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News Archive - April to December 2002 This page contains News Items related to African mineral resource that were published during the period April to December 002. Return to MRF Africa News.
April - December 2002 News
Items Title:
Fate of Titanium Mining Awaits Kenya Polls Details
As This week the Moi
government issued Tiomin Resources Inc. of On Monday, Tiomin
announced that the Kenyan Mining and Prospecting Licensing Committee had
approved its application for a Special Mining Lease on its Kwale mineral
sands project. The 16 year long Mining Lease is renewable for a further 10
years. Under the terms of the lease, Tiomin shall have "full, irrevocable,
sole and exclusive right to mine and process the heavy mineral sands at
Kwale." But Mwai Kibaki, a leading
presidential contender of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) who is
enjoying massive public support, threatens, "We will not honor any titanium
mining agreements entered between Tiomin Resources of Canada and the
His statement has cast
doubt on whether the mining of the extensive titanium deposits on the Indian
Ocean coast of northern
Title:
Deadly Cyanide Dump Unearthed Near Coast in
Namibia Details
A dozen drums containing a
deadly poison, which pose a serious danger to the health of thousands of
people in the vicinity, have been discovered at an abandoned mine in the
Title:
Two More Gold Miners Die in Zimbabwe Details
Two illegal gold miners
died when they were buried alive by gravel rubble in the gold-rich Pickstone
mountain, near Chegutu on Sunday. Last month, at least 13 illegal gold
miners were trapped in a mine near Kadoma. The Government recently approved
a decision to seal the mine after discovering that the risks of retrieving
the bodies were very high.
Title:
Roan Mineworkers Union Office
Gutted in Zambia Details
The Mineworkers Union of
Zambia (MUZ) Roan branch office building in Luanshya was burnt in the early
hours of Tuesday by unknown people in unexplained circumstances. The fire
which destroyed furniture in the conference room and part of the roof took
place just hours before 2,500 miners decided to go on strike to press for
seven months salary arrears, two years Christmas bonus and terminal
benefits.
Title:
SACP Congratulates NUM on 20th
Anniversary in South Africa Details The SA Communist Party (SACP)
on Sunday saluted the National Union of Mineworkers for restoring the
dignity of black mineworkers in the country. The NUM's recent achievements
included better wages and working conditions, better living conditions,
improved health and safety at work and "joining the HIV/Aids battle.
Title:
Angolan Government Approves International Certificate of Raw Diamonds Details
The Angolan government
today approved a System of International Certification of Raw Diamonds
(certificate of Kimberly process), with the purpose to fight the traffic and
illegal selling of conflict diamonds. A press statement from the Council of
Ministers Secretariat, refers that the Kimberly process certificate is an
international mechanism approved by the United Nations General Assembly.
Title:
Mining Industry Asks Zimbabwe Govt
to Devalue Dollar
Details
The mining industry has
proposed to the government the devaluation of the
Title:
State Tightens Loopholes in Gold
Trading in Zimbabwe Details
The Government has
gazetted new regulations which seek to tighten loopholes in the mining,
processing and trading of gold and other minerals. According to the Gold
Trade Regulations (Gold-buying permits for Concession Areas), released
yesterday, no person shall purchase or acquire gold in any concession area
from small-scale miners, custom milling plant and alluvial gold miners. The
Government has in the past been prejudiced of millions of dollars through
the illegal trade of gold and other precious metals within the country and
across the borders.
Title:
Namibia to renegotiate diamond trade Details
What started at the
beginning of the last century with German prospectors sifting sand on the
Atlantic coast of one of the Kaiser's colonies has become the world's
largest earth-moving operation. Huge machines scour the
earth for gems that will eventually make their way to jewellers in Europe
and the Colonialism is a memory in Now De Beers' joint venture
with the Namibian government, Namdeb, sells its 1.4m carats production a
year to the Diamond Trading Company, De Beers' marketing arm. The deal is
worth about $1.5bn (¤1.5bn) to the government.
Title:
November 2002 Focus: Investing in Africa, challenges and initiatives Details
“The state of The natural environment ...
