[miningmx] — LONMIN and the other major platinum producers of North West will
bear the brunt of more violent community protests for as long as discontent over
employment, poor service delivery and the harmful social consequences of mining in
these areas are not addressed.
This is according to the Bench Marks Foundation, which on Tuesday released the
findings of its Policy Gap 6 study. The study is a follow-up investigation into a
controversial 2007 report which showed that despite the value extracted from
platinum mining, local communities were facing harmful social, economic and
environmental impacts as a consequence.
According to the latest study, the situation has not changed and mining companies
have yet to assume their responsibility for the negative consequences of their
mining activities.
The North West University’s David van Wyk, researcher and author of the report,
said a likely cause for the unwillingness of both mining companies and the various
spheres of Government to address these issues was what he called “political
pollution’; a situation where prominent politicians and their families were sitting on
the boards of mining companies, serving the interests of shareholders rather than
the communities.
The study focused on the activities of the six major mining group operating in North
West – Anglo American Platinum, Lonmin, Impala Platinum, Xstrata, Aquarius
Platinum and Royal Bafokeng Platinum – making recommendations for each one on
how they should negate the impacts of mining in the areas where they operate.
Lonmin, currently the subject of major labour violence that has so far claimed the
lives of at least nine people, has been fingered for its employees’ poor residential
conditions.
“This can be seen in the proliferation of shacks and informal settlements, the rapid
deterioration of formal infra-structure and housing in Marikana itself, and the fact
that a section of the township constructed by Lonmin did not have electricity for
more than a month during the time of our last visit,’ the report read. “At the RDP
township we found broken-down drainage systems spilling directly into the river at
three different points.’
The report also said the Foundation was concerned about the appearance of bilharzia
warning signs next to surface water streams in Marikana. “The presence of bilharzia
in the surface water in the Bojanala District is a direct consequence of informal
settlement, a major cause of which is the housing policies of mining companies, and
failure to maintain and repair sewage and drainage systems by local government.’
Lonmin was also singled out over its use of local chiefs or councillors as recruitment
officers, where especially prospective female workers have to offer sex or money in
return for employment.
The report also highlighted the cracks in community upliftment plans. For example,
it said, all the mines surveyed contributed to the construction of classroom blocks
and in some cases, to feeding schemes. However, said the Foundation’s Executive
Director, John Capel, this was often done in a haphazard manner, without careful
planning and consultation and often with no follow-up funding.
“The actual needs of the community and the resources available to continue the
project are hardly ever taken into consideration, leading to numerous failed
investments,’ Capel said.
He said at the Lonmin supported school in Marikana, the research team found
several blocks of old asbestos classrooms still in existence. The report also quotes an
example of a computer centre that was built by Amplats.
“Although a wonderful initiative, the mine did not check whether there would be
funding for a teacher,’ it read. “The school has a fully equipped computer centre that
cannot be used as the Department of Education considers the employment of a
computer teacher at the school to be an unfunded mandate.’
