Tunatazama - Community Monitors

High rise of unemployment and lack of skills training fumes community members

Community Alerts/Pogiso Sediro/Majakaneng/Rustenburg/30 March 2017

31/07/2015. A view of Majakaneng where it is believed that the is a serial killerPicture: Phill MagakoePicture: Phill Magakoe

MagakoePicture: Phill Magakoe

The local communities Majakaneng and Modderspruit (ward 07 & ward 31) under Madibeng Municipality in the North West Province have had quarrels with the local mine with issues regarding employment intake, skills training and business opportunities with both communities feeling that the mine has not hired enough local members of the community and with the mine most employees not residing in both Majakaneng and Modderspruit.

The mines refusal to offer training and not giving business opportunities added fuel to the cause as well as members of the community feeling neglected and not benefitting from the mine. As a result of that the Unemployment forum at Modderspruit marched to the mine on the 22nd March 2017 to Samancor Tc Smelter in the outskirts of Modderspruit and handed their memorandum, what was a peaceful march turned to community stopping production at the mine till the 24th March 2017. The mine will face an uphill battle as the Unemployment Forum in Majakaneng also prepares to march to the same mine with more or similar issues, for that we shall wait and see the outcome of that march.

The mines inability to take care of its communities – will forever remain a problem for mining communities. Come to any unemployment forum you will find it filled with people looking for mining related jobs only. Unemployment is associated with so many things, one of the major things is crime, crime has plagued the community of Majakaneng, on the 14th March we saw two thieves get beaten by the Mob of which left one dead and the other with serious injuries. The tricky part is in every mob justice attacks foreigners are most likely to get beaten to death and a South African born will most likely to get beaten and not killed. The hate that we have on our African brothers is real. Unemployment plays part in the high rise of crime, of young men and women resorting to selling drugs. Corporate greed mines making a huge profit and not improving the living standards of our people, Salaries that get our brothers killed for wanting an Increase. Mines are depths of hell for miners but a Paradise for The White monopoly.