates that marginalised and mining affected communities deserve
meaningful consultations, beneficiation from the mines hosted by the community.
Manganye became a Green Hydrogen Project Lead at MACUA through community engagement
roadshows, where the movement reached out to 22 villages in Mokopane, to empower them
to take ownership of their future.
The aim of the Green Hydrogen Project is to assess the extent to which marginalised
communities benefit from these green hydrogen and whether these ambitions are realistic in
a water-scarce town like Mokopane, where Anglo American is set to launch the first phase of
green hydrogen in the country.
The Green Hydrogen Project, a strategic infrastructure project under the South Africa
Hydrogen Valley, has been hailed as a revolutionary step towards decarbonising the mining
industry.
Anglo American, in partnership with ENGIE, the Department of Science and Innovation, and
Bambili Energy, has launched the NuGen Zero Emissions Haulage Project at the Mogalakwena
Platinum Mine. The project promises to bring economic benefits to the community through
lease agreement.
However, living in an area with water-scarcity, Manganye believes the community may not
benefit as the production of green hydrogen requires a significant amount of water. His fear is
that the project will further exploit the community’s resources.
So far, MACUA has examined the existing Social Labour Plans and conducted a Social Audit to
determine if the two mines, Anglo American and Ivanplats, have honoured and fulfilled their
socio-economic commitments. The social audit report is in the final stages.
For now, Manganye’s biggest fight continues to make sure his community in Mokopane is not
excluded in the green hydrogen ambitions. He wants to make sure that it is not just
greenwashing, but host communities must be at the centre of these projects.