Hon House Chair, hon Minister, all protocol observed, I am indeed grateful to be able to take part in this very important debate that relates to the profound yet tragic story of our mining sector and the atrocious conditions facing many mineworkers across South Africa.
I refer to the story of our mining sector as profound because it is a story that narrates the development of our economy from its infancy to the current vibrant and resilient economy that is the envy of many countries across the world.
Today, mining remains the main driving force behind the history and development of our vibrant economy. On average, mining contributes 20% of South Africa's GDP and remains one of the country's major employers, with more than one million people in mining-related employment.
South Africa has the largest reserves of chrome, gold, vanadium, manganese and six precious metals that are commonly known in the mining sector as the platinum-group metals, or the PGMs. We remain the leading producer in nearly all of Africa's metal and mineral production. The story of our mining sector brings with it very sad tales of how many families lost their loved ones under the atrocious and harsh working conditions in some of our mines. Indeed, this is a reality that many of our mineworkers continue to endure even today.
Mineworkers face the extremely harsh reality of working under utterly atrocious and undignified conditions. They work and live in poorly ventilated conditions that expose them to tuberculosis and other chest infections.
Health care for mineworkers is often poor. Screening for communicable diseases such as TB is inconsistent and unverified. Migration back and forth between home and mine, coupled with poor health care services and monitoring, reduces the likelihood of diagnosis and increases the chance of treatment interruption and failure.
In a study published in 2010, titled "Mining and Risk of Tuberculosis in Sub-Saharan Africa", researchers at Oxford and Brown Universities estimate that the mining industry in Africa accounts for 750 000 TB infections every year and the largest share of this is from the Southern African region.
Although there has been a marked reduction in fatalities in our mines, our mines still have poor safety records and remain a death trap for mineworkers. The Chamber of Mines of South Africa reports that in 1995 a total of 533 mineworkers died in our mines and that this figure dropped to 199 in 2006. Of these, falls of ground dominated the causes of death, at 72 deaths; machinery, transportation and mining accidents caused 70 deaths; and the remainder were classed as general deaths.
What is even more worrying is that, among the machinery, mining and transportation fatalities in our mines, there were miners working on grizzlies without safety belts and working below loose rocks in ore passes. Many of these were crushed by the deadly combination of a loco and a ventilation doorframe and working on running conveyors, which are an indication of the serious safety contraventions that take place in our mines. In some instances, miners die due to drilling into misfires, which is also a clear example of sloppy and unsafe mining.
Today we want to say to the hon Minister: there should be zero tolerance of death in the mines. We are making a passionate plea to you and your department to wage a war against mine owners who show utter disregard for the safety of our people. We need to put our shoulders to the wheel to put an end to the atrocities that mine owners perpetrate against our people.
We need to clamp down on unscrupulous mine owners who continue to demonstrate utter disregard for the rights and safety of our people. We need to expand our monitoring systems by enhancing the work of the Inspectorate of Mine Health and Safety, in order to stop the utter disregard for and the violation of the provisions of the Mine Health and Safety Act by mine owners.
Let us join hands to advance "our national efforts to make mine safety a business imperative in our mines" and make those who dare hinder our efforts pay the highest price. I thank you.