Carletonville artisanal miners unite to advocate for rights and legal recognition
The National Association of Artisanal Mining (NAAM) was already established in 2014.
Artisanal miners from the Carletonville and Khutsong area have organised themselves into a national structure to try to secure more rights.
According to the Chairperson of the interim committee of the West Rand branch of the National Association of Artisanal Mining, Vuyi Mdunasana, they want to help everyone in the area who produces minerals on their own and adhere to the law.
“The National Association of Artisanal Mining (NAAM) was established in 2014 to advocate for the formalisation of artisanal mining in South Africa. Through its work, the association has contributed to the initiation and finalisation of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Policy in 2022,” he says.
The objectives of the policy are to formalise artisanal and small-scale mining, make sure that it operates in a sustainable manner and contributes to the economy in the form of taxes and royalties through job creation and eliminate illegal artisanal mining operations.
Some of the current members already had mining licenses to, for example, remove dumps left by zama-zamas around Khutsong. They wish to work together with local mining houses in future.
Anyone who wants to know more about the organisation, can call Mdunasana on 079 488 7545.
