Wild Coast Warriors Stand Their Ground

AmaMpondo defy mega-bridge row pressure.

- Sue Segar

THE AMAMPONDO COMMUNITY’S fight against the proposed multi-billion-rand N2 Wild Coast toll road that will cut a brutal swathe across their pristine territory continues.

The world-renowned environmental lawyer representing them, Cormac Cullinan, believes that the latest strategy of Sanral (South African National Road Agency Ltd) to nullify their opposition, is to forge ahead with the construction of two mega bridges at a cost of R3,5 billion [sure to be an underestimate. – Ed] so that any court may be obliged to approve the completion of the road rather than leave the vast costly structures as white elephants in the middle of nowhere.

Once the bridges are under construction, the contested road will effectively become a fait accompli before the matter gets to court. Such a strategy would be in line with Sanral’s past policy of consistently ignoring the needs, interests and views of the local inhabitants.

But, Sanral is messing with the wrong people, says Cormac Cullinan, director of the firm Cullinan & Associates Inc and CEO of EnAct International, an environmental governance consultancy.

“Sanral has not even shown the communities exactly where the road will go, nor discussed relocation plans with the people. They just came in and secretly put steel pegs on people’s land. I have been told of pegs even being put into graves. The communities are furious about it,” said Cullinan.

Cullinan & Associates brought a court application in 2012 to have the environmental authorisation for the road reviewed and set aside. “But Sanral has just adopted delaying tactics and it’s now clear their strategy is to go ahead and build the two bridges before the court rules on whether or not the environmental authorisation was granted lawfully.”