Jubilee South Africa
Press Statement
14 December 2009
Unemployed people from Mapela and Mokopane in Limpopo province will march to Anglo Platinum PPL mine tomorrow to highlight the lack of employment in and around the mine.
Anglo Platinum and other mining companies use the promise of employment as a key element of their strategy to divide communities so as to minimise opposition to their planned mining operations. The mining operations then cause untold damage to communities, their environment, livelihoods and health, but the promise of jobs invariaby remains largely unfulfilled.
This is particularly the case at the PPL mine. It is an open cast mine causing extensive environmental destruction by means of capital-intensive production methods with low levels of employment.
There is a labour desk at the mine, but hundreds of people wait at the main gate every day in the hope of getting a job only to have their hopes dashed time and again. Occasionally some people are employed for a set time or by a company contracted by the mine for a specific task, but in the main people are not getting jobs.
Over the last few years, Anglo Platinum has been in the spotlight for removing the Motlhohlo communities to Armoede and Rooibokfontein to make way for the expansion of its operations, but a mere 50 people have been employed, 25 from each village.
The march will be from the tar road from Ga Molekane to the Anglo Platinum PPL Mine from 11h00 to 14h00. It will be a march of the unemployed with support from communities in the surrounding area, including traditional leaders from Hans, Ga Chaba, Ga Machikiri and Sterkwater.
For more information, contact:
Bennett Mabukela 076 020 9911, Saul Mabe 071 351 8370, Phillipos Dolo 073 789 2489.
George Dor +27 (0)11 648 7000 +27 (0)76 460 9620 george@mail.ngo.za