The ANCWL statement on 2017 investing in Africa Mining Indaba
6 February 2017
The 2017 Investing in Africa Mining Indaba will be taking place from the 6 to 9 February 2017 in Cape Town. The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) will be disappointed if majority of the participants in the Indaba are males whilst they are various challenges faced by women in the mining industry.
- There is an ongoing sexual voilence on women in the mines. The Indaba must come up with practical measures to stop sexual violence on women in the mines with immediate effect. The rights of women working in the mines must be respected and be protected.
- There is lack of transformation and implementation of the employment equity. According to the Commission of Employment Equity report 2014/15 the 62.4 % top management in the mining sector is white males. The Indaba must come up with practical measures to ensure that 50% women in particular black women form part of the top management in the mining sector by 2018.
Furthermore the ANCWL calls on the Indaba to come up with practical measures to ensure that:
- 50% of mining ownership is by women, black women in particular;
- 50% of procurement and enterprise development is allocated to women, more especially black women
- The mining houses must fast track beneficiation to contribute towards creating jobs that women will be 50 % of the beneficiaries of;
- The housing and living conditions of mine workers in particular for women miners are improved in the country; and
- The mining houses comply to the Social and Labour Plans in terms of socio-economic development of host communities and the labour sending areas.
Failure to address these critical issues and coming up with practical implementable measures, the Indaba will just be another talk show of the previously advantaged not worrying about the protection of the marginalised and inclusion of the previously disadvantaged into the historically male chauvinistic industry.
Issued by Meokgo Matuba, Secretary General of the ANCWL, 6 February 2017
