Mining Commodity Review
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized 1 1 Notes: 2 This report can be obtained from University Research South Africa Final Report, 08 December 2014 Mapping of Mineworkers and Ex-Mineworkers in Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland Phase 1 Regional TB Service Delivery Framework Contact Details: Bay Technologies P.O. Box 444, Pretoria, 0001 660 Mike Boulevard, Willow Acres Ext 12, No 5 Silver Place, Silverlakes, Pretoria Email: [email protected] Tel: +27 809 0171 Fax: 086 611 5078 3 PREAMBLE Snapshot of Mining History in South Africa Mining in South Africa has shaped the country culturally, economically and politically. It directly contributed to the establishment of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in the late 19th century, and today it still accounts for a third of its market capitalisation (Source: Mining IQ Mining Intelligence Database). The history of mining in South Africa goes back as far as the Dutch (Simon van der Stel, 1685) after the arrival in the Cape. The pictures in Figure 1 and figure 3 reveals some of the black, Chinese and white mine labourers in a gold mine in South Africa from the early 1900’s; and underground rock drillers in one of the highest exposure to silica dust and risk of silicosis By 1904, after the mining shutdown due to the Anglo Boer War, the first 10,000 contracted Chinese workers arrived to help rebuild the industry, and ensure low labour prices. Whilst the Chinese were repatriated Figure 1 - Mine Labourers Early 1900’s by 1910, the demand for labour quickly brought large Black, Chinese and White labourers in a gold mine in South Africa, circa 1890 - 1923. numbers of mineworkers from local and neighbouring ©Carpenter Collection, US Library of Congress countries to the mines. They were treated as migrant workers and placed in cramped mining accommodation. The White Death Silicosis on the Witwatersrand Gold Mines 1886 – 1910 by Elaine Katz (1994), provides a historical account of the extent of silicosis that ravaged the lungs of the early (white) miners. Katz notes in the introduction to this seminal history of the early years of mining in South Africa: “Although a great deal has been written about the development of the Witwatersrand gold mining industry, only a tiny slice has been devoted to its medical and health past….posterity has been extraordinarily slow in acknowledging the devastation wrought by the ‘white death’, or censuring those who did nothing to stop it”. The first miners were predominantly foreign migrant workers from England who returned home when ill. Eighty-five percent (85%) of the white miners in the early years were British born and fifty-eight percent (58%) of these men were from Cornwall. A full third from the district of Redruth, Cornwall. Katz records that “Redruth was the only foreign mining centre which compiled official silicosis mortality statistics for the returned Witwatersrand rock drillers, who were buried in the ‘rapidly filling graveyards’ of Cornwall”. With the epidemiology of silicosis being more closely tracked by doctors in Cornwall it was possible to conclude “between 1892 and 1910 almost an entire generation of professional miners from abroad Figure 2 - The 'White' Death ©Witwatersrand University Press, 1994. died from an accelerated form of silicosis”. The fate of black South African migrant mineworkers has, close to a hundred years later, yet to be fully recorded. Decades upon decades have passed without homes in the labour-sending areas of the country, being counted in any the graves of South African mineworkers, who have returned to their epidemiological reports. A grave is too late for any epidemiological inquiry 4 in the world’s deepest mining operations, TauTona Mine (Western Deep No. 3 Shaft) at 3.9 kilometres. Silica dust forms part of an ever-present potential hazard for mineworkers resulting in the highest TB incidence rates in the world. For instance, in South Africa TB incidence is 2,500-3000/100,000 in the mines while in general population it is 948/100,000 (Source: World Bank data on National TB Incidence Rate (2014)). TB incidence among mineworkers is 10 times higher than the WHO threshold for TB emergency: 250 per 100,000. This high incidence of TB amongst mineworkers is driven by factors such as prolonged exposure to silica dust, poor living conditions, lifestyle and high HIV prevalence in the mining communities. Figure 3 - Rock Drilling One of humanity's highest exposures to silica dust and risk of silicosis. Mineworkers frequently travel across provincial and ©Unknown national borders to visit their families. Their frequent migratory movement elevates the risk of transmission of TB infection in labour sending areas. In addition, this also adversely affects mineworkers’ adherence to TB treatment, and contributes to the incidence of drug Migrant Workforce resistant TB. Over the years, many mineworkers have returned to their labour sending In 1920 the migrants from across the borders reached nearly 100,000 areas with an elevated risk of contracting TB, especially because of (Figure 4). This number steadily rose and in the 1970’s gold mining silicosis, and over time, may contract TB or have a TB relapse. They then in South Africa peaked to 265,000, contributing 68 per cent of global elevate the risk of their families contracting TB as well. production for that year. The SA Chamber of Mines launched a drive by 1974 to replace foreign migrants with South African workers. 