South Africa’s lithium boom puts 73,000 hectares of farmland in focus

South Africa's lithium boom threatens 73,000 hectares of farmland, causing concern among farmers. The southeast coast has seen lithium mine operations and prospecting licenses since 2023, displacing generations-old farming communities. A coalition of activists is objecting to prospecting, fearing it will eliminate 30,000 jobs in farming and services that support a sugar-exporting and tourism hub.

Data from South Africa's mines department reveals that prospecting licenses cover 73,000 hectares, including 117 farms and beaches. The existing lithium mine plans to expand over 150 hectares of pits and 180 hectares of waste dumps. Farmers on the southeast coast worry the lithium rush will be more of a storm than a sunrise. A SCGA General Manager stated that granting mining licenses would be catastrophic, affecting small-scale farmers, their communities, shops, and sugar mills.

Residents in the village of Magog are relocating due to blasting and dust from adjacent mines. A spokesperson for the mineral resources department did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. The privately-owned mining company relocated 150 willing farmers, but many are unhappy with their new land. South Africa sees the lithium boom as an opportunity to position itself in the global green-energy supply chain, but for KwaZulu-Natal farmers, it threatens their land, livelihoods, and way of life.