SANEDI, MDA work together to support South African mineworkers

13th August 2020

By: Simone Liedtke

Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

     

Font size: - +

The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) and the Mineworkers Development Agency (MDA) have signed a partnership agreement that will result in them collaborating to bring relief to the country’s former mineworkers and their communities in the wake of mine closures and the ever-growing prevalence of mining “ghost towns” and other poverty-stricken areas.

An important element of this partnership is offering immediate Covid-19 support to 200 identified needy families, who are worst affected by the pandemic in mining communities in the Free State and North West provinces.

SANEDI and MDA will be providing packages that include portable liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove systems with a number of LPG refill vouchers to minimise the impact of lack of access to efficient and effective cooking fuels.

The identified families are currently using traditional fuels that pose a detrimental indoor air-quality challenge that can exacerbate the risks associated with the pandemic, according to an  August 13 statement.

“Together with the MDA, SANEDI can establish effective and sustainable energy systems that will ensure communities optimise their energy use while instilling effective resource optimisation combined with sustainable waste management practices. 

"Key to this is a systems approach to resource management including waste-to-energy initiatives that contribute towards the circular economy in these operations,” explains SANEDI Working for Energy Programme GM David Mahuma.

As part of the MDA’s mandate, which complements the work of the Department of Social Development, it must provide healthcare support to those former mineworkers who are HIV positive, have tuberculosis or other illnesses.

MDA CEO Tshimane Monteodi says “this partnership with SANEDI comes at an opportune moment in terms of the provision of efficient and effective cooking and heating sources for former mineworkers and their communities”.

He adds that the pandemic and winter season further exacerbated the already vulnerable grouping, owing to occupational health related diseases.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION