A group of community activists in Marikana in North West are calling for mines operating in the area to provide jobs and skills development for the communities around them.
The Marikana cluster crisis movement, consisting of unemployed people living in Marikana, are marching to Tharisa Mine near Rustenburg, to hand over a memorandum of demands to the management outlining their issues.
The movement wants mining companies such as Tharisa, Sibanye, Samancor, Chrome Tech and BapoTrans, which are operating in their area, to address the issues faced by the community.
General secretary of the movement Raserola Mashamaite told Sowetan that communities living next to the mines bear the brunt of the mines’ operations, but have nothing to show for it.
“These communities are located within a [short distance] these mines and are affected by the mining operations. The fumes, blasting, dust and noise affect the members of these communities,” said Mashamaite.
He said the mines have a moral responsibility to uplift the living conditions of the people.
Their list of demands to the mines includes that
- the mines should provide housing for the community
- skills should be provided for unemployed youth in the community
- jobs should be provided for the community
- mines should not relocate community and graves against wishes of the community
- mines should prioritise giving business to SMMEs in the area and not companies outside the North West
Mashamaite also said they will be submitting their demands to the office of the mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe.
“We have been suffering before the Marikana massacre and even after it. We are worried. We are going to stand up for our rights and take what belongs to us.”
Sibanye Still-water senior vice president James Wellsted said the company aims to work with communities and government in order to address their concerns.
'We note the concerns about the delivery of social services around our operations. As a good corporate citizen, we are committed to working with government and communities to support the provision of social services such as roads, water, sanitation, health and education facilities, through our social and labour plans as well as our CSI programmes," said Wellsted.
"Integrated human settlement is the competency and responsibility of government, however we collaborate with government on spatial development planning and have donated land and are involved in formalisation of some informal settlements in areas around our operations.
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