Arguing that it may be forced to close down, Tendele Coal Mining has denied that traditional leaders were intimidating the local community in an effort to bulldoze an easy mining path for the company.

Is it because the Vhembe bioregional plan has been squashed – or held up deliberately – to smooth the passage of the controversial Chinese-led plan to develop a massive new steel plant and special economic zone in the heart of Vhembe district?