Pensioner Bhekinhlanhla Ngubane will settle for nothing less than R2.5-million in compensation if his rural homestead on the boundary of Africa's oldest wilderness area is to be demolished to make way for a massive anthracite coal mine. Ngubane, 62, is among thousands of villagers whose lives will change if Johannesburg-based company Ibutho Coal succeeds in opening a mine in Nthuthunga on the southern border of the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.Nthuthunga is one of four villages in the remote Fuleni area in northern KwaZulu-Natal earmarked for a major opencast anthracite coal mine by Ibutho. The other three are Ocilwane, Novunula and eFuyeni.The proposed coal mine is about 100m from the boundary of the iMfolozi wilderness area, the first declared wilderness in Africa. The licence to mine has yet to be approved by the Department of Mineral Resources.story_article_left1Last week, Nthuthunga residents were shocked when "demolition stickers" were put on their homes by Ibutho consultants - signifying that the coal mine will be blasted underneath or near their houses.If they are relocated, the villagers will lose not only their homesteads , but also their new RDP houses, built by Zikhulise, a construction company owned by millionaire Durban businesswoman Shauwn Mpisane.Ibutho has reportedly denied that the stickers meant that those homes would definitely be evacuated, saying the affected households were part of a new social impact survey and possible "resettlement strategy" linked with the mining plan.Company spokesman Johan van der Berg did not respond to e-mailed questions.There is deep division in the community over the proposed mine.Ngubane said he would gladly relocate as long as: "I'm fairly compensated for my homestead and ancestral graves. There are people who say they won't move but would rather die, but I'm willing if the price is right."First of all, I'll have to be compensated for being removed. Then I'll have to be compensated for my homestead and my ancestral graves. At least R2.5-million will be satisfactory for everything."full_story_image_hleft1Widow Selaphi Dlamini, 48, said Ibutho consultants did not properly explain what the stickers were for but promised to come back for more discussions."The proposed mining was discussed at a community meeting this year, but people were opposed to it. It would be very sad if we were to be removed, because we have ancestral graves here," she said.Sifiso Dladla, provincial co-ordinator of the Mining Affected Communities United in Action group, said the "demolition stickers" were a strategy by the company to divide the community."What is sad is that the stickers have been put [up], but the company does not have the mining licence."Their scoping report has just been accepted, but they don't have legal powers to identify who is going to go and who is not," said Dladla.story_article_right2The Global Environmental Trust is also opposed to the mine, and said it was prepared to go as far as the Constitutional Court to fight it.In a statement on its website, the trust said: "We are working very closely with the four affected Fuleni villages to support their stand against the mine."Kirsten Youens, an attorney representing the residents of the Fuleni area and environmental groups, said her clients had not been informed of the evictions in a procedurally fair consultation process."We have asked the Department of Mineral Resources to enforce the requirements of their legislation and, if necessary, we will take the department to court to ensure that they do so," she said.Ibutho Coal, which was founded in 2006, says on its website that the proposed mine has a 44.6% BEE shareholding and at least 5% of the project will be given to a community trust.Late last year, Ibutho Coal was sent packing by angry Ocilwane residents from a meeting about the proposed mine...