A lawyer representing residents affected by mining activities has described SA’s abandoned mines as a “legacy of death”, saying families are forced to live alongside sites that were never properly sealed, enclosed or rehabilitated.
This is according to Mametlwe Sebei, president of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (Giwusa) and an attorney at Lawyers for Human Rights, which represents several mining-affected communities.
Sebei was speaking to Sowetan on Thursday as mining-affected communities marched to Anglo American’s headquarters in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The protest comes as the mining giant announces plans to restructure and reduce its presence in SA.
“We are here because Anglo American is leaving after 110 years in this country without being held accountable for the devastating legacies of mining,” said Sebei.
He said these legacies include occupational diseases suffered by former mineworkers, unpaid compensation and pensions, and communities left with abandoned and unrehabilitated mine sites.
“It is about communities sitting with abandoned mines that are not properly sealed or rehabilitated. These sites could be used for alternative development, but instead they pose dangers. This is a legacy of death,” he said.
Sebei argued that mining communities and former workers helped build not only Anglo American but also the broader South African economy, which he described as historically rooted in the “mineral-energy complex”.
“Modern SA’s economy was built on mining. Many industries either originated from or service the mining sector. These are communities whose labour and land created immense wealth,” he said.
Using Gauteng as an example, Sebei said the province’s estimated 400km² of mine dumps containing around 600,000 tonnes of uranium present what he called a potentially catastrophic environmental hazard.
In parts of Soweto, he claimed, communities living near mine dumps have reported unusually high rates of serious health conditions, including cancers and neurological disorders.
“Radioactive material like uranium can infiltrate the body and cause severe health problems. Communities believe this exposure is linked to illnesses affecting their children and families,” he said.
Residents who live in those areas that were ravaged by activities are demanding that Anglo American fully rehabilitate abandoned shafts and tailings dams, compensate affected workers and address outstanding social and environmental liabilities before completing its restructuring and exit process.
Itumeleng Mashilane, a youth representative from Khutsong South in Carletonville, on the West Rand, said abandoned open shafts left by Anglo American have become hotspots for illegal mining and violent crime.
“Open-cast mining has left dangerous holes in our community. Illegal miners use these sites and form gangs that terrorise residents. Before Anglo American leaves, it must rehabilitate what it has damaged,” he said.
Anglo-American officials went to meet the protestors and accepted their memorandum. Sowetan also sent questions to the company about their response to the protest, the allegations and the list of demands from the protesters.
They had not responded at the time of publication.
Sowetan
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