Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe says mining companies’ profits should determine their contribution to community development.
His statement comes after communities expressed disappointment at the North West Mining and Energy Investment Conference held in Rustenburg.
They say mining companies are not doing enough to develop the communities on whose land they extract minerals.
Mantashe says the mining companies’ ability to implement community outreach programmes depends on their size.
“They must develop social labour plans and say, ‘our capacity is to be able to do this social labour plan’ and then do it. When there’s a bigger capacity, they must build a bigger school. When they don’t have that capacity, it must be a smaller school or a small clinic. Other mines are running at a loss, they don’t make money. You must wait for them to break even and make some money.”
