Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon members, visitors in the gallery, we gather today in this House in a spirit of deep sadness and in an outpouring of condolences.
We are revisited, at least in some ways, with the same feelings of wretchedness that marked events in our many years of struggle. Such memories and emotions we could confidently have believed were confined to the past. But, no, even though we are nearly two decades into our freedom, they are with us today. We must deal with them. We must finally rid this land of them. Our freedom won makes us care deeply.
We weep together as we pause in the everyday course of our lives to solemnly remember those who died in such appalling scenes of tragedy as witnessed during the past few days.
The tragic events at Lonmin's Marikana mine, which reverberated through every corner of our country, shame us all. They drive us on to make amends, to review in utmost depth the happenings in our sector, to check any further outbreaks - indeed, to ensure that these things never happen again.
The events should refocus the collective mind of our nation on answers, not recriminations, on rationality, not rhetoric. We should refuse to be cowed into a state of mind where we accept the notion - popular in certain circles abroad - that we are nothing but a country at war with itself; far from it.
The African National Congress, the party to which I belong, has consistently and throughout its one hundred years stood on the side of natural justice and for the rights of those who, through the sweat of their brow, contribute to the wellbeing of us all.
Having spent countless hours either in meetings or consultations with the affected parties, I have come to understand the events that started from a wildcat strike by approximately 3 000 rock drillers on 10 August, a day after we celebrated National Women's Day. That day is a bittersweet reminder that mothers lost sons, wives lost husbands and the whole nation lost some of the cream of our legendary endeavours underground.
We have met with all stakeholders in the industry and it is clear that we will have to work together to tackle the many socioeconomic challenges in the mining industry. The action taken by the President to cut short his working visit to Maputo and return to the country, my observations on a visit to the mine on Friday, and the decision to set up the interministerial committee which spent the whole day at the mine yesterday, are testimony to the fact that government cares. It is because the government does care immensely about the plight of the affected families, including those of workers who are in hospital, that they were visited by the President, who clearly showed that he was gravely concerned.
We agree sincerely with the President's assertion that this tragedy should be a lesson to all of us. As a department, we furthermore support the commission of inquiry that the President announced and will fully co- operate with it.
So we boldly say in this House today, notwithstanding the shocking events, that we firmly remain a constitutional democracy underpinned by a stoical commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting the rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights. As a mining jurisdiction we have maintained those principles and built mechanisms into our legislation that ensure the transformation and sustainable growth of the country.
We did this in 2004 when we introduced the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act. For the first time in the history of our country, we saw the recognition of the country's minerals as belonging to its people and the vesting of the custodianship of mineral resources in the state instead of individual ownership, as had been the case before. Those changes were introduced against the backdrop of ensuring that all South Africans benefit from the mineral resources of the country.
The new mineral dispensation also introduced socioeconomic responsibility to all holders of mining concessions through the introduction of the Mining Charter. Into this policy, a document with which all mining companies must comply, a social - referring to the communities - and labour plan has been incorporated. All mining companies who are holders of mining rights are required to develop and implement this plan as they engage in their respective mining ventures.
Essential undertakings have been prescribed for stakeholders to comply with in order to ensure an enabling environment for the transformation of the sector. These include human resources development, employment equity, mine community and rural development, housing and living conditions, procurement and ownership and joint ventures.
As part of the implementation of Mining Charter commitments, mining companies are expected to address housing and living conditions of mineworkers. Furthermore, single-sex hostels should be eradicated and informal settlements in mining communities should be addressed. These are some of the issues we as government and the ANC managed to put in place.
I must also say that it is the ANC that led the process of transformation in the mining industry and the leadership of the ANC was there. We have been there all the time. The difference between us and some of you is that we don't do it in public. We engage. That is not new to us; we do it all the time.
As a department, we are working to ensure that companies do comply and implement their transformation commitments. In this regard, the department is addressing, amongst others, the strengthening of compliance inspections in respect of the Mining Charter; strengthening capacity around social and labour plans project selection; and better integration of social and labour plans by numerous companies operating in the same area, for maximum impact.
It surely cannot be correct that mining communities such as those at Marikana and in other mining areas should see prosperity and conspicuous consumption by companies and mine bosses whilst they continue to experience poverty. The mines must redouble their efforts in the cause of good social and labour programmes to ensure that these happen.
We call on the entire mining industry to go beyond dealing with us as a mere regulator towards a situation where they themselves take the initiative to be highly visible and innovative in addressing the socioeconomic issues in the mines and surrounding communities. Transparency should be the order of the day. These communities can be the ones who do the actual peer review of the situation. If they are unhappy, the industry is equally so.
So, if we can all really work together, in a spirit of collaboration and fairness with minimum recrimination, we can use this tragedy to undo many of the wrong practices that still mark the mining sector. That will be a monument to the fallen at Marikana. We shall be able, in time, to look back with sad but steadfast memories, committed to bringing about harmony in the industry instead of strife.
So, we now need to reflect on what we are doing to ensure that these events do not happen again. The mining industry must work on developing practices which ensure that collective bargaining happens routinely in conditions of peaceful co-existence, but also informed by the current Labour Relations Act. I want to say that this country has a Labour Relations Act. We follow unions which we know are registered. We deal with everyone without excluding anyone.
Hon Lekota, we have never met with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, Amcu. We were not aware of Amcu until the incidents which we saw recently. [Interjections.]