Delegates from the Departments of Mineral and Energy Resources (DMRE) and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) would facilitate the engagement between the community and two mines operating in the municipality - Sibanye Stillwater and Harmony.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss benefits and employment opportunities, which has been pursued since 2015.

They also want to ensure that these mines provide skills development programmes and bursaries, as they committed to.

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Masilonyana businessesman, Reginald Mpopetsi, has stated that no license should be renewed before their demands are met.

According to Mpopetsi, the purpose of having the departments at the meeting is to ensure, before the mines’ contracts are renewed, they resolve issues raised in a petition against the renewal of the Special Prospecting Licenses (SPL) of these mines.

This, seeing as they failed to fulfil commitments of their social labour plan and mining rights in their previous five-year plan.

“The agenda of the meeting is that the Department of Mineral and Energy Resources will look, number one, into the social labour plans from 2012 to 2021. Number two, will be the contributions from all the stakeholders as to what must be done to mitigate all these challenges”.

Also read: FS municipality guilty of maladministration - PP

The troubled Theunissen-based Masilonyana Local Municipality was previously found guilty of maladministration by the Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

OFM News/Mpho Mohapi