CSOs 4 Tailings Justice

The living legacies of Mam Tiny Dlamini & Mam “Mathapelo” Liefferink

Story and photo by Nkosinathi Hlabeni

This tribute to two of our pillars in the environmental justice and mining communities struggles is timely as it honours the women in Women’s Month whilst they are alive. On final day of the 2nd Annual CSOs4TailingsJustice Conference, the civil society network took a meaningful pause from technical discussions and policy critique to honour two living justice women warriors, the pillars in our community,  Mam Tiny Dlamini  of Snake Park and Mam Mariette “Mathapelo” Liefferink of the Federation for a Sustainable Environment (FSE). Mam Dlamini has worked with various organisations including Mejcon, the Bench Marks Foundation and others in and out of Soweto.

Mam Tiny Dlamini born in Soweto, is recognised across Gauteng and nationally for her grassroots activism, in communities surrounded by mine dumps and contaminated air. Her leadership emerged from an early age in the mid 1970s through student movement actions, and since then, her daily commitment has been to organize, teach, and care for her neighbours in areas often, if not most vulnerable and impacted by extractivism.

MamTiny continues working on community education on dust exposure and soil contamination, especially affecting children. She is leading efforts in urban agriculture and phytoremediation using sunflowers, bamboo, and moringa to restore the land. Partnering with local and international researchers to ensure community knowledge informs environmental science.

Her work has and is directly continuing to inspire all, especially the working groups under CSOs Tailings Working Group which focuses on rebuilding ecosystems and livelihoods in mine-affected spaces. And they were truly inspiring as one young activist at the conference said:“She doesn’t wait for solutions. She plants them.”

Mariette Liefferink “Mathapelo”, as she’s affectionately known in most mining communities, is one of South Africa’s most influential environmental justice advocates. As the CEO of the Federation for a Sustainable Environment (FSE), she has spent more than two decades fighting for the rights of communities affected by mining pollution, especially in Gauteng’s Far West Rand.

Her work has focused on exposing the long-term environmental impacts of gold mining, particularly acid mine drainage, radioactive waste, and the failure of mining companies to rehabilitate tailings dams. She has worked closely with affected landowners, community organisations, scientists, and legal experts to demand environmental accountability from both industry and government.

Ma Mathapelo’s sharp grasp and articulation of the law and her legal knowledge in general is inspiring. It helped us to develop community-grounded advocacy, and tireless public engagement has helped place tailings management, water justice, and mine closure issues on national and global agendas.

Ma Mathapelo / Sis Mariette continues to work closely with civil society and participates in government and corporate platforms arguing for those marginalised. remains a trusted voice in discussions around environmental policy, human rights, and the protection of future generations from mining legacies.

In her emotional and graceful acceptance speech she quoted Charles Mackay:

“He who has mingled in the fray of duty that the brave endure,
Must have made foes! If you have none,
Small is the work that you have done.
You’ve hit no traitor on the hip,
You’ve dashed no cup from perjured lip,
You’ve never turned the wrong to right,
You’ve been a coward in the fight.”

Mam Tiny note of thanks she told me in an interview….

I’m inspired by Genesis

 I take my name and inspiration from it
Without me, life still could abide.

I’m a pioneer of womankind

First to serve and last in line

Thank you

The tribute was not separate from the purpose of the conference but was deeply connected to the central mission of CSO Tailings Working Group’s purpose: to build a movement that will address mine waste and tailings dams facilities and force the corporations and governments to hear the voices of the marginalised. Tailings are man made and deadly killers waiting to strike. The corporations must hear our voice that holds the mining and extractivist sector transparent and accountable to society at large.

The work and life of Mam Tiny and Mam Mariette are examples of what this mandate looks like in action.

The tribute ceremony was a bottoms-up tribute from those comrades they worked with. It was a community-led acknowledgment of two women who, for decades, have carried forward the weight of fighting for environmental justice, often without institutional support or recognition. The tribute was grounded in local solidarity. The gifts presented to them were handcrafted by women and men from the Thusanang community, who live near the Goldfields tailings facilities in the Far West Rand. These members are active in the Owe2 Green Economy’s women’s platform, which empowers participants of their legal framework, environmental stewardship, and skills development, of which are critical to the ongoing challenges of extractivism.

From the Ground Up, Not the Top Down

Honouring Mam Tiny and Sis Mariette was not just symbolic for us civil society organisations – it was a recognition that civil society must be led by experience, humility, and trust. Their lives are living testimony that change is not only possible, instead, it is already happening.

We are committed, clear, and demand a shared framework for change, created by and for communities.

We salute you comrade Tiny Dlamini.

We salute you comrade Mariette Lieferink

This movement is rising, not in silence, but in collective power.

Nkosi Hlabeni is the Executive Director of the environmental organisation Owe2 Green Economy