Australian-owned mining company Mineral Commodities Ltd (MRC) is suing a West Coast community activist and two Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) attorneys for defamation. The company is claiming over R1 million in damages.

Advocacy group Right2Know has vowed to protest at the Department of Mineral Resources and at the Australian embassy against what it calls “dodgy business dealings” by MRC.

MRC has been marred by controversy for its attempts to mine mineral sand at Xolobeni on the Wild Coast and its ongoing court battle over its Tormin mine on the West Coast near Lutzville.

...Davies, Reddell and Cloete were doing a presentation about MSR’s “destructive” sand mining at its Tormin sand mineral mine on the West Coast. The CER has said that the summons was a way to intimidate activists and discourage others from speaking out against the mining giant.

...“It is clear that Qunya and MRC are now employing scare tactics against the lawyers who are providing legal assistance to the anti-mining activists...."

...CER will be opposing the summons. MRC spokesperson Anne Dunn said the company will not be responding to questions on the matter.