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BL Premium reports that precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater has embarked on a variety of socioeconomic development projects at its platinum operations around Marikana, where 44 people were killed 10 years ago, in an effort aimed at changing the narrative around the massacre.
Head of sustainability Themba Nkosi explained: “What we are trying to do as Sibanye is to try and impact the narrative positively. Marikana was tragic. We want to create a new narrative around Marikana, mindful that we will never erase what happened.” On 16 August 2012 police officers gunned down 34 protesting Lonmin mineworkers who were demanding better wages and living conditions. Another 10 people, including security guards, were killed in the preceding week. In a move aimed at showing progress in addressing socioeconomic challenges around its Marikana operations since taking over Lonmin in 2019, Sibanye took journalists on a media tour on Thursday. After acquiring Lonmin, Sibanye set up the 1608 Memorial Trust, which supports 139 beneficiaries — those who were and continue to be affected by the Marikana massacre. The beneficiaries have received contributions totalling R64.5m from the trust to date. Of the 16 widows’ homes the trust wants to build, eight have been finalised while the rest are being built in the Eastern Cape and elsewhere. The group is also providing legal support for widows who have not received any compensation from the state with a view to pursuing compensation. A number of other initiatives were highlighted by the company. But, Jeff Mphahlele of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) claimed that Sibanye was “rushing everything without consulting the union”. He stated: “What they are doing is to rush this 10th year anniversary thing to say: ‘Look, this is what we have done’. They are not doing enough, they are rushing [these projects] and there is a lot of confusion there.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
- Read too, Sibanye continues to make reparations at Marikana, at Mining Weekly
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page