Durban -The late King Thandizulu Sigcau helped protect the wild coast from “greedy foreigners” who wanted to mine there, President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday.
“Sigcau was known for taking a stand against the mining of the Wild Coast, saying that it would destroy endangered species for the short-term commercial profit of greedy foreigners,” said Zuma in a statement.
King Thandizulu Sigcau, of the AmaMpondo ase Qaukeni, in the Eastern Cape died in the Nelson Mandela Academic hospital, in Mthatha on Monday night after suffering a stroke.
He had served the amaMpondo since December 1978.
In 2011, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu withdrew the Transworld Energy and Mineral Resources' (TEMR) mining rights at Xolobeni, on the Pondoland Coast.
However, in May last year, the company re-applied for a prospecting licence.
According to iol.com, Sigcau said at the time that he was “alarmed that the traditional leaders of the affected area have not been correctly approached in terms of custom and tradition and that we are only learning about this latest application through other sources”.
On Wednesday, Zuma said Sicgau was “a great and admired leader, who worked tirelessly for his people, building traditional institutions and preserving the Mpondo heritage”.
Zuma is currently hosting the leaders of Brazil, Russia , India and China at the Fifth Brics Summit in Durban.
The leaders of the five countries had been expected to sign a number of agreements, such as the formation of the Brics Business Council, an agreement to establish a think-tank, and an agreement on the proposed Brics Bank. - Sapa