Question NW497 to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
24 March 2023 - NW497
Msimang, Prof CT to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
Whether, noting that his department listed community unrest as a reason for decreased appetite by private investors, while organised crime, theft and an increase in violence continue to threaten the mining sector of the Republic, his department has any intergovernmental collaborations and/or programmes to (a) mitigate the threats and (b) re-establish a secure environment for investment; if not, why not; if so, what are the details of the (i) programmes, (ii) impact thereof to date, (iii) funding and (iv) monitoring of the specified programmes?
Reply:
Community unrests and protest can be minimized where there are good relationships and proper stakeholder engagements between mining companies and mine communities.
The Department is conducting community workshops to educate mine communities on their rights and expectations where mining is taking place, and to improve communication and corporation between the mines, community representative structures and other relevant stakeholders.
To decrease community unrests, the Department participates in the formalisation of community representative structures to promote a level playing field for consultation and engagement between mines and communities. To achieve this, the Department is engaging and working in collaboration with COGTA and SALGA for the endorsement of community structures.
However, it is the responsibility of mining companies to exercise a high level of meaningful consultation and engagement with their stakeholders. This is further stipulated in the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act Regulations (published in March 2020) in line with the EIA Regulations of the NEMA. The Department is determined to enforce these Regulations and intensify compliance on publication of Social and Labour Plans by the mining companies. Where non-compliance is found, statutory notices or directives will be issued to such mining companies as stipulated by the legislative framework.