Siyabonga Ndovela, activist-researcher - Amadiba struggle against destructive development, S. Africa

Siyabonga Ndovela, young activist, researcher and guide of Mtentu village, Mpondoland region of Eastern Cape in South Africa, talks of the Amadiba struggle against destructive development. The movement has mobilised much of the community to resist proposed mining by an Australian company, oil and gas exploration by Shell Corporation, a major expressway cutting through the territory, and other unwelcome impositions. Siyabonga describes the governance structure of the community that enables such a movement, the importance of the commons, the role of youth, the alternatives (some already being tried, others proposed) to destructive 'development', and more. Siya is an Executive Committee member of the Amadiba Crisis Committee, which leads the mobilisation of the community. Interview by Ashish Kothari at Mtatya village, Amadiba territory, 16.6.2026