Title:
Illegal Congolese Resource Exploitation to be Punished Details
The Security
Council could put financial and travel restrictions on 29 companies and 54
persons that an expert panel says have illegally exploited the natural
resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Panel of
Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of
Wealth of the
Conservationists have been particularly concerned about the damaging impacts
of coltan mining on the natural values of two universally important World
Heritage sites: Companies
based in the DRC, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe and South Africa have
been accused of looting the country, while the Zimbabwe government is
accused of supporting Laurence Kabila in exchange for resource exploitation
concessions. The report was
presented to the UN Security Council on October 24 by the panel's chairman,
Mahmoud Kassem of Related
Information: The reports of
the Panel of Experts may be downloaded from the
MRF Africa documents page.
Title:
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds Details
Following a
convenvention held in The key
documents are:
Interlaken Declaration of 5 November 2002 on the Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme for Rough Diamonds
- declaration by participating Countries.
Kimberley Process Certification Scheme - guidelines.
Title:
World Bank sticks by Chad-Cameroon
pipeline Details
The World Bank's senior
management is standing by a project to build an oil pipeline between The bank has come up with
an action plan it says should help ensure the project gets back on track.
But environmental groups said the response was vague and lacking in concrete
timelines and actions. "Management believes that
the bank has made exceptional efforts to apply its policies and procedures
and to pursue concretely its mission statement," the conclusions of the
report, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters said. The document is scheduled
for discussion among shareholders at the World Bank's decision-making board
on Thursday. The bank is funding $140
million of the $4 billion project to develop the oil fields of Doba in
southern
Title:
Rural Community Tackles Mining
Giant Over Asbestos Pollution in South Details
A rural North-West
community is taking legal action against mining giant Gencor to try force
them to clean up an abandoned mine in Heuningvlei. The Bareki Tribal
Authority and Heuningvlei Asbestos Interest Group claim that the abandoned
Heuningvlei asbestos mine is putting villagers' lives at risk. The
community's lawyer Richard Spoor said on Thursday that the company only did
a "perfunctory clean up" in the early 1980s and left a deadly legacy of
environmental pollution.
Title:
The Brave Turn to Mining to Survive
in Zimbabwe Details
Men, women and even
children in
Title:
Anglo in Kwazulu Coal Empowerment
Deal in South Africa Details
Anglo American has agreed
to sell its
Title:
Global Mining Report Breaks New
Ground Details
The global mining industry
launched its Report on Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development,
Breaking New Ground, in what was heralded as new era of dialogue between
business and those affected by mining developments worldwide. The end result
was a detailed framework, highlighting key issues relating to mining and its
role in sustainable development and what that should entail. It also
presents reasoned recommendations which would provide a sound starting point
for future setting of targets and regulation of industry compliance.
Title:
Mining Industry Grapples With
Co-Operation And Compromise Details
The report outlining ways
toward sustainable development in the world's mining industry is called
Breaking New Ground, but if some of the most strident nongovernmental
organisations had their way not another square centimetre of the earth's
soil would be broken by the mining sector. Throughout its 16 chapters, the
report tries to present a profile of today's mining and minerals industry
and how it could add to sustainable development.
Title:
Mining, Minerals and Sustainable
Development Details
Speech given by Sir Robert
Wilson, head of Rio Tinto, at the Lekgotla Business Day organized by
Business Action for Sustainable Development. "Economic growth, the essential
condition of sustainable development, depends on the products of the mining
industry. It is our responsibility to meet that demand whilst simultaneously
addressing the environmental and social implications of our actions. We need
to minimise the physical footprint of our activities and mitigate adverse
environmental effects."
Title:
Mining Industry, Greens Forge
Partnership Details
The International Council
on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the global voice of the industry, and IUCN, The
World Conservation Union, today launch a partnership to work together on
mining and biodiversity. "ICMM is committed to working with IUCN and others
in developing best practice principles and reporting criteria on which to
measure progress in implementation", said Sir Robert Wilson, incoming
Chairman of ICMM and Chairman of Rio Tinto.
Title:
Proposal to Mine in Vredefort Area
Causes Concern in South Africa Details An area including a
proposed world heritage site is the subject of conflict over possible
granite mining, which it is feared could destroy the tourism potential of
the area. Application has been made to declare the area, which straddles the
Title:
OK Tedi is 'Environmental Abyss' –
Gilbertson Details
BHP Billiton chief
executive, Brian Gilbertson, said the group's OK Tedi mine investment was
"an environmental abyss" while its $2 billion aluminium smelter in
Title:
Anglo American's Trahar On
Sustainable Development Details Some readers may, at this
point, ask themselves how these fine sentiments [Anglo's sustainable
development beliefs] are compatible with Anglo American's decision to
withdraw from Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in
Title:
Mining deal boosts black control in
South Africa Details
Mining giant
Anglo-American has announced a significant deal in
Title:
Mining Industry Urged to Operate
Within Regulations Details
The mining industry should
start owning up to its actions and operate within stipulated regulations.
