26 Jan 2026

In Ranaka village, what was once a peaceful residential landscape has become a battlefield of dust, debris and structural decay. Lately, the ground does not just hold up homes, but it has been shaking them apart.

At the heart of the mayhem is the Ranaka quarry, a project that residents claim has traded their safety and heritage for industrial gain.

For Ranaka residents, the grievance is visible in the very walls of their living rooms. Deep fissures snake across floors and climb up brickwork, the physical manifestation of heavy blasting. At a recent kgotla meeting, the atmosphere was filled with frustration as residents gathered to hear from the Member of Parliament for Moshupa/Manyana, Mr Karabo Gare.

Mr Gare’s message to the residents was that the time for protest had shifted to a time for litigation. “Because a mining license has already been issued by the Department of Mines, the only remaining path to justice is through the halls of justice. The right channel to follow is to take the case to court,” he told the residents.

On one hand, the controversy is not merely about noise or dust, but a complex web of alleged procedural failures.

For his part, one resident, Mr Kenalemongwe Mopipi, described the situation as the ‘illegal legalisation of illegality.’

As for the community members, the quarry’s existence is a comedy of errors by the Ngwaketse Land Board and the Department of Mines and they allege that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was ever conducted while the license was reportedly granted for a site in Kwahu, the actual mining is taking place in Momare.

Momare is not just land, but a historical site owing to previously discovered human remains there by an archaeologist, yet the machinery kept rolling.

Furthermore, it would seem the most critical evidence may lie in the measurements given that the quarry sat a meagre 90 meters from residential doorsteps, which is a violation of the Mines and Minerals Act (CAP 66:01), which dictates much stricter buffer zones between industrial blasting and human habitation.

Documents from the Ngwaketse Land Board seem to support the residents’ outcry. Residents heard that a letter from Ngwaketse Land Board had approved cancellation of surface rights for a quarry plot granted on July 25, 2022 and ending July 24, 2027.

Further, the board recently approved the cancellation of surface rights for the operator, Builders Place (Pty) Ltd, citing a breach of Clause 6 of their permit. The order provided that the company should cease operations, surrender the permit and vacate.

Despite the Land Board’s order to vacate, the situation remains in a legal limbo. Chairperson of the Moshupa Sub-Land Board, Mr Prince Segokotlo, reminded the community that the matter was  currently sub judice, before a court of law.

As the legal wheels slowly turn, the people of Ranaka are left in a state of suspended animation. Blasting has been halted for now, but the cracks in their homes remain. For this community, the fight is no longer just about stopping a drill. It is about restoring the integrity of their land, their history and their right to a safe home.

The battle of Ranaka is now a paper trail of licenses and land rights, but for the residents waking up to cracked walls every morning, it remains a fight for survival. BOPA