The South African Ba-Phalaborwa Indigenous Community marched to the Palabora mining company’s office to hand a memorandum to Rio Tinto’s Subsidiary in demands of their rights, on Wednesday the 21st November.
In a press release, the Community stated that:
“Amongst others in the memorandum, Ba-Phalaborwa demands:
1. Full compensation for mining on the Indigenous Lands for 55years or so without prior consent of the community
2. Compensation for depriving Ba-Phalaborwa of their livelihoods and means of subsistence, considering that prior to that, Ba-Phalaborwa were mining iron and copper, processing and trading with it locally and internationally
3. Full ownership of the rights to their lands, resources and wealth for the development of the indigenous community for the preservence and sustainability of the future generation
4. Full ownership of the rights to their lands, resources and wealth for their industrial development in accordance with their culture and tradition and to protect their right to economic development and stability
5. Respect for human rights in its totality
6. Rio Tinto respects the Rights of Indigenous People as declared by the united Nations
7. Compensation on the damage inflicted on Indigenous Lands by the their operations without prior approval by the indigenous Community (Environment)
8. Stop haulling our magnetite to Mozambique with immidiate effect.
9. Ownership and control of our resources to persue our own free chosen path of development for our own benefit.
10. Our rights in resuming our mining tradition to create wealth which will be invested in other economic enterprises and in education and Innovation as well as social projects for our community.
“We are ready to ascertain that our rights as indigenous peoples are going to be protected and be promoted through national and international human rights instruments, we will go to any length and hight to have our community take significant part in the democracy of our country which we believe that Fundamental Human Rights is the cornerstone thereof.”