This is the message from civil society and NGO's represented at the global
people's forum at Nasrec, west of
Title:
Police Disperse Protesting Luanshya
Miners in Zambia Details
Police in Luanshya
yesterday fired live bullets to disperse protesting former RAMCOZ miners. A
protester was in the process shot in the head and admitted to
Title:
"Sand Miners" Warned to Stop Details
Title:
Proposed Asbestos Ban Causes
Anxiety in Zimbabwe Details
The proposed asbestos ban
has caused a lot of anxiety in
Title:
Scope of Mining Empowerment May Be
Widened in South Africa Details
The first meeting of the
task force set up to provide proposals for an empowerment charter for the
country's mining industry appears to have achieved a major aim of both
unions and industry broadening the scope of empowerment to be defined in the
charter. Industry had been pushing for a shift from the focus on equity
ownership by empowerment parties.
Title:
South Africa criticised over mining laws Details
Mining investors and
executives have criticised the South African government for "rejecting"
their concerns about radical, new mining laws and the limiting of industry
negotiations over them to Anglo American and De Beers. The criticism came after It also emerged that
neither she nor Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, would be at a
meeting with Anglo and De Beers next Wednesday. Shares in mining companies
with South African operations have tumbled after a draft mining charter was
leaked to Miningweb (see
article), an industry website, two weeks
ago. The document said that
within 10 years, all mining industry assets should come under the control of
the black population, discriminated against under the apartheid regime. Also see related articles:
Mining charter will bring SA to its knees
Special Report: legislating South Africa's minerals
Title: Anglo American to give staff free
Aids drugs Details
Southern Africa's largest
mining group is to become the first company in the world to give its workers
Aids drugs for free in an attempt to stem the region-wide pandemic affecting
4.7m people in The UK-listed Anglo
American is the largest employer in southern "There is no excuse for
delay. It's increasingly urgent to do something," said Brian Brink, senior
vice-president responsible for medical policy. Anglo is negotiating with
GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Boehringer Ingelheim to supply the drugs,
expected to cost R25m-R50m ($2.45m-$4.9m) in the first year of distribution.
Anglo is investigating whether it can buy generic copies of the drugs. HIV/Aids is being
recognised by international business as
Title:
Mining Empowerment Taking Shape in South
Africa Details
The charter governing
black empowerment in the mining industry is expected to be in place by the
beginning of December, and is expected to specify that 26% of existing
mining operations should be in the hands of previously disadvantaged groups
including white women and disabled people by 2012.
Title:
South African Government's Bold Mining Lie
Exposed Details
The SA Ministry of
Minerals and Energy has contemptuously fobbed off requests to justify a
claim that less than 1% of mining ventures in the country are "black" owned.
However, none of the mines reports race, gender, sexual orientation and
disability in the sort of detail that would make it possible to determine
company ownership by race or any other category. The result is a farce where
the only guaranteed empowerment credential is your connection to the ruling
party.
Title:
Small Gold Miners Say Life is Worse Details
More than 60 beneficiaries of a R1, 5-million ($500,000 USD) gold
mining project in
Title:
Anglo Catches 'Green' Bandwagon to Save Face Details
Anglo American's
appointment yesterday of Sir Mark MoodyStuart as chairman-designate will
give the company some much needed credibility in the eyes of environmental
and social campaigners. Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa accused the mining
group last month of being socially irresponsible after it decided to pull
out of the Konkola copper mine, the country's largest foreign currency
earner and biggest employer.
Title:
Tanzania Mining Town Looted By Youths Details
Mererani, a township that neighbours the Tanzanite mines in northern
Tanzania, was looted by youths from the region, resulting in millions of
shillings worth of damage, officials told IRIN this week. The closure of at
least 60 of the small-scale artisanal mines, pending an investigation and
the implementation of new safety procedures, has left large numbers of
youths unemployed in the region, mining sources said.
