“We need to correct that there was insufficient consultation and I think we have taken the first step to correct those by having the task team because that is a way of consulting and working, not just in the meeting, but continuously working with the community.”
Mchunu said many residents of the area had complained they were suffering from poverty and unemployment and felt forced to try to make a living from abandoned mines.
“They say we were forced by our own circumstances as people from these townships to look for a living because we are poor and there are no jobs.”
He added that when the concept of Operation Vala Umgodi was put together, it could have been “better or richer if it was coupled with another aspect to address issues within communities where there is illegal mining.
“These communities are also experiencing high levels of unemployment. How do we, in the process, address the two challenges, poverty and unemployment?
“Now, therefore, whoever was involved in crafting Operation Vala Umgodi — aware or non-aware, consciously or unconsciously — they also committed an error, but they were not alone in this.”
Mchunu said stakeholders should have developed a programme to address the issue of poverty and unemployment when implementing Operation Vala Umgodi.
TimesLIVE
https://www.timeslive.co.za/authors/phathu-luvhengo/
www.timeslive.co.za
