MEDIA ALERT: New report on the state of improper mine closures in South Africa

Date: 15/11/2022


Lawyers for Human Rights and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung invites the media to the report launch on the findings of its research on the state of mine closures in South Africa. The report launch is scheduled to take place as follows:

Venue: NG Kerk Blyvooruitzicht, 13 Tower Road, Blyvooruitzicht Mining Village

GPS Coordinates: -26.403456,27.376348

Date: Thursday, 17 November 2022

Time: 10h00 – 12h30

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is an independent, non-profit organisation with a 43-year track record of human rights activism and public interest litigation in South Africa. LHR uses the law as a positive instrument for change to deepen the democratisation of South African society. As part of its work, LHR conducts research and advocacy regarding policy and legislative transformation that is in the public interest. Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung is an internationally operating, progressive non-profit institution for civic education and the representation of democratic socialism. To this end, it facilitates platforms which promote civic participation, critical thinking, research, and dialogue.

LHR and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung have jointly undertaken an assessment of the state of mine closures in South Africa as well as the human right violations and impact these closures have on mining affected communities. The research sought to explore the impacts of improper mine closures from the perspectives of communities. The report highlights the history of mine closure in South Africa, explores the underlying causes and effects of improper mine closure, including private corporate interference in communities and systemic regulatory failure, and makes recommendations for achieving sustainable post-mining communities.

In acknowledgement of the importance of amplifying community voices and their lived realities, this report records first-hand accounts of the mine closure crisis, community views on the impact of mine closure on their lives, and their perspectives on how mine closures should have been managed.

The research report aims to prompt policy development by the South African government to address the human rights consequences of these mine closures, including by tightening legal loopholes, clarifying and expanding existing legislation, and proactively addressing the issue.

Moreover, the report ultimately seeks to demonstrate the shortcomings of the promise of South Africa’s Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) to sustainably uplift mining affected communities, given the thousands of individuals left behind in the aftermath of closure, and to highlight a better way forward for government and regional bodies in respect of the conclusion of the extractive industry business cycle.

The Blyvooruitzicht Mine Village was one of the first cases that perfectly illustrated the broader negative impact of improper mine closure on host communities’ rights and surrounding environment. Launching the report in the Blyvooruitzicht Mine Village will set the scene and tone for the report launch discussion as well as provide community representatives an opportunity to discuss alternatives to the catastrophic legacy of improper mine closures. In the words of the Chairperson of the Blyvooruitzicht Committee, George Kgoroyabotso: “go where the people are. Go where the pain is.”

We invite you to a discussion of the report and its findings. Should you wish to attend, we kindly request that you confirm your attendance with Palesa Maloisane at Palesa@lhr.org.za by close of business on Wednesday, 16 November 2022.

For further information contact:

Mametlwe Sebei, Attorney at Lawyers for Human Rights

Email: Sebei@lhr.org.za

Cell: 081 368 0706

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