Community leaders unite to engage the mining companies in their communities

Community Alerts/Kennedy Phalose/Thekwane-Rustenburg/27 July 2017

At the beginning of June 2017, local mining host community leaders from Swartklip to Majakaneng met and formed Greater Local Mining Communities Business Forum to act against community exploitation by mining houses(Anglo American, Sibanye, Lanxess, Glencore,Tharisa, Lonmin, Samancor and the government. They marched to Chamber of Mines offices, Department of Chamber of Mines, Johannesburg Stock Exchange. After a successful march the forum and mining houses were called for intervention meeting by Rustenburg Public Safety there were agreements as usual mining didn’t honour them.

On the 16/07/17 Mfidike community closed roads to Sibanye Khomanani shafts and Anglo’s Waterval Plants the following day in the morning they continued but were met by the brutal force of SAP and mining securities until21/07/2017 fortunately there was only 3 rubber bullets shot casualties from the community and 1 security officer. On the 17/07/2017 Sibanye sent 4 community leaders court interdict smse’s. And they pasted those court interdict papers on every public place they could find. Chamber of Mines requested to meet with the forum on the 25/07/2017. The meeting failed because CoM they did not address the community’s grievances. The communities went back to the streets. Today in the morning 2 community leaders from Mfidike  Thabang Masuge and Brian Phiri were arrested. By Kennedy Phalose