Two years after 44 people were killed in the vicinity of Lonmin’s Marikana mine, it was time for less talk and more action from mining houses to restore confidence in the sector among its communities, the company’s chief executive, Ben Magara, said on Friday.
Little has changed since the killings in Marikana. Violence continues, underlying problems are largely unresolved and labour unrest has remained a challenge.
The Mining Lekgotla, a think tank hosted by mining houses, the industry regulator and labour unions held in Johannesburg last week did little to address the sector’s challenges. After the two-day event, organisers were yet to indicate their commitments to the sector.
The event did not attract communities and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, which led a five-month strike in the sector earlier this year.
“What we need now is less talk and more action. Rather spend a week building infrastructure or simplifying legislation than talking about it,” Michael Kavanagh, a mining analyst at Noah Capital, said.
The second anniversary of the killings comes while the Farlam Commission is still looking into why and how the events occurred.
Lonmin commemorated its fallen employees last week and committed to uplifting communities where it operates. Magara was absent from the legkotla, saying business came first.
“The lekgotla came during the week that changed our lives at Lonmin. To go on stage and speak of flowery things is not on. This is a time that tangible things need to be done so that people can see the progress that we are making,” Magara said.
Lonmin had opened a science laboratory in Lesotho, a school in the Eastern Cape and erected lights in Nkaneng township to curb crime, Magara said. It had started constructing houses after buying 50 hectares of land and was also paying for the education of the 143 children of the deceased employees.
Julius Malema’s EFF said on Friday it would build houses for the families of the Marikana victims, and pay for the schooling of the children whose fathers died.
Of the 44 people who died in August 2012, 34 were killed when police opened fire on protesters on August 16. Magara said 42 Lonmin mineworkers were killed in the labour unrest of 2012.
More than 24 mineworkers from various mines had already been murdered in and around Marikana before the August 16, 2012 shootings, Cosatu said in its statement on Friday.