The Jagersfontein Transformation Committee joined an online meeting to launch a guide on ca community cosultation and consenton
Thabo Ishmael Choledi
The meeting was underway on Thursday, October 3, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM CAT.
As a committee, we are very pleased that we were able to participate in the meeting organized
by Corruption Watch, Seriti Resources, the Legal Resources Centre, Webber Wentzel, and the
Minerals Council of South Africa.
As mining victims, we attended the meeting seeking assistance regarding a company that
operates above the law, both locally and nationally. We also aimed to understand our rights
under the law as communities affected by mining operations. Our mine has already violated
legal standards and the human rights of our communities.
We could only attend the meeting for an hour due to the phone’s battery. I have decided to
leave. a message for the corruption watch, asking for their intervention regarding the mine. We
wrote the message and left it for the corruption watch as follows:
As a community in Jagersfontein, we have formed a committee to address the issues related to
the mine disaster. We have submitted our concerns and are still awaiting a response. We
strongly recommend the formation of a commission of inquiry for the community’s benefit. As a
group representing the Jagersfontein Transformation Committees, we hope that Corruption
Watch will urgently address our concerns.
This is part of our action plan, and we still have many to accomplish. We are currently working
on the organization’s constitution so that we can register and have a voice. Unfortunately,
nothing in Jagersfontein has gone well; even their consultations have been poor and
unsuccessful. During one meeting, Sipho, the chairperson of the Jagersfontein Community
Trust, tried to dictate our discussion. He was warned about his behavior but chose to leave the
meeting, demonstrating that he doesn’t care about the community. Similarly, Billy Billankulu also
refuses to listen to our concerns and only pursues his agenda.
The meeting was held on Thursday, October 3, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM CAT. As a
committee, we were pleased to participate in the meeting organized by Corruption Watch, Seriti
Resources, the Legal Resources Centre, Webber Wentzel, and the Minerals Council of South
Africa.
As mining victims, we attended the meeting seeking assistance regarding a company that
operates unlawfully, both locally and nationally. We also aimed to understand our rights under
the law as communities affected by mining operations. Our mine has already violated legal
standards and the human rights of our communities.
Unfortunately, we could only stay for an hour due to a low phone battery. I decided to leave a
message for Corruption Watch, asking for their intervention regarding the mine. We wrote the
following message:
As a community in Jagersfontein, we have formed a committee to address the issues related to
the mine disaster. We have submitted our concerns and are still awaiting a response. We
strongly urge the establishment of a commission of inquiry in the interest of the community. As
representatives of the Jagersfontein Transformation Committees, we hope that Corruption
Watch will urgently address our concerns.
This message is part of our plan of action, and we still have much to accomplish. We are
currently working on the organization’s constitution so that we can register and have a voice.
Unfortunately, nothing has gone well in Jagersfontein; even the consultations have been poor
and unsuccessful. At one meeting, Sipho, the chairperson of the Jagersfontein Community
Trust, attempted to dominate our discussion. He was warned about his behavior but chose to
leave the meeting, demonstrating a lack of care for the community. Similarly, Billy Billankulu
refuses to listen to our concerns and only pursues his own agenda.
