Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Mme Shabangu, hon Deputy Minister Oliphant, supporting Ministers, chairperson of the portfolio committee, hon Fred Gona, and other chairpersons, members of the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources, Members of Parliament present, officials of the Department of Mineral Resources and guests, you are welcome.
This country, with its 48 million people, leads in the field of diamonds, gold, platinum group metals, PGMs, vanadium, coal and other precious metals such as platinum. However, the possession of these resources is blighted by a worrying mining health and safety record.
Concerns and measurable objectives of the programme are to ensure a reduction in mining-related deaths, injuries and ill health through the formulation of national policy and legislation, the provision of advice, and the application of systems that monitor, audit and enforce compliance in the mining sector.
The number of deaths due to mining incidents for the period of June 2008 to 2009 was 142 deaths of miners lawfully employed and 135 deaths of illegal miners. This is a continuous indication of the never-ending mine fatalities, and the total is viewed as disappointing, despite the fact that the total of mining deaths has decreased by 24% from the total of 221 since 2007.
In regard to classifying fatalities and accident trends in South African mines, a sharp rise of 59% in fatalities classified as general has been reported, including gassings, slipping and falling, fall of material, rolling rock and explosives. In 2007 significant contributors included 25% falling material or rolling rock, 23% slipping and falling, and 23% manual handling of material. All of these could be prevented by mining companies' channelling more investment into safety measures, including training, and detecting risky situations. This has since become an area of concern, the mining health and safety standards, within more legal realms.
There is already an indication that the tuberculosis, TB, infection rates in gold mines are amongst the highest in the South African mining industry. In 2004 the Aurum Institute for Health Research, as well as the Mine Health and Safety Council, were involved in a research programme to determine possible measures to curb the rising incidence of pulmonary TB in the gold mining industry. This was the Prevent TB or Thibela TB project.
The standard programme in operation was compared to the communitywide use of TB treatment such as INH over a nine-month period. The study aimed to show that the communitywide drug therapy successfully combats the rising rate of infections. This then, repeatedly reiterated in the health sector, confirmed that TB is curable.
Understandably, with the effects and complications of HIV and Aids-related problems exacerbating the possible increase in affected mineworkers, it remains unacceptable that there continue to be reports of such a high number of mineworkers who suffer from the disease.
Since the mining industry, amidst its difficulties in regard to employment, continues to have increased mine mass migration, the mineworkers are also growing in numbers and so are the number of commercial sex workers, and with that the threat of HIV and Aids. This leads to further cramped, substandard living conditions, which could further coax the potential spread of these diseases.
This means that there should be improved, co-ordinated work between the Mine Health and Safety entity, the Department of Health, and the mining industry hospitals, as well as health care centres. With free supplies of anti-TB medication, there can certainly be a significant drop in the present statistics.
Also, the notion that the board of directors should be held accountable for ensuring that quarterly reports on health and safety of mineworkers are submitted, inclusive of relevant statistics, should be applied. Furthermore, these should be detailed and accurate, and give a clear downward slide in occupational health diseases prevailing in mines.
I wish to quote hon Minister Shabangu regarding her commitment, stated in the foreword of the 2011-14 Strategic Plan for the Department of Mineral Resources:
... the essence of our mission ... is underpinned by our plans to change the legislative framework and completely transform the mining industry through the meaningful participation of all South Africans.
Even though it is young, the Department of Mineral Resources has certainly proven that this is so. It is improving and we wish to complement you on this.
Looking at the possible changes that need to be made, we wish to encourage speedy work by the department and the Cabinet in ensuring that relevant changes are made and implemented with regard to the review of the Mine Health And Safety Act, which the Minister has already alluded to.
Of critical importance, and a matter for attention, is that of strengthening the Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate, not only in numbers for effective and efficient service delivery, but also in capacity. Furthermore, to ensure the inspectorate's independence from the department in decision-making is a necessity.
One finds a situation where the Mine Health and Safety Inspector is to visit a section of the mining industry for the relevant inspection, and all is made right. As a result, a true reflection of health-related complications, such as injuries on duty, is not clearly seen, and possibly false statistics and reports may be obtained by the department, until we are shocked by public media reports of injuries in mines. There is thus a need for a tighter commitment, bound by law, to the sections in respect of the Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate under the Act. This needs to be seriously looked into.
There is serious and genuine support from the committee for the Department of Mineral Resources, DMR, to continue to look at possible proposals suggesting, amongst other things, that there should be inspectors who would focus only on inspections and audits, and there should also be an investigative unit which would focus only on health and safety investigations and/or inquiries, as stated by Adv Nogxina.
The Mine Health and Safety Council should in its work improve co-ordination with the department and tertiary institutions, in order to ensure that there is a proper target of retaining learners to ensure long-time employment; explore the best-use models around the world; and, instead of complaining of having too little funding, make use of budgetary review mechanisms which will ensure that we are able to use our return on investment plans that are in place in government, something which, by the way, is very good.
The implementation of the Workplace Skills Plan can, for example, ensure circulating funds to issues related to mines and mining sector training and skills development. Skills shortage should not be seen as a challenge, but as an opportunity in the mining sector, especially for previously disadvantaged learners, who continue to grow in numbers.
Sharing sentiments with the public out there; keeping up with the aspirations of the public that we represent in sharing the vast wealth of the industry in order to safeguard jobs after the mine Ministry reported that 25 000 had been lost during the recession; and the improvement of health and safety standards across the board have been suggested. We give these a thumbs-up for speedy development and a change for the better.
Lastly, I wish to hold accountable Adv Sandile Nogxina, Director-General of Mineral Resources, who at the department presented the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, and the Strategic Plan to the portfolio committee on 21 April this year. He said:
We will continue with our stance that if mines cannot mine safely they should not mine at all until effective measures are implemented to safeguard the health and safety of employees.
I hope that the advocate will reconsider leaving the department and stay, because we still need his genuine and expert advice.
Chairperson, please allow me to answer some of the points made by the opposition. They said that the fact was that we were proud that we had won votes, and that was fine, but it was a small drop in the ocean. [Interjections.] If you look at the percentage of votes that the ANC genuinely wins, you will need to go and study your elevations through the ID - your support is not genuine.
You must also stop your obsession with what is happening with Aurora. This is disappointing from the opposition. Please go and have a look at what your ancestors might be praying about before Judgment Day! The issue of Aurora is being attended to. It's a priority in the committee ... [Interjections.] You will say, "Hah!" because you are not part of the committee! The fact remains that it's a priority within the committee and the department, and to concerned South Africans. So, just leave it. The opposition, instead of continuously commenting on this, should be assisting us to find a solution.
Hon Schmidt, you were with us when we went to visit the mines. You are now complaining of the fact that people were not involved in the changing of the Mining Charter but, when you say that they were not consulted, what do you call yourself when you were there in the public hearing consulting with these very people? Stop your hallucinations.
Hon Dexter, stop acting like a saint and being judgmental about the bourgeoisie, the rich and so on. The blacks have worked and earned their money in difficult times, and what they have made presently, they deserve. Remember that Aurora was initially owned by a white mining company which created the disasters we are faced with. We as the ANC are resolving them! [Applause.]
I don't know where hon Alberts from the FF Plus has disappeared to. I would like to tell him in absentia that we are not dealing with nationalisation here. We are dealing with a state-owned mining company for the country, for its wealth to be equally shared amongst its people. We don't know where you are coming from with the fact that we are talking about nationalisation. I thank you, Chairperson.