By Rorisang
David Mahlo
The Ministry of Mining has embarked and instigated yet
another new campaign to visit the affected host communities around commercially
operating mines. This is done as one of the Ministry`s responsibilities
stipulated in the Mineral and Mining Police 2015 as thus “to enforce compliance
with set standards and regulations by all role players in the sector.”
For the first time since the inauguration of the newly formed
third coalition government, popularly known as “four by four (4 x 4),” the
Minister of Mining-Hon. Keketso Sello visited the two neibouring villages of
host communities of the commercially mining companies namely Liqhong and Kao, on
the 6th to the 7th of December 2017 respectively, under very
unstable and conflicting extreme heat and cold weather conditions within both
valleys.
The Ministry`s intention with these visits was to make an assessment
in a form of fact finding and verification of the status of neighboring
relations between two parties. Secondly was to create another mode of dialogue
of warm deliberations for the Mines host communities to voice out their opinions
as a way of checks and balances of what the companies report to the Ministry on
their respective social responsibility programmes with what exists on the
ground.
Without wasting any time, both Liqhobong and Kao host communities
lodged their list of grievances asking the Hon. Minister`s intervention in the
following areas:
Lack of transparency in hiring procedures: There is no clarity on what guides
these companies with regard to the procedures of employment because there are
some obvious dubious and unfair practices that apply to some and not all of us.
“Here is what I mean, in the variety of existing employment terms ranging from
those that counted in working hours to the contractual and permanent and
pensionable; the beloved one just keep working and earning without signing any
formal employment agreements,” that is for an example said Mrs. `Manalane Molefi from Kao.
To make matters worse, against the government mandate that,
the unskilled labour must be sourced locally here, “our local people are subjected
to unfair competition with people from everywhere including the internationals
who do not even have work permits” complained ` Molefi.
Unfair compensation: Furthermore it is highly questionable as to how the
compensation issues are administered. There are lots of cracked households due
to blasting activities taking place in the mines. But the manner in which the
compensation issues are handled shows a lot of discrimination. For instance “The
lucky ones and the few who are temporarily working in the Mines, do get an
immediate assistance after noticing the cracks or when their houses have
accidentally fallen” reported Makamoho Ramoholi from Liqhobong.
Besides that “after our relocation to the new places, the
Mines promised to compensate us for the inconveniences caused in our lives but
the way things are going, we are yet to see these promise come true any time
soon,” Ramoholi added.
Lack of access roads: Both Liqhobong and Kao communities complain about the
Mine adamancy to construct the new access roads as per their promise. But very
unfortunately, both mines keep on rehabilitating and maintaining the old roads.
The communities also indicated that this is not acceptable because the issue of
construction of access roads is one key issues agreed on in black and white in
their initial environmental Impact Assessment Reports (EIA).
Moreover the ironic part of this issue is that, the Kao Villagers access their main services such as health and shopping at Ha Lejone and they are obliged to cross the Motete river more than four times to access these services, “and whenever it becomes cloudy while still on the other side of the river- (at Ha Lejone), those that are at home automatically get worried sick about our lives, since this river has taken many innocent lives in our presence,” emphasised Molefi.
Lack of basic sanitary Utilities: According to the Nqoe B03 Community
Councilor-Mrs. `Mammereki Maphenchane, it has come to their attention that both
villages or correctly put, all villages - Liqhobong and Kao and many other
villages that host Mining companies in the country, are all disadvantaged as they
are sidelined by the government while installing toilets and constructing piped
water that are all over the country. ”The reasonable perception for that is, we
are known to be hosting commercial mining companies, and therefore it is given
that we must have demanded such services from our nearby Mining Companies and by default, they are
going to assist in that regard- but our case is totally something shameful and
we really feel lost,” reported Mrs. Maphenchana.
Long distance Health
Facilities: In this regard both Liqhobong and Kao host
communities share the same sentiment of suffering the same pain of traveling
long distances for medical services, which they get at the government Clinic
based at Motete. But contrary to that, both Mining companies have their
internal Company clinics within the Mine yard but do not share the health
facilities with the local communities.
This, according to Molefi
really shows a high level of discrimination between the mine and their neighbours.
“Helping us only during emergencies is totally not enough. We have resorted to use
`Mamohau Health Center at Ha Lejone and you can imagine the traveling cost and
the distance between Ha lejone and Motete, honestly this is being unnecessarily
hard on us,” Molefi frowned touched by emotions.
In wrapping up the
complaints, Mrs. Molefi, appealed to the Minister of Mining to intervene by
considering their grievances as a matter of urgency that requires immediate
solutions for the benefit of all stakeholders. “With due respect Hon. Minister,
we do not want to run the risk of letting things slip between our fingers so
that one day when we wake up, we find that SMD or LMDC have gone for good and
have left us in this mess like many others who came before them,” reported Molefi.
