South Africa is mining lithium for the green-energy transition; prospecting rights now cover 73,000 hectares, 117 farms and land supporting 30,000 jobs

Middle East Climate Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:07:21 GMT Moderate confidence — 73/100

lithiumMining lithium for batteries is a growing part of South Africa’s plan to use the global shift towards green energy to revive its economy, but now it faces a challenge from thousands of angry farmers who fear losing productive land to open-pit mines.
On the southeast coast, where a lithium mine operates and more than a dozen prospecting licences have been granted since 2023, scores of generations-old farming communities are relocating.
A coalition of activists is launching objections to the prospecting, which according to one group, the Sugar Cane Growers Association (SCGA), threatens 30

lithiumMining lithium for batteries is a growing part of South Africa’s plan to use the global shift towards green energy to revive its economy, but now it faces a challenge from thousands of angry farmers who fear losing productive land to open-pit mines.
On the southeast coast, where a lithium mine operates and more than a dozen prospecting licences have been granted since 2023, scores of generations-old farming communities are relocating.
A coalition of activists is launching objections to the prospecting, which according to one group, the Sugar Cane Growers Association (SCGA), threatens 30

Sources: Times of India