Title:
Mandate of UN Expert Panel on Resource
Exploitation Extended in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Details
The mandate of the United
Nations expert panel investigating the exploitation of natural resources in
the
Title:
Few benefit from oil wealth in
Central and West Africa, bishops say Details
The call came in a joint
pastoral letter on the impact of oil in the region, issued at the end of a
plenary assembly of the Association des Conferences Episcopales de la Region
d'Afrique Centrale (ACERAC), held from 7 to 14 July in
Title:
De Beers Mulls Providing Antiretrovirals to
South African Employees Details
Diamond giant De Beers is considering supplying its SA employees
infected with HIV with antiretroviral drugs. A decision to distribute the
drugs to employees would put De Beers on a par with its Botswanabased
company Debswana Mine, which has been providing the drugs free to
HIV-infected employees and their spouses since May last year.
Title:
NAMBED Plays Down NGO's Gloomy Forecast for
Namibia Details
A study by a Canadian
non-governmental organisation released earlier this
Title:
Solution Needed to Manage Gold Panning in
Zimbabwe Details
Panning for alluvial gold
in north-eastern
Title:
Tanzania miners tense after riot Details
Riot police have been
patrolling the northern Tanzanian town of
Title:
Concern Over Planned Titanium Mine in Kenya Details
Plans for a titanium mine in southeast
Title:
Scramble for Minerals Threatens Limpopo's
Water Resources in South Africa Details
Title:
Over 500 Illegal Gold Diggers Arrested in
Zimbabwe Details
More than 500 illegal gold
diggers have been arrested in Mashonaland Central over the past week in an
operation launched to curb the crime and save the environment. Swathes of
otherwise fertile and arable land in the province have been reduced to
treacherous gullies and unprotected pits as the diggers burrow for the
precious metal.
Title:
10,000 Jobs at Risk at Gecamines in Democratic
Republic of Congo Details
At least 10,000 employees
stand to lose their jobs at Gecamines, the Democratic Republic of Congo's
giant mining concern, the African Association for the Defence of Human
Rights (Asadho) reported on Thursday. "Actually, the firm owes employees 19
months of salary arrears, which is why they went on strike from 5 to 27
may," the association reported.
Title:
Tanzania to Control Gem Mines Details
The Tanzania Government
has brought under direct central government control the Tanzanite mines in
the Arusha Region to ensure they contribute effectively to the national
economy. The gemstone, found only in
Title:
Kenya grants titanium mine permit Details
The Kenyan government has
granted an environmental permit for what could
Title:
Nigerian Government Reviews Laws to Boost
Investment in Solid Mineral Details
The Minister of Solid
Minerals Development, Mrs Dupe Adelaja, has said that the government was
reviewing some laws to make them more investor-friendly and encourage
investments in solid mineral. The Minister, who just returned from
Title:
State Will Be Flexible On Mining Empowerment
in South Africa Details
Government intends to
adopt a flexible approach towards the manner in which mining firms meet
their black empowerment obligations under new mining legislation, but will
insist that the stipulated minimum requirements are met. Ministerial
spokesman Kanyo Gqulu said companies would be entitled to negotiate how they
planned to meet the minimum requirement that 26% of operational assets be
held by historically disadvantaged groups within 10 years.
Title:
Government Softens On Minerals Bill in South
Africa Details
The South African
government appears to have softened its stance on black
Title:
Law for Mining Operations to be Reviewed in
Ghana Details
Government would soon
submit to Parliament for approval revised legal and
Title:
South African Mining Industry to Fund New
Empowerment Drive Details
The mining industry is
driving the establishment of a black empowerment vehicle, the African Junior
Mining Fund, with a projected initial start-up capital of between $100m and
$200m. This voluntary initiative is expected to be launched towards the end
of the year, and comes at a time when the industry is addressing the need to
transform itself along racially equitable lines.
Title:
New Mine Laws Weighed in South
Africa Details
Title:
Forging a Shared Vision On Future of South
African Mining Details Last week saw the passage
into law of the new minerals bill. The debate
Title:
Child Workers At Risk From Mercury in Tanzania Details
Ten-year old Tanzanian children are involved in mining activities
including washing of rock and collecting and carrying crushed rock that
expose them to serious health risks. There were also subtle and indirect
health risks were the adverse effects may not be immediately noticeable, the
report says, adding that this is especially true in the case of exposure to
mercury.
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