Lonmin
Mine housing: More than bricks and mortar
Amnesty International touched some raw nerves in the mining sector in its recent report, "Smoke and Mirrors", which focuses on Lonmin’s unfulfilled promises to provide houses for its workers
Amnesty International touched some raw nerves in the mining sector in its recent report, "Smoke and Mirrors", which focuses on Lonmin’s unfulfilled promises to provide houses for its workers.The report raises questions about the affordability of social commitments in a changing environment and how mines deal with migrancy and the temporary nature of their operations. But Amnesty International’s regional director, Deprose Muchena, declines to discuss some of the broader issues.He says the point is that Lonmin committed in its 2006 social and labour plan (SLP) to build 5 500 houses for its employees, but only three showhouses were built. As a result, and despite the tragic protests at Marikana prompted by complaints about pay and living conditions, 13 500 Lonmin employees continue to live in squalid conditions in shacks without electricity and plumbing. That undermines their constitutional rights and their dignity.Lonmin’s spokesman, Happy Nkhoma, confirms the facts but says Lonmin ha...
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