Anglo Platinum has called for mining companies, communities and nongovernmental organisations to work together to ensure conflicts between mining firms and communities are resolved.

Research from Bench Marks into the processes of community consultation revealed that there were several problems in the consultations with locals and Anglo Platinum insisted that it was willing to help the situation.

Mpho Matjila, Head of Community Engagement at Anglo Platinum, said that all the parties had a common goal.

"Let us all group together and chart the way forward, let us acknowledge the good things that are being done, and let us also have the maturity to acknowledge the mistakes that we have made, commit to resolve them, and work on resolving them as a team - that is the only way we can go forward," he explained.

According to reports from Mining Weekly, Anglo Platinum spent about R127 million on community projects last year and was set to spend more in 2008.

Bench Marks moved to commend Anglo Platinum's sustainability report and Head Researcher David van Wyk said: "Anglo Platinum's corporate social responsibility report is so good that it opens itself up for criticism."



Source:

Mining companies' community consultation processes flawed - NGO, 07/06/08
http://www.miningweekly.com/article.php?a_id=134926