Mining curse must be lifted
THE protests and unrest dogging mining communities in some villages near Mokopane town in Limpopo are a manifestation of the much spoken about resource curse.
Although an abundance of minerals symbolises great wealth and prosperity, the reality in most resource-rich nations has been the escalation of strife and widespread poverty.
The gripe of mining communities is that they do not have an equitable, if any, share in the proceeds that mining companies gain out of activities on their land.
The experience of villages around mines has been that of marginalisation and neglect. While mines would be electrified and receive an abundance of running water as they go about churning out their riches, people are left with unquenched thirst and in the darkness of backwardness.
When the mines clamour at the government’s door to get their licences they make all manner of promises about how they will uplift communities. But, research has shown that mining companies have to a great extent reneged on the commitments they made in their social labour plans.
As the crushing weight of joblessness and poverty weighs heavily on households, they are turning their attention to what they see as the closest remedy to their situations. They remember the fanfare that surrounded the establishment of the mining operations in their backyard and are now demanding what they believe to be their right. Their cry is: we want jobs. It is not difficult to sympathise with these communities. Inequality is the one big threat to the country’s stability and progress.
Mining bosses acknowledged when they signed the tripartite pact with unions and government that they can no longer be just about increasing profits.
It is sad that this did not dawn on them during the commodities boom. They can now hide behind an unfavourable market climate, declining prices and diminishing demand for their wares.
If they did not deliver on their commitments to the upliftment of their workers and host communities in the good times, it is unlikely they will deliver now.
But these disgruntled villagers need to understand that the solution does not lie in destruction. Violence can never be an acceptable method to express their discontent.
Destroying property and disrupting mining operations does not only leave the mines poorer but also their communities as this kind of instability threatens the long-term prospects of continued mining activities.
At the risk of sounding like a scratched record, we implore the government to intervene in this situation. Communities cannot be a law unto themselves but neither can mining companies. It is incumbent on the state to ensure that these companies deliver on commitments they made when bidding for licences.
Government ’ s response cannot simply be to send in police and treat communities with legitimate grievances like criminals.