Women in Mining Webinar
Community Monitors (supported by the Bench Marks Foundation) organised a Zoom Women in mining webinar.
The speakers were Phindile Ngobene (activist from Ikemeleng Rustenburg), Francinah Nkosi (activist from Lephalale), Limpopo and Dr Asanda Benya (Activist and Academic UCT).
Key points in the discussion – Women are trained from child not to work in the (mining) industry, industry up to today is shaped around the needs of the male body. Women in communities suffer enormously in communities near mines. We are trapped in wanting jobs from mining and wanting at the same time to end mining that destroys communities and the environment. We intensify our struggles for a post mining economy and an industry shaped around the needs of all people not simply men.
Immediately women must come together to organise around food production and a clean-up and rehabilitation of the mess left by mining. Women must lead a women’s charter on mining as it is and an impact assessment that in includes strongly the protection of women. This is the first in series of webinar that the Bench Marks will host, the next being a discussion on a post mining economy. We expect a strong feminist perspective in these discussion following the Women’s webinar.