Community still not satisfied with mine

MOSESETJANE – The ongoing protests by various communities directed at Platreef mine (Ivanplats) outside Mokopane continued on Wednesday. The protests, which are mainly about employment and the lack of water, continued despite a promised resolution between the parties on Monday.
Police witnessed mostly young community members in protest. They were blocking the N11at the mine and its entrance with rocks and burning tires.
Police was told that a resolution was reached after a meeting between IvanPlats and the community on Monday.
However, tempers flared again on Wednesday morning as community members told the police that they are still not satisfied to live in poor conditions, especially living without water. They say the mine promised in a meeting on Monday to come back to them the following day which they failed to do. They feel undermined by the mining giant for not adhering to their many pleas for jobs.
“Ivanplats is extremely concerned about the recent protests which have also been directed at neighboring mines,” says Jeremy Michaels, vice president for communication and public affairs for Ivanhoe Mines SA. “Violent protests are not at all helpful, especially in the current economic climate where the mining sector is facing difficult conditions. We encourage community members to engage with company representatives instead of protesting and, in the process, aggravating an already difficult economic environment.”
Michaels adds that it is important to note that Ivanplats is in the construction phase and, given that it is building a mine, it is not generating any income and will not be doing so for several years to come.
“This means we rely on investors who are putting their money into the project,” he explained.
“The mine is using thousands of liters of water per day for their
mining processes, but when we speak to them they say they are far away from us,” one of the protesters stated. They also claim that there is a lack of water in the village.
Communities are furthermore claiming that mine management is only employing people from
Mahwelereng. They accuse mine management of
negotiating in bad faith and threaten to continue blocking the entrance until given an acceptable
resolution.
“Regarding the reasons for the protests, the Platreef Project currently employs close to 700
people, 71% of whom are locals from the communities surrounding the construction site," says Michaels. "It is a patent lie for anyone to say that we do not employ locals and the protesters must also understand that we cannot employ everyone in the community.”