“Evidently, if they cannot
change their attitude while approaching the community developmental issues,
they will soon be confronted by the risk of unnecessary instability and sour
relations between us, “strongly emphasised Molefi. Adding that their current style of responding
to the developmental requests is truly reflecting and painting a very negative
image to us, so they better redeem that, and change it for good.
In response to the community
grievances and on behalf of LMDC, Mr. Tšepo Mokotjo – Security and Corporate
Social Responsibility Manager, denied some and accepted some as valid
grievances, and also furnished the Mining Public Relations office with the
following promised achievements for publicity:
- 154 people employed as a mixture of permanent and temporary employment and this is continuous.
- Relocation of 26 Households:
- 26 Houses constructed,
- 18 Households now in new homes,
- 8 remaining Households’ movement into new homes being finalised;
- Liqhobong & Pulane Clean Water Project to the tune of Two Million Maluti (LSL M2,000,000.00): 20 Clean water access points from 13 caught springs;
- 18 computers donated to St Peters High School Botha-Bothe, 2 to Motete Clinic and 40 to Joy To The World Leribe;
- Construction of Liqhobong Pre-school (9m X 4.5m classroom with store);
- Construction of 2 additional classrooms and 2 additional offices for Liqhobong Primary School;
- Liqhobong village Road maintenance and Motete road rehabilitation;
- Loss of Grazing Land Annual Compensation for 2016 & 2017 payments already effected;
- Development and implementation of an effective Grievance Logging and Management procedure.
Once again Mokotjo confirmed
that through Liqhobong Working Committee which is a committee liaising
community with the mine, they still receive all community requests. However, he
said that, it is not easy for them to address the community needs all at once.
Adding by requesting the community to be patient with the mine, as the plan is to
address them one by one and bit by bit.
Similarly, on behalf of Kao-
Storm Mountain Diamonds -SMD, the Chief Executive Officer of Operations Mr.
Mohale Ralikariki said that he is not there to defend what has been presented
before the Hon. Minister. Instead he just wanted to thank Mrs. Lekhala for
presenting his company-SMD eloquently before the Hon. Minister except for a
little information that has been skewed here and there.
Secondly, and most important
of them all, he showed some respect and an appreciation by accepting the blame
tabled by the community representative. Adding that, “I consider this gathering
a constructive means of guiding my organisation to learn from our mistakes. From
here my organisation is going to pull up its socks and try to improve from its
weakness,” Ralikariki admitted.
He also validated and
corrected some information presented by Mrs. Molefi with a long list of what
SMD has so far achieved and those that are ongoing on their CSR projects and
activities for the community as thus:
There
are currently 173 people employed from Kao villages, some in permanent
positions and others in fixed term contracts;
- Construction and maintenance of access road from main road at Ha Shishila;
- Funding of poultry project and delivery of one thousand (1000) eggs producing chickens;
- Kao Mine has established a pre-school at Lihloahloeng and is fully funded by the mine with over 40 children and instructors are paid monthly by the mine;
- Training of a villager for purposes of registering as a Safety Practitioner with Labour department;
- Construction of 3 extra-class rooms at Shishila Primary School;
- Fully paid high school sponsorship for Shishila Primary “Top Achiever;”
- Construction of 15 mini- dams for drinking water for livestock-labour payment at West Valley and;
- Construction and donation of toilet and hygienic materials for paralyzed lady in the village to mention but just a few.
He went further to edge the
community to also be patient with the mine as the intention is not to hurt
anyone but to do things based on the agreed times. Also he wrapped his speech
by promising the Hon. Minister that, “it is my dream that one day we shall be
gathered in this manner dancing and rejoicing in respect for Kao`s efforts in
gratifying the community needs,” said Ralikariki.
Finally, the keynote address
by the Minister of Mining Hon. Keketso Sello and the Chairperson of the Natural
Resources Cluster Committee Hon. Mapalipali Molefe to both Mining companies was
that: This visit was a fact finding mission that is aimed to hear what the host
communities want and responses from both companies thereon.
The two MPs jointly agreed
that, the subsequent phase of this event will be to consolidate these ideas and
collaboratively re-prioritise them and see what is it that both Mining companies
can do as soon as yesterday, versus those that could be done later.
Third, both MPs reached a
consensus that they would then be happy to see both Mining companies
championing and executing the plans just as agreed in the board rooms and by
the book. Lastly, Hon. Sello promised both Mining companies that, after solving
these community complaints, could there be any more complaints, “ I will
definitely land here unannounced, you will get it from the hearsay that Sello
was here and from then, things will take the wrong turn for you guys…watch out,”
said the Minister.
