Human Rights Commission opens national hearings in mining industry

The burning issues affecting communities living in mining areas have been simmering for years‚ a panel investigating the underlying socio-economic challenges of mining-affected communities has said.

On Tuesday morning‚ national hearings into the matter started at the SA Human Rights Commission head office in Braampark‚ Johannesburg.

External panellist Tracy-Lynn Humby said: “The issues have been simmering for many‚ many years. They are becoming intense.”

Panellists said there was a growing discontent amongst miners‚ trade unions and mining communities over low wages and poor living conditions‚ and this has sparked a wave of strike and protest action across the sector over the past few years.

This has‚ in turn‚ “resulted in a decline of the country’s GDP and shaken investor confidence”.

“Lengthy strikes have also had devastating impacts on communities‚ with local businesses struggling to survive and strikers having to obtain loans‚ often at high interest rates through unregulated and/or unlawful mechanisms.

“The effect of this is that miners are driven even deeper into poverty as the repayment of loans may be unaffordable‚ despite any wage increase which may have ensued‚” said the panel in a statement.

The commission said it had received numerous complaints about the negative consequences of mining in Mpumalanga‚ KwaZulu-Natal‚ Limpopo and Gauteng.

Consultations have been held with these communities.

The commission said the complaints lodged by communities‚ include:

- Non-compliance by holders of prospecting‚ mining‚ exploration or production rights with the legal framework‚ including regulatory requirements and corporate social obligations;

- Failures in compliance monitoring and enforcement;

- Insufficient consultation with interested and affected parties‚ lack of transparency and limited access to information;

- Limited cooperation and/or collaboration between mining companies‚ traditional authorities‚ local government and communities;

- The creation of tension and division within communities as a result of mining operations; and

- Limited development and social upliftment of communities affected by mining.

Panel chairman commissioner Mohamed Ameermia said that‚ once the hearings were concluded‚ a report will be compiled and sent to Parliament.

– TMG Digital/Sowetan