• MINING INDABA
Human rights abuses These principles – published as the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas – affect mines which source minerals from artisanal miners , or any other mines for that matter , he said .
Operational decisions taken by the mines will invariably impact on these workers . Katuta helps mines to facilitate the compulsory consultative process – as part of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment – to ensure that social development plans align with the real needs and preferences of the communities .
“ Due to the history of human rights abuses in cobalt mining , investors and lenders are cautious about being involved in transactions in this sector , especially in Africa ,” he said .
He noted that large volumes of cobalt were shipped out of Africa for processing abroad , so the due diligence process was now also starting to target the entire supply chain , even shipping companies – to track who is engaged in the logistical aspects of this trade . This is the only way of ensuring that minerals cannot be fed into a processing facility without its provenance being known .
Fair operation and trade “ Quite a few Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing Standards incorporate the OECD due diligence framework to check for human rights compliance , and also the International Labour Organization ’ s ( ILO ) requirements to monitor labour conditions ,” explained Jordaan . “ Similarly , organisations like the Fair Cobalt Alliance focus on artisanal and small-scale mining , making interventions where they can in areas such as environmental rehabilitation .”
These guidelines , standards and groups are playing a steadily more important role in assuring lenders , end-users and consumers that the commodities in their products have been sourced responsibly . Philippe Katuta , stakeholder engagement specialist in SRK Congo ' s office in Lubumbashi , said that government in the DRC was working towards formalising artisanal mining , but this was a difficult task .
“ Government has tried to introduce more control over where artisanal mining can take place , and the channels through which the product can be sold ,” said Katuta . “ One of the challenges is that government doesn ’ t monitor directly what actually happens at an operational level – so problems like unsafe working conditions and the use of child labour are not completely eliminated .”
Engagement Also , he said , the miners themselves still earn only a fraction of the income that is generated – which undermines the potential impact of mining on community livelihoods . The interplay between formal mining companies and the artisanal workers remains a complex and difficult issue , but it is becoming clear that engagement is the best way forward .
As a basic foundation , for instance , mines are required to develop and apply a systematic Cahier de Charge – a plan for local social development – in consultation with local stakeholders . The communities that this plan affects often includes artisanal miners , who frequently work in deposits close to the mine itself .
All images supplied by SRK Consulting
SRK Consulting helps mines to facilitate processes that ensure social development plans align with real needs of communities .
“ Artisanal mining sites tend to be served by many informal businesses , set up by community members drawn to these busy locations ,” he said . “ Where a formal mine is operating close to an artisanal area , there is scope for those small businesses to be drawn into the mine ’ s supply chain – and developed as sustainable enterprises .”
Natural environment The environmental issues that relate to artisanal mining also remain a concern for mines and government , according to Kirsten King , principal environmental scientist at SRK Consulting . King , who has worked extensively in the copper and cobalt mines around the Kolwezi area , noted that the environmental impact of informal workings is usually not mitigated or rehabilitated – and can pollute the local area with residues from chemicals like mercury .
True resilience requires cost competitiveness in the context of an external environment that requires sustainable environmental and social practices .
26 • African Mining • January 2024 www . africanmining . co . za