Social
development
Tharisa is committed to the socioeconomic upliftment of the host communities in which it operates and strives to minimise potentially negative social impacts while promoting opportunities for the local communities in its area of operation. Tharisa Minerals is committed to community initiatives through its SLP, which address job creation, poverty alleviation, basic infrastructure, education and development needs.
Community
Tharisa Minerals is situated in the Bojanala District Municipality within the Rustenburg Local Municipality, close to the town of Marikana. The Tharisa Mine's immediate neighbour is the community of Mmaditlhokwa. Approximately one-third of employees at the Tharisa Mine are from this community.
Tharisa Minerals' strategy for social and economic advancement of host communities is informed by the local municipality's Integrated Development Plan, and is translated into action through local initiatives incorporated into the mine's SLP. Key municipal initiatives include local economic development projects, bursary awards to local qualifying Grade 12 students, internships, work integrated learning opportunities, and apprenticeship opportunities for youth.
Community relationships
Tharisa Minerals prefers to work directly with its host communities rather than through charitable organisations. In this way, Tharisa Minerals engages more immediately and intimately with these communities.
Within Ward 32, the municipal area in which the mine operates, there are a number of villages and smallholdings. This has resulted in a diverse range of stakeholders ranging from employee families to farmers. Tharisa Minerals has engaged with both the small farm owners and communities in a bid to address their diverse needs and cultures.
The small farm owners have formed a representative engagement structure while the broader community is represented by an elected ward committee, led by a ward councillor. In FY2018, this structure was expanded to include an additional three wards and tribal authority representation that surround the mine. This resulted in a more inclusive engagement forum, which meets quarterly to address the issues that impact both the Tharisa Mine and the communities.
Monthly meetings are held with the ward committee to address issues affecting both the Tharisa Mine and the surrounding communities.
Mine management is proactive in building and maintaining stakeholder relationships with the local communities and a dedicated management team has been mandated to monitor, measure and manage the social and economic impacts in terms of the SLPs and other CSI initiatives.
Tharisa Minerals has an established engagement forum, which liaises with the steering committee for the local community neighbouring the Tharisa Mine. On a more formal level, Tharisa Minerals maintains its relationship with the community through a dedicated community liaison officer and via engagement forums, which include the local municipality.
SLP and CSI
Tharisa Minerals continues its commitment to community initiatives through its Social and Labour Plan to address job creation, poverty alleviation, basic infrastructure and education and development needs.
Consistent with its corporate and social responsibility, the Group established the Tharisa Community Trust, which holds a direct unencumbered 6.0% equity interest in Tharisa Minerals, for the benefit of the local community in which the Tharisa Mine is located.
Tharisa Minerals aims to recruit from the local communities and surrounding areas to the fullest extent possible. To this end, a number of programmes have been implemented to train the youth in the communities to provide them with the necessary skills to make them employable, not only by Tharisa Minerals, but also by other mines in the area.
During FY2018, 53 community members benefited from basic numeracy and literacy training provided by Tharisa Minerals. This training was at no cost to the beneficiaries. Other development interventions include the award of four engineering learnerships (2017: 5). The learnerships were awarded to members of the local community. On completion of their training, these learners will qualify as artisans. Interns are recently qualified graduates who require workplace experience prior to entering the job market. Although the interns are sourced nationally, in FY2018, 13 of 21 interns and graduates were from the North West province, the province where the Tharisa Mine is located.
Being a mechanised operation, the Tharisa Mine is not labour intensive, making it impossible for Tharisa Minerals alone to meet the employment needs of its local communities. Tharisa Minerals, in collaboration with the local communities, has established a database of candidates from which participants are identified for recruitment and training interventions. Regular feedback is given at the inclusive stakeholder forum relating to recruitment.
