The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, says that minerals must be processed locally so that jobs can be created through beneficiation. He was addressing party supporters during the launch of the EFF’s 2019 Limpopo election manifesto in the mineral rich in Burgersfort in the Sekhukhune area.
Malema says that industries should be established near the mines in order to ensure mineral beneficiation.
“We can only process it here if we open industries, if we hire our people to process the minerals that’s what we call beneficiation there must be beneficiation here in Sekhukhune “ene le tla bona beneficiation ke mebereko,” says Malema.
Meanwhile, Malema has criticised the arrest of illegal chrome miners in the Sekhukhune District of Limpopo. Malema says the mining house, Samancor, holds chrome mining rights, but is not mining despite the high unemployment rate in the area.
Several people have been arrested for the alleged illegal mining of chrome, which is found just below the surface.
Speaking mostly in Sepedi during the launch of EFF’s 2019 provincial election manifesto, near Burgersfort, Malema said people wanted to make a living from their mineral rich land.
“They were not mining chrome. When you mine it and enrich yourselves with your chrome, they are against it … Samancor must start mining otherwise our people will mine.”
