Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured today to take part in this debate at a time when we are celebrating Tata Nelson Mandela's 20-year anniversary of his release from prison. It is also a very important year as we are going to have the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
President Jacob Zuma said we have in the fourth Parliament five key priorities, which we have to make sure we deliver on as it is time we speed up service delivery. The five priorities are health, education, jobs, fighting crime and rural development.
I am going to talk about mine health and safety, which are the most important things in terms of mines. As it is said, a healthy country has healthy workers and a healthy economy. The men and women who work in the belly of the earth in terms of mineral resources are very critical to the country's growth.
Worker competitiveness is one of the fundamentals. We have to make sure that they are in a good and healthy condition and that they are not exposed to diseases such as TB, HIV and Aids, as well as mine dust and loss of hearing.
The department has sent 14 health inspectors for training. This is a sign of a caring government. However, the industry is still not yet ready to treat workers like people who are worth respecting as they lack privacy and still share accommodation.
Mining has unique circumstances that impact negatively on disease burdens. In the mines, diseases can be categorised into two broad types: firstly, there are diseases directly attributable to mining, such as silicosis; and, secondly, there are occupational diseases such as HIV and Aids, TB from silicosis-causing dust, and hearing loss. These diseases are being increased by the disruption of family structures, overcrowded accommodation and social ills.
The reduction of hostel occupancy from 16 to four people is unacceptable. The conversion of hostels into family units and the promotion of home ownership are totally inadequate.
There is also not enough balanced nutrition owing to the outsourcing of balanced nutrition service providers.
In 2003 the industry set targets for the elimination of silicosis. Of the targets set in 2008, 95% of all exposure measurement results are below the occupational exposure limits for respirable crystalline.
The legacy of derelict and ownerless mines continues to impact negatively on the licensing of mining operations, despite the fact that the current operational mines have met their responsibility as this relates to the maximum compliance with the prevailing legislative regime and relevant best practices.
South Africa has a long history of mining. With the promulgation of the Minerals Act of 1991, it has only recently developed and implemented comprehensive legislation to regulate the environmental management and mining closure process. However, to date, South Africa has developed comprehensive legislation and policies on health, safety and environmental management issues, and in terms of the entire governance of the minerals industry.
Most of the compliant current operational mines, in particular the chambers, have therefore implemented systems, programmes and measures to effectively manage health, safety and environmental impacts resulting from mining activities. This is part of ensuring that the existing industry does not create unsustainable legacies in the future.
The current operational mines do not have any legal obligations or responsibilities owing to a large number of historical mining operations that have been abandoned by their operators, as they relate to the legacies, with little or no regard for their impact on public health and safety or the environment.
Preliminary estimates of the Department of Mineral Resources are that there are 5 096 derelict and ownerless mines in South Africa, resulting in an approximately R30-billion liability for the government. The liability estimation excluded the costs of management and treatment of acid mine drainage by the state.
In many cases, these derelict and ownerless mines have a significant impact on the health and safety of local communities and on the environment. Public health and safety impacts include those owing to physical features of the mines such as open shafts, unstable slopes on dumps and pits, collapsed features and abandoned mine infrastructure. Other hazards have resulted from contaminated water and soil, mining chemicals, explosives, radioactivity, wind-blown dust and, in the case of coal mines, the spontaneous combustion of coal and coal waste.
In light of the current rate of the implementation of the rehabilitation programme by the Department of Mineral Resources, this impact will haunt the industry for many years to come.
The Auditor-General recently raised concerns in Parliament and the media about the impact of these mines that continue to plague the industry. This happened irrespective of the fact that the current operational mines are accepting their responsibilities and complying with the necessary obligations. Moreover, in the areas of cumulative and integrated impacts, pollution emanating from the derelict and ownerless mines has a direct impact on the current operational mines. A policy challenge, in terms of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act, is that any investor interested in mining an unrehabilitated, abandoned or ownerless site has to take over the entire liability on site. As a result, new businesses are unlikely to invest in areas where pollution from old dumps is still a threat, given the cost implications. Furthermore, these mines also have a direct impact on current operational mines, especially in instances in which these mines occur in the vicinity of the current operational site.
Mining has unique circumstances that impact negatively on the disease burden. Diseases in mining can be categorised into two broad types. The first category is directly attributed to mining, such as silicosis and occupational TB from silica dust, and noise-induced hearing loss. The second category is that of diseases such as HIV/Aids and nonoccupational TB, which are due to indirect factors.
In 2003, the industry set targets for the elimination of silicosis. With regard to industry targets for the elimination of silicosis by December 2008, 95% of all exposure measurement results had to be below the occupational exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica - 0,l mg per m3. These results are individual readings and not average results. After December 2013, using present diagnostic techniques, no new cases of silicosis should occur among previously unexposed individuals.
The present noise exposure limit specified in regulations is 85 decibels. After December 2008, the hearing conservation programme implemented by the industry must ensure that there is no deterioration with regard to hearing loss greater than 10% amongst occupationally exposed individuals. By December 2013, the total noise emitted by all equipment installed in any workplace must not exceed a sound pressure level of 110 decibels.
According to data from the Department of Mineral Resources, there has been an improvement since 2005 in meeting the target for silica dust - 95% of dust measurements being below the occupational exposure limit, although a slight regression was recorded in 2007. There is no report to indicate if the target was met in 2008.
The number of silicosis cases has not decreased and has stabilised around 1 600 reported cases per year since 2006. It remains to be seen if people who entered the industry in 2008 will have silicosis by 2013. But cases of silicosis will still occur.
The rate of claims for noise-induced hearing loss has shown a steady decline over the years and there is a real possibility that industry targets can be met. More than 80% of employees in 2007 were still exposed to machinery emitting noise levels greater than 85 decibels. The ANC supports this budget. [Time expired.] [Applause.]