Minerals Council calls for govt intervention in Richards Bay
The Minerals Council South Africa has condemned the ongoing acts of violence, criminal activity, serious threats to security and failures by law enforcement agencies to perform their constitutional mandate to uphold the rule of law and order that are impacting on mining companies with operations in the Richards Bay area, and elsewhere in the country.
Continued acts of lawlessness, including blockages of roads, burning of equipment and intimidation of staff at mining operations are “not only unacceptable and damaging to the country’s reputation as an investment destination, but also impact the lives and livelihoods of mining employees, their families and surrounding communities", the council stressed in a statement on June 30.
It further lamented that the closure of mining operations owing to security concerns negatively impacted on production, employment and investment, and would ultimately have severe adverse economic and social consequences.
The council also referred to the murder of Nico Swart, Rio Tinto Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) operational services GM, last month, and others who have suffered the same fate, as “a tragedy that will forever tarnish our country’s reputation”.
The Minerals Council has therefore called on government to “act swiftly to urgently restore” law and order in the area, stating that urgent action by the national Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster was needed.
Rio Tinto, in a separate statement on June 30, announced that it had ceased operations at RBM “until the safety and security position improves”. All mining and smelting operations at RBM have been halted until further notice.
Violence in the area continues as community members reportedly started burning mine equipment at the start of June, amid a continuing dispute with the mine, which includes a traditional leadership squabble and another in which locals demand to be employed at the mine, Mining Weekly reported.
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