Stakeholders in the mining sector say it’s high time that mining companies invest in the host communities and are calling on the government to strengthen its oversight to ensure that this happens.
This emerged at the launch of the Business Forum Platform, where Impala Platinum and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the Rustenburg area committed to working together. Fourteen business forums from 29 villages of Bafokeng and 17 surrounding communities in Rustenburg have formed the Mine Host Community Business Forum.
These small business owners say it’s a step in the right direction:
“We’re confident and we’re fully behind this process as our members and the constituents.”
“All the programs and opportunities that we seek from the mine, we have the capacity to deliver. We don’t want business whereby we will cripple the operation of Impala.”
Mining sector stakeholders call for companies to invest in host communities:
Impala Platinum mine CEO Mark Munroe says although Impala has awarded some contracts to local companies, he believes the company can still do more to empower more SMMEs.
“We’ve awarded some big contracts to local community companies. However, I think there’s a big role to play in facilitating and improving it. So once again, this enables us to communicate to see what the needs of the community are and how we can grow these small businesses. Remember, this is one element that you’ve seen but actually, it’s a multi-pronged approach to improving business in the local community. We have other projects as well that integrate into this in developing local SMMEs to training programs, facilities that we offer to them and things like that to up the level of local business,” says Munroe.
Mining Conference gets under way in Polokwane:
