Comment
Cyril’s dangerous
dance with
the dragon
Get in touch
@LeonLouw3
[email protected]
www.miningmirror.co.za
A
fter spending four days at the beginning
of September trudging through the
halls and walkways of the Nasrec
showgrounds, trying to contemplate where the
mining industry in Africa is heading, I was left,
yet again, with sore toes, a headache, and —
none the wiser. The Electra Mining Exhibition
happens every two years, and I can never
remember whether the previous one had been
busier and more crowded, and if the sun had
been as hot during lunchtime, while waiting for
my boerewors roll and chips.
To be fair, though, I do remember the rows and
rows of almost deserted Chinese stands. They have
been there forever, and they seem to be growing
in number each time I set foot (by this time,
blistered) in the lair of the Red Dragon.
Nevertheless, I normally try to avoid this hall
for as long as possible, because it seems as if these
exhibitors do not share my enthusiasm (even if it is
a wee bit pretentious) to strike up a conversation.
Whether it is because they do not speak English,
or because I do not speak Mandarin, or because of
the great cultural divide, I mostly get ignored, no
matter how hard I try to look interested in what
they are punting. So, it was only on the last day
of Electra Mining, after lunch, that I entered the
abode of the Celestial Empire.
The reason I get ignored, I concluded, is probably
since my nametag says MEDIA on it, in big bold
letters. I have decided that if there is one thing
that my BRICS cohorts do understand in English,
it is this five-letter word, and it scares the living
daylights out of them. Not that they are to blame.
It is well known that the Chinese government
is blatantly media averse and this phobia seems
to have rubbed off on even the friendliest of
Chinese business person. I have experienced this
phenomenon across Africa. It is near impossible
to access any information from, let alone interview
or photograph, the managers or CEOs of Chinese
companies doing business on the continent.
At lunchtime on the last day of Electra Mining,
I added extra chilli sauce and mustard to my
roll and read reels and reels of articles about the
South African government’s new romance with
President Xi Jinping and his Chinese allies. Big
loans, new deals, large Chinese cities in Limpopo
— of all places. Isn’t that Juju’s stomping
grounds? What will he say? I started trembling
and broke into a cold sweat. Could it have been
the chilli?
Whatever the cause, one thing is for sure:
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s flirtation with
Jinping, according to some, might save the
sinking ship. But, my-oh-my, I see dark days
for the media in South Africa. But then, maybe
the Chinese model of no-free-speech and
shut-out-the-media-at-all-costs fits the South
African government (and some in the business
community) like a glove. After all, was it not the
media that caused the Zuma and Jooste house of
cards to come tumbling down?
If there is one thing that the Chinese
companies (and Ramaphosa) will have to
realise, it is that the media in South Africa
won’t be muzzled, like in many other African
countries. A vibrant and free media has
been the foundation of South Africa’s young
democracy, and not even the strongest of its
BRICS partners will change that.
In-between tasty bites of boerewors rolls,
admiring a few new mining innovations and
pondering the meaning of it all, I decided that
this year I would make a mental note of the
great show. There was more than enough to get
excited about. Most visitors and exhibitors were
optimistic about mining, even in South Africa.
And who knows, come Electra Mining 2020,
I might be able to say more than one word in
Mandarin — something everybody in South
Africa should consider doing.
Leon
Editor
NOVEMBER 2018 MINING MIRROR
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