Liqhobong and Kao Mines Host Communities Lodge their Grievances Before the Minister

        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 7^th 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.