TRADITIONAL landowners have taken a decisive stand against the proposed Sigatoka Iron Sands project, issuing a firm refusal, to protect their ancestral territory and fishing grounds.
Speaking during a public consultation at Kulukulu, Bose Vanua Madudu chairman Lorima Siganisucu challenged developers over Special Prospecting Licence 1495.
While official maps included native boundaries and customary waters, Mr Siganisucu said presentation materials at the consultation focused narrowly on targeted freehold property near the river.
“That map that has been shown to us consists of our customary fishing ground and also our native land-owning unit,”he said.
Mr Siganisucu stressed that environmental impacts cannot be confined to private property lines.
“If anything happens in that freehold, the impact will be felt.”
Magma Mines Ltd country manager Mohammed Azad explained that the initial licence covered a broad area, but the final mining lease application would focus strictly on the identified resources.
“The mining lease boundary will only be around those two freeholds when we apply for the mining application with the Mineral Resources Department,” he said.
Rejecting the explanation, Mr Siganisucu stood on behalf of the Vanua Madudu and the Tikina of Sigatoka to reject the project outright.
“I think the explanation for the answer is not on point because if you want to call us here, then you (must) also explain our map which is under our customary owning.
“We are here to object this. Our statement is, no means no!”
