Mining outrage
The Mining Affected Communities United In Action (MACUA) group protested outside the Mining Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre on 28 August.
The affected communities called on government to consider their demands and interests during the review of mining legislation and policy changes, such as the draft Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) Amendment Bill.
The demands include housing, rehabilitation of land and regulation of acid mine drainage.
According to the group’s Toto Nzamao, the protest calls on the organisers of the Mining Lekgotla to broaden the scope of engagement on the future of mining in South Africa to include the organised formations of mining-affected communities.
“We are protesting against the exclusion of communities affected by this mining conference. We feel there is nothing without community,” said Nzamao.
Camped outside the Sandton Convention Centre since yesterday, protesters held up banners, while their voices echoed through song and verse.
One of the signs read: “Nothing about us without us.”
“We are here to say people are dying down there in the mines,” said the group’s representative Meshack Mbangula.
Communities from all affected provinces have joined the protest, which is set to continue until the conclusion of the summit.
