To: Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Global ESG Oversight Bodies (OECD, UNEP, PRI) Corporate Board Members of Rainbow Rare Earths, Novare Holdings, and ReElement Technologies
Stop South Africa’s Greenwashed Rare Earth Projects
We, the undersigned, demand an immediate moratorium on the Phalaborwa rare earth project and the ReElement-Novare refinery in South Africa. These ventures—funded by U.S. and European interests—disguise environmental exploitation and neocolonial resource grabs as "sustainable development," violating constitutional rights to a healthy environment and perpetuating apartheid-era injustices.
Our Demands:
Suspend All Project Licenses Immediately
Halt operations until independent audits verify radiation safety, water security, and compliance with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) standards .
Redirect 40% of Profits to Impacted Communities
Establish a community trust fund for healthcare (e.g., radiation poisoning treatment), land restitution, and renewable energy infrastructure.
Criminalize Greenwashing
Prosecute executives for false "sustainability" claims under Section 24 of South Africa’s Constitution.
Enforce Full Local Processing
Ban raw mineral exports by invoking Section 26 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act.
Launch a National Rare Earth Ethics Commission
Include community leaders, unions, and environmental scientists to draft binding ethical mining standards.
Our Demands:
Suspend All Project Licenses Immediately
Halt operations until independent audits verify radiation safety, water security, and compliance with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) standards .
Redirect 40% of Profits to Impacted Communities
Establish a community trust fund for healthcare (e.g., radiation poisoning treatment), land restitution, and renewable energy infrastructure.
Criminalize Greenwashing
Prosecute executives for false "sustainability" claims under Section 24 of South Africa’s Constitution.
Enforce Full Local Processing
Ban raw mineral exports by invoking Section 26 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act.
Launch a National Rare Earth Ethics Commission
Include community leaders, unions, and environmental scientists to draft binding ethical mining standards.
Why is this important?
I. Phalaborwa: Radioactive Waste and Broken Promises
A. Toxic Legacy Repackaged as "Rehabilitation"
The Phalaborwa project, backed by Rainbow Rare Earths and the U.S. DFC’s $50 million investment, processes 35 million tonnes of radioactive gypsum waste from apartheid-era phosphate mining. Independent studies confirm uranium and thorium contamination of groundwater near Kruger National Park—a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve .
Zero Community Consent: Despite claims of job creation, the Ba-Phalaborwa people—forcibly displaced in the 1960s—were excluded from negotiations. As exposed at Anglo American’s AGM, corporations "selectively hear" communities while profiting from their stolen land .
B. Job Mirage and Profit Extraction
Rainbow promises "300 jobs," yet 82% are temporary construction roles. Meanwhile, the project consumes 500,000 liters of water daily in a drought-stricken region, worsening the Limpopo province’s 42+ hour monthly power outages.
II. ReElement-Novare: "Green Colonialism" in Practice
A. Technological Deception and Resource Laundering
ReElement’s U.S.-based refinery (funded by Novare’s $150 million) uses unproven "chromatographic separation" technology that failed commercial scalability trials in Indiana. Novare’s planned African refinery lacks environmental impact assessments or disclosed locations, evading accountability.
Economic Sabotage: The partnership exports unprocessed ore to the U.S., circumventing South Africa’s export ban on raw minerals. Only 3% of value addition occurs locally, starving South Africa of industrial development while fueling U.S. defense supply chains.
B. ESG Abandonment
Novare’s CEO admitted their goal is to "ensure U.S. defense minerals supply"—not empower Africans. This violates the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and exploits South Africa as a neocolonial sacrifice zone .
III. The Bigger Picture: Replicating Apartheid-Economy Injustice
Racist Profiteering: Both projects occupy former apartheid mines where Black workers died for white wealth. Today, 90% of executives are white, while 80% of laborers are Black—earning less than R200/day.
Global Hypocrisy: The U.S./EU condemn "blood minerals" yet fund Phalaborwa through the DFC, whose 2024 environmental audit labeled South Africa "low-risk" to fast-track permits.
Sacrifice Zone Expansion: Like the U.S. "Cancer Alley" where 256,000 Americans face toxic air, South Africa’s mining regions face engineered disposability.
A. Toxic Legacy Repackaged as "Rehabilitation"
The Phalaborwa project, backed by Rainbow Rare Earths and the U.S. DFC’s $50 million investment, processes 35 million tonnes of radioactive gypsum waste from apartheid-era phosphate mining. Independent studies confirm uranium and thorium contamination of groundwater near Kruger National Park—a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve .
Zero Community Consent: Despite claims of job creation, the Ba-Phalaborwa people—forcibly displaced in the 1960s—were excluded from negotiations. As exposed at Anglo American’s AGM, corporations "selectively hear" communities while profiting from their stolen land .
B. Job Mirage and Profit Extraction
Rainbow promises "300 jobs," yet 82% are temporary construction roles. Meanwhile, the project consumes 500,000 liters of water daily in a drought-stricken region, worsening the Limpopo province’s 42+ hour monthly power outages.
II. ReElement-Novare: "Green Colonialism" in Practice
A. Technological Deception and Resource Laundering
ReElement’s U.S.-based refinery (funded by Novare’s $150 million) uses unproven "chromatographic separation" technology that failed commercial scalability trials in Indiana. Novare’s planned African refinery lacks environmental impact assessments or disclosed locations, evading accountability.
Economic Sabotage: The partnership exports unprocessed ore to the U.S., circumventing South Africa’s export ban on raw minerals. Only 3% of value addition occurs locally, starving South Africa of industrial development while fueling U.S. defense supply chains.
B. ESG Abandonment
Novare’s CEO admitted their goal is to "ensure U.S. defense minerals supply"—not empower Africans. This violates the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and exploits South Africa as a neocolonial sacrifice zone .
III. The Bigger Picture: Replicating Apartheid-Economy Injustice
Racist Profiteering: Both projects occupy former apartheid mines where Black workers died for white wealth. Today, 90% of executives are white, while 80% of laborers are Black—earning less than R200/day.
Global Hypocrisy: The U.S./EU condemn "blood minerals" yet fund Phalaborwa through the DFC, whose 2024 environmental audit labeled South Africa "low-risk" to fast-track permits.
Sacrifice Zone Expansion: Like the U.S. "Cancer Alley" where 256,000 Americans face toxic air, South Africa’s mining regions face engineered disposability.