Glencore in partnership with NPA to empower women and children

The NPA says it will not hesitate to act against Glencore Ferroalloys if the company is found to be doing wrong in SA despite the partnership it has entered into in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV).

Last month the NPA together with Glencore Ferroalloys opened its latest Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) at Polokwane, Limpopo, next to Dilokong Hospital.

TCCs are facilities that have been introduced as a critical part of SA’s anti-rape strategy, aiming to reduce secondary victimisation and to build a case ready for successful prosecution. Over 50 centres have been established since 2006.

Glencore was before a US court in May and a British court in June where the company pleaded guilty to bribery of over $100m (R1.7bn) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and South Sudan. It also pleaded guilty on charges of market manipulation in the US and faces additional bribery offences in Brazil and Venezuela.

But NPA spokesperson Bulelwa Makeke said they have partnered with the company based on the work that it does in the communities where it operates.

“The process of Glencore’s corporate social responsibility in the mining areas that they operate in is that they empower women and children in fighting gender-based violence. It was a firm and appropriate arrangement because they work in the same space and they are willing to invest in the communities that they operate in.

“If there is any criminality against Glencore, it is not going to take that away. There is nothing against Glencore on our side for prosecution. If there is, there is nothing that will stop the NPA from taking action against Glencore and the criminality that arises from any investigation. In all the provinces that they operate in, they focus on the empowerment of women and children.

“If in the future they are found to be in the wrong, the NPA will not hesitate to act. We have just partnered with Business Leadership SA,” Makeke said.

“As things stand now, there is no case that has been brought to the NPA against Glencore...We don't have enough money from the fiscus and these things are important to empower communities.”

The TCC allows survivors of GBV to report directly to the centre rather than a police station or trauma unit of the hospital.

Staff at the centre help the survivor to open a police case, do medical examinations and forensic extraction of evidence.

After the medical examination, there are bath and shower facilities for use. The investigating officer that interviews the survivor takes the statement. A social worker or counsellor is then accessible with a referral letter for long-term counselling.

According to the NPA, 7,694 people have been sentenced through the TCC model since 2016.

dlaminip@sowetan.co.za