Regional Mining Situation in Africa

1.
Gabriel
Sheanopa
Manyangadze

2. African
Response
to
Mining
— The
Africa
Mining
Vision’s
action
plan
comprises
nine
program
clusters
of
activities.
These
include
prudent
management
of
mineral
rents,
building
human
and
institutional
capacities,
mining
sector
governance,
promoting
research
and
development,
dealing
with
environmental
and
social
issues
as
well
as
linkages
and
diversification

3. Mining
Companies
Opera4ng
in
Africa
— Colonialism-­‐to
supply
resources
for
home
economies,
this
set
the
trend
that
continues
today.
—
BHP
Billiton,
the
world’s
largest
mining
group,
has
canceled
about
USD40
billion
projects
in
Australia
mainly
due
to
high
costs,
including
labor-­‐related
expenses.
Such
costs
have
led
to
an
increased
presence
of
multinational
mining
companies
in
Africa.
This
includes
the
world’s
biggest
companies
such
as
— BHP
Billiton,
— Rio
Tinto,
— Anglo
American
— and
Xtrata

4. Mining
Companies
Opera4ng
in
Africa
— Nevsun-­‐
Canada
— Barrick
Gold-­‐Canada
— Anglo
American-­‐
UK
— Vale
from
Brazil
— Anjin
–China
— Lonmin-­‐UK

5. Minerals
Mined
• Gold • Platinum
• Diamonds • vanadium
• chromium • manganese
• uranium • coal
• Iron ore • Copper

6. Impact
on
communi4es,
— Displacement
— Pollution
of
water
sources
that
are
sources
of
livelihood
— Social
impact
from
labour
supplying
communities
and
host
communities-­‐
diseases
like
HIV
and
AIDS
that
has
killed
ma
— Loss
of
land
with
little
or
no
compensation
e.g.
in
Zimbabwe
the
mining
Law
was
enacted
in
1961
at
the
height
of
the
contestation
of
political
power
hence
it
took
away
all
the
rights
from
the
indigenous
communities
— It
has
promoted
corruption

7.
—
leaders
spoke
of
Barrick
Gold's
tactics
in
"suppressing
dissident
voices,
dividing
communities,
and
manipulating
local
and
national
politics".
They
also
related
stories
about
"lack
of
free,
prior
and
informed
consent
for
local
people".

8. impact
on
the
environment
— Environmental
degradation
— Damaging
the
river
ecosystem
— “
After
using
excavators
and
heavy
machinery
to
scoop
sand
from
the
river
and
dumping
it
on
the
river
bank,
Mecassi
Engineering
is
using
mercury,
among
other
chemicals,
to
search
for
gold,
before
channelling
the
polluted
water
back
into
the
river.”
ZBC
News
— Poisoning
the
rivers
— Decimation
of
rare
plants
and
small
animals

9. — The
companies
defy
local
laws
and
pay
a
few
corrupt
top
officials
so
that
they
are
protected"We
found
them
guilty
but
they
have
not
paid
the
fine
and
two
dockets
have
been
opened
with
the
police,"
EMA
Education
and
Publicity
Manager,
Mr
Steady
Kangata
said.
ZBC
News
12
July
2015

10. peoples’
resistance
— In
most
of
Africa
the
colonial
laws
are
still
operational
and
this
makes
it
very
difficult
to
resist.
Howeverthe
following
have
been
done:
— Formation
of
community
development
trust
that
deal
with
issues
surrounding
diamond
mining
in
Marange
— We
now
have
provincial
mining
Indabas/
meetings
that
challenge
the
powers
that
be
that
include
Traditional
Chiefs
and
ministry
of
mines
— National
Alternative
Mining
Indabas
— Alternative
Mining
Indaba
in
Cape

11. Alterna4ve
Mining
Indaba-­‐Hosted
by
Economic
Jus4ce
Network
— It
runs
parallel
to
the
Mining
Indaba
(Mining
Companies,
Financiers,
insurers
and
suppliers)
— The
Alternative
Mining
Indaba
brings
together
host
from
Africa,
Latin
America,
Canada
and
Mynmar
communities,
activists,
faith
based
organisations
who
are
concerned
— Marches
against
the
Mining
Indaba
each
year
and
sends
communique
— Have
started
direct
engagement
with
communities
that
started
this
year

12. Regional
trends
in
the
strategies
of
mining
companies
— In
dealing
with
government
and
people’s
resistance
to
mining,
and
identifying
which
pose
a
threat
to
people’s
communities
and
people’s
movement
— Pushing
for
lower
tax
regimes
and
tax
holidays
e.g.
BHP
had
a
five
year
tax
regime
and
it
closed
siting
uneconomic
ore
production
when
it
had
shipped
millions
of
tonnes
of
unprocessed
ore
— Paying
token
royalties-­‐Barrick’s
threat
to
suspend
operations
once
Zambian
government
trebled
level
of
royalties
to
be
paid
— Declaration
of
losses
in
host
country
through
intricate
accounting
systems
— Corruption
in
dealing
with
government
officials
where
ownership
is
not
declared

13. Mining
struggles
in
the
region
–
which
ones
have
been
successful,
and
lessons
in
the
struggle
(strengths)
— The
highlighting
of
the
archaic
laws
that
have
been
used
in
the
mining
sector
that
has
led
to:
— Africa
mining
Vision
— SADC
Protocol
on
Mining
— Revision
of
mining
laws
in
various
countries,
there
is
a
bill
in
the
parliament
of
Zimbabwe

14. Iden4fy
key
issues/challenges
to
be
resolved
(weaknesses)
— Laws
have
to
be
revised
so
that
they
are
made
in
favour
of
the
host
communities
— Contracts
have
to
be
made
public
so
that
they
are
scrutinised
by
the
public
— Informed
of
the
host
communities
has
to
be
sought
before
operations
begin
— Communities
need
to
be
involved
in
deciding
those
that
are
given
licences
to
mine
— Rehabilitation
fund
has
to
be
paid
during
operations
and
has
to
be
published
and
known
by
the
communities
— Strict
environmental
monitoring
and
publishing
of
environmental
status

15. Thank
you
Obrigado