By Senthati Katlego Zasekhaya
The Community of Disake Village, located in the Moses Kotane Local Municipality inthe North West, lives under harsh conditions. Residents are sidelined in terms of critical decisions impacting their lives, with no meaningful consultations or adherence to mining regulations by the nearby mines. The village is surrounded by six major mines: PPC Dwaalboom Cement Mine, Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine, Anglo (Amandelbult), Northam Platinum Mine, Kalaka Mining, and Andelusite Mine.
Since these mines began operating, the community has not benefited. Instead,they continue to face limited employment opportunities, a lack of business and skills development, and exclusion from decision-making processes that directlyimpact on their lives. These frustrations have boiled over into protests, most notably the one that occurred on 12 March 2024. Community members submitted a memorandum to PPC Dwaalboom Cement Mine, demanding consultation and action. Despite this effort, the mine has failed to follow through on its promise to engage with the community, leaving residents disillusioned and frustrated.
The PPC Dwaalboom Cement Mine case is a clear example of a larger issue in Disake Village. Mines continue to promise communities consultations and cooperation but fail to deliver. After the protest in March, there has been no positive response or follow-up from the company, even after the community and MACUA-WAMUA reached out to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).
Thabo Nkgobo, Branch Coordinator for the Disake MACUA branch, emphasises that the ongoing issue is not limited to PPC. Other neighbouring mines also fail to properly consult with the community, despite the direct impact of their operations.
The lack of consultation and compliance has far-reaching consequences. The community is already economically disadvantaged and has not been considered for employment in the mines. Ngcobo points out that youth in Disake have been denied opportunities for skills development or business partnerships, further exacerbating poverty in the area. The dust from passing trucks contributes to pollution, leading to serious health risks. However, the community remains excluded from discussions about how these impacts will be mitigated or how the mines will contribute to the community’s long-term sustainability, which they are obligated to do in terms of existing legislation and in terms of their mining licence.
The crux of the issue in Disake is the lack of consultation, a fundamental right enshrined in South Africa's constitutional framework. The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), which generally is not favourable to communities, at least mandates that communities must be consulted on mining activities that affect them, and how Social and Labour Plans are developed and implemented. However, mines continue to flout these laws, exploiting legal loopholes and benefiting from weak enforcement by government bodies like the DMRE.
The Disake community's struggle for meaningful consultation and compliance reflects a broader issue faced by many mining-affected communities across South Africa. For true progress to be made, mining companies must prioritise their obligations to these communities, not only as a matter of legal compliance but as a vital step toward ensuring social justice and sustainable development.
