Itumeleng Mashilane, from the mining town of Carltonville, performed a short theatre piece showing the impact that mining companies have had on his community. He was part of about 100 people who protested outside Anglo American in Johannesburg on Thursday.
About 100 protesters under the banner of Mining-Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) protested outside the offices of mining giant Anglo American in Johannesburg on Thursday.
MACUA accuses Anglo American of engineering its exit from South Africa without fulfilling its environmental and social obligations to communities that have been affected by its mining operations.
Anglo American has steadily been reducing its footprint in South Africa through the sale of major assets and restructuring, including a potential merger with Canadian mining company Teck Resources. This would see the company move its head office to Canada.
Protesters affiliated with Mining-Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) sang and held up posters while wearing skeleton masks at the offices of mining conglomerate Anglo American.
“Anglo American’s proposed exit and restructuring of its South African assets is not a routine commercial transaction. It is the latest chapter in a century-long extractive relationship in which vast wealth was generated for private shareholders while profound social, economic, environmental, and gendered harms were imposed on Black workers, women, and communities,” read a statement from MACUA.
On Thursday, protesters occupied the space outside the company’s South African headquarters which was subsequently sealed off by private security.
A massive banner reading: “100 years of debt is due, Anglo stole our future” was draped on the security fence around the building.
Some protesters wrote messages on the ground outside the office, while others performed short theatre skits and poetry showing the impact the mining company has had on their communities.
“Anglo has been extracting wealth from our communities for 100 years. So even if it takes us another 100 years to demand accountability we will continue to do so.
“The people in these fancy offices do not go and visit the communities which they exploit. So they are ignorant to the harm they have inflicted on entire communities,” said MACUA member Sabelo Mnguni.
Protesters wrote messages on the ground outside the mining giant’s office.
Anglo American has denied allegations that it is leaving South Africa and says claims that it is doing so are disinformation.
A memorandum of demands was handed over to Anglo American officials who refused to step outside the security barrier and address the crowd.
However they made commitments to MACUA members to engage with the demands in the memorandum and revert within seven days.
Protesters chanted to the beat of drums and held up artwork banners and posters.
MACUA accuses Anglo American of engineering its exit from South Africa without fulfilling its environmental and social obligations to affected communities that have been affected by its mining operations.
Some of the Anglo American officials stood under umbrellas behind the security barrier to get the memorandum from protesters.
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