Communities across South Africa’s North West province are calling on government to intervene and force mining companies to comply with their legally binding Social Labour Plans (SLPs), which are meant to ensure that host communities benefit from mining operations.
Residents say their frustration has grown due to what they describe as ongoing exploitation by mining companies, including failures to rehabilitate land after minerals are exhausted, prioritise local residents in hiring, support local entrepreneurs, and contribute to the development and maintenance of public infrastructure.
While Social Labour Plans are mandatory for all licensed mining companies, communities argue that enforcement has been weak, often leaving them with no option but to protest in order to have their demands addressed.
“There should be strict monitoring. That’s what we want the president to do because Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) officials are bribed by the mines to not do their work. He has to help us get our share of the minerals,” said Katlego Lesole, a local entrepreneur who claims residents are routinely excluded from business opportunities.
Sebaka Modise, who lives near a mining shaft outside Rustenburg, said companies frequently recruit unskilled labour from outside the province — and even from neighbouring countries — for jobs that should legally go to locals.
“They want cheap labour. That’s why there are so many people from Lesotho, the Eastern Cape and even Mozambique working here in slave-like conditions while we remain unemployed,” Modise said.
Thuso Tlhapane, ANC branch chairperson for Rustenburg’s Ward 41, echoed these concerns, saying unemployment remains stubbornly high despite the area being surrounded by mining operations.
“We have a challenge of unemployment. The painful part is that we are surrounded by mines, but employment is very low. Youth unemployment remains high, as does unemployment among middle-aged people. Even business opportunities are most of the time given to outsiders,” Tlhapane said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged the concerns and indicated that government will introduce new measures, including a rehabilitation fund that mining companies will be required to contribute to.
King Leruo Molotlegi of the Royal Bafokeng Nation also raised the issue during a meeting with Ramaphosa on Wednesday. The president reportedly promised “new ways of doing things”, including compelling mining companies to commit to rehabilitation plans that will be implemented once mining activities end.
Meanwhile, communities are also linking rising crime levels to the province’s mineral wealth, which has attracted illegal mining syndicates. Armed groups involved in illegal mining have reportedly threatened residents’ safety.
Since December, authorities have launched a crackdown on illegal mining in the Bapong Ba Mogale area, where villages have been disrupted by scavengers searching for chrome.