Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers present, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, the ANC supports this Budget Vote.
The advent of democracy in South Africa brought a paradigm shift on issues of health and safety in the mining industry. This shift has been from safety to health and safety in working environments, particularly the mining industry. It has always been the view of the African National Congress that mineworkers are a valuable part or component of the mining industry. Therefore, the health of mineworkers is central to the health and productivity of mines; mineworkers are the heartbeat of the mining industry.
The Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, alludes to mining as a hard and dangerous job, and mineworkers labour under stressful conditions, often deep under the earth. The RDP envisages a new set of minimum standards for the mining industry that ensures fair wages and employment conditions for all workers and a health and safety system that recognises special hazards related to mining. Fundamentally, the Mine Health and Safety Amendment Act of 2008 is premised on the RDP. Mindful of the drudgery facing mineworkers, we continue to develop mechanisms to address challenges of health and safety in mines.
Mineworkers are consistently teetering on the brink of injury or death, as our mines are largely deep and a high-risk, especially the gold and platinum group metals mines. It should also be noted that the workplace in mines is characterised by a plethora of imminent dangers from accidents such as rockfalls, health-threatening contaminants such as dust, fibres, chemicals, noise, thermal stresses and radiation. High levels of exposure to harmful environments lead to occupational illnesses like silicosis and noise-induced hearing loss. Some of these problems are further worsened by the prevalence of HIV and Aids.
To compound these matters, mine owners fail to adequately protect those who are vulnerable to injury and harm. When one looks at the low levels of compensation for our mineworkers, we must urgently and speedily move to address the regulatory capacity of the mine inspectorate. The presidential mine audit has confirmed that we should be concerned about mines' compliance with health and safety requirements and the state's capacity to enforce legal requirements.
Last year, the committee approved the amendment of the Mine Health and Safety Act of 2008 to provide for the establishment of the inspectorate as a juristic person. It is the committee's belief that this move will lead to improved governance of health and safety at mines. Consistent with international practice, the amending Bill seeks to strengthen the mine health and safety legislative framework. This Bill fortifies the ANC's commitment to achieve safe workplaces, thus saving the lives of mineworkers; uphold section 11 of South Africa's Constitution - everyone has a right to life - through compliance with mine health and safety regulations.
The social and economic costs of poor health and safety at mines are just too high for us and the nation. For that matter, recently we have seen the recurrence of mine accidents resulting in injuries and loss of lives, blemishing last year's notable improvement in the levels of deaths and injuries at our mines. Surveys which were conducted showed an improvement of 24% on mine accident deaths, from 220 in the previous year to 168. Working together, we can do more.
The President, in his state of the nation address, spoke about creating 500 000 jobs in 18 months and making the environment urban; they should not leave their villages for a better life. It is of great concern when one comes to mine owners who are still bringing people with them, and not hiring these people who are looking at the development in their own villages, having no say in or access to the jobs. I think the Minister should engage the chiefs in this matter. That is the only way to change the lives of rural people in this country and to share in the country's wealth beneath the soil.
Ge mago?i a rena a ka ema ka maoto gore le rena batho ba ba dulago dinagamagaeng re seke ra duma ba ba leng makgoweng, ra duma go tla makgoweng, ke yona taba e tla tlo?ang tlala le bohloki, le malwet?i a tla fokot?ega ka baka la gore batho bao ba tlabego ba tloga gae ba eya meberekong, e tlabe e se batho bao ba tlogang kua ba eya kua. Malwet?i a tla ba gona... [Tshwahlelo.] Ke rata go leboga. [Nako e fedile.] [Magoswi.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[Only if our chiefs can take part in the initiatives to help the rural people with job creation, then the people in the rural areas would not migrate to the urban areas - that is the only key strategy to alleviate hunger and poverty. If people are working closer to their homes there won't be any migration of people from one place to the other and this will also reduce the spread of diseases. Diseases which will be there ... [Interjections.] I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]