Emalahleni youth raises concerns in mining summit

Mining gurus in the province met up with youth in and around eMalahleni in the eMalahleni Job, Business and Community Development Summit to discuss their grievances and just about everything on mining matters.

The youth took the opportunity to voice their concerns and dissatisfaction with how the companies were running business in the region. Just a few days earlier the same group had embarked on a strike and had burnt down trucks.

“We just don’t understand how the mines would not hire locals, fix our roads and adhere to the promises they made when they wanted to establish businesses here,” said one of the youth angrily.

Anglo American, Exxaro, Glencoe, and Highveld Steel were there to take note of what they had to say. Communications manager of Anglo American, Moeketsi Mofokeng said their company understood very well the issues put forward by the youth and would do anything possible to attend to them.

“We have attended all three days of the summit and we are not invalidating their concerns, we also understand that our challenge has always been communication – they don’t know what we are doing and we don’t know what they want.

Now that the communication barrier has been sorted out, we believe there will be victory,” he said.
Corruption is a word that seemed to have popped up repeatedly during the summit and it had the youth cheering in backup whenever mentioned.
“It is not corruption per se, but we know that there are job scams going around the province, people are being asked to pay money through Shoprite to get certain jobs. We are aware of it and are sorting it out,” he added.

Business moguls in the construction sector around the province were also there to take note of what the youth and mining sector wanted in the form of mediation. One businessman said this was the gesture that the youth were not fighting with government, but were just expressing their dissatisfaction about with the mining conditions in their respective areas.

“We have invited representatives of the premier Mr David Mabuza’s office to come and mediate the summit too, and we have cut the cake in order to celebrate his birthday on August 25, to show that we are not in an antagonistic relationship with the government,” said Themba Sigudla, one of the businessmen who attended the summit.
All those present agreed on one thing, “Happy birthday, Premier David Mabuza, long live!”