1994 Current and ex-mineworkers are supposed to be screened regularly for was the last year when African workers were classified separately from occupational illnesses such as TB and silicosis. Mineworkers and ex- whites. mineworkers are eligible for financial compensation if they are confirmed to have contracted TB as a result of their occupation. This would create sufficient incentive for ex-mineworkers to go for TB screening on a This mineworker labour force decline continued and reached a low of regular basis. However, due to the administrative challenges in getting 406,994 in 2001, down from 721,000 in 1991. A slow turnaround to compensation and lack of access to screening facilities, many current around 524,632 by 2012 followed by about 498,634 in December 2013 and ex-mineworkers do not go for health screening. as can be seen in Figure 5. This mapping exercise is the first phase of the Regional TB Service Over the years an estimated total of more than 4 million people worked in Framework which seeks to reduce the risk of TB through multi-sectoral, the industry, of which an estimated 2 million are still alive today. multi-disciplinary and multi-country approach and the scope is to identify geographic areas in which South African mines’ current mineworkers The South African geophysical conditions was instrumental in making it and ex-mineworkers are mostly located in Lesotho, South Africa and possible to mine to depths not attainable elsewhere in the world; resulting Swaziland. Figure 4 - Population of Migrant Workers Figure 5 - Total Mineworkers (1000's) ©URSA 2014 ©URSA 2014 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A first note of acknowledgement and appreciation must go out to the URSA and the World Bank who made this Phase 1 Regional TB Service Delivery Framework Mapping Exercise possible through the technical and financial support for which Bay Technologies is sincerely grateful. Special gratitude is extended the URSA team led by Thulani Mbatha and Cindy Dladla and their Project Coordinators in Lesotho and Swaziland Mankhala Lerotholi and Victoria Masuku for their tireless support and participation throughout the project which saw the completion of the mapping of mineworkers and ex-mineworkers exercise a success. The success of the mapping exercise was possible through the institutions and representatives who supplied data and special thanks is extended to the Department. of Minerals & Resources, National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) managers in the Ministries of Health in Lesotho and Swaziland, NTP and Epidemiology and Surveillance in National Department of Health (NDoH), South Africa, Netcare Hospital Group, Swaziland Central Statistical Offices, Land Administration Authority, Labour Health and Public Administration Consultancy, Lesotho Millennium Development Agency, Mineworkers Development Agency, Rand Mutual Assurance, Harmony Gold, Sibanye Gold, Lonmin, Impala Platinum, Exxaro, AngloGold Ashanti, SASOL and Medical Bureau for Occupational Disease (MBOD). A special thanks to the whole team for their effective involvement and commendable input in the mapping exercise. The following put together the mapping exercise report: Thembekile Gqada Project Management and Leadership Koos Brandt Principal Consultant and Project Leadership Shane Athmaram GIS Maps and Data Walter Grossmann Mining and Health Data Processing, Statistics and Graphs Jeremey Padayachee GIS Consultant Konrad Brandt (digitalk) Graphic Design and Communication A special thanks to digitalk for making extra effort in desiging digital communication elements for the rpesentations, reports and for the effort to design the layout for this report, and for assembling all the work and artefacts to produce this report, inclusive of the GIS Maps. Lastly, appreciation is extended to all those, too numerous to mention individually, who contributed in different ways to the success of this project 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TB in the mines has been a challenge in the sub-region for over 100 years. Although there have been efforts at addressing it over the years, none of these initiatives sufficiently addressed the problem. A key constraint has been that none of these efforts considered the multi-sector and regional dynamics of the challenge. The Ministers of Health from Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland region requested support from the World Bank and other international development agencies (DFID, Stop TB Partnership, PEPFAR, IOM, etc.) to coordinate a regional effort in addressing the TB epidemic in the mining sector and its impact in the region.