JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Mining communities in Africa are often in remote areas, far from where decisions are being made on their behalf, Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa team leader Masego Madzwamuse said on Monday.
Speaking at an event hosted by nonprofit organisation Benchmarks Foundation, in Johannesburg, she stated that these communities were removed from the public discourse and narrative that shapes the development and outcomes that have a direct impact on their livelihoods.
“The continent is well endowed with natural resources and is the largest producer of gold, diamonds and bauxite in the world, as well as having extensive copper and iron-ore deposits,” she pointed out.
She stated that, throughout history, the exploitation of these natural resources had played an important role in creating prosperity for the developed markets, which, in turn, ended up dispensing aid to the African continent, which did not lead to prosperity in Africa.
“In 2013, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) looked at annual revenues that can be generated by resource-rich countries, such as Mozambique, Guinea and Liberia, and found that, if resources were used responsibly, they could eradicate extreme poverty,” she said.
She added that Tanzania and Ghana could narrow the poverty gap by three-quarters if resources were used properly; however, this potential “remains untapped and is undermined by a reality where natural resources are widening the gap between the rich and the poor.”
She said mining areas, in fact, often featured deep pockets of poverty and human rights abuses.
Madzwamuse noted that more than three people a month were murdered in 2015 while defending their right to land, and against theft and destructive industries in Africa.
“Conflicts over mining were the number one causes of killings, followed by agribusiness, dams and logging,” she said.
She also stated that the mining industry has a significant impact on the environment that left a massive rehabilitation debt.
She cited South Africa’s gold mining industry and the acid mine drainage challenge that Johannesburg has to deal with owing to mining activities dating back as far as 50 years ago.
Also speaking at the event Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa natural resource governance manager Percy Makombe said it was important to ask why people were still poor and marginalised on a continent with so much mineral wealth.
“In light of the significant role of mining in Africa, there does not seem to be an Africa-based development tool for mining companies on how they should engage in the business of extraction in a manner that enhances sustainable development, human rights and prevents environmental harm and alleviates poverty,” he stated.
Makombe noted that, while the narrative mining proffers is a promise of economic development and growth, it is not the core focus of mining companies that this growth reaches indigent communities.