Platinum miner Lonmin aims to complete its hostel conversion by 2014. The project, which forms part of the company’s overall human settlement stra- tegy, will bring an end to the old style hostel compounds.

To date, of a total of 128 blocks, 84 blocks have been converted and the remaining 44 blocks will be completed during 2013 and 2014. Lonmin executive VP human capital and external affairs Barnard Mokwena states that this year alone, the company will spend R100-million to convert these remaining blocks despite the economic challenges currently evident in the mining industry.

Last year, violence erupted at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine, in the North West, as police opened fire on about 3 000 armed workers who were striking illegally.

The tragedy resulted in the deaths of 34 mineworkers on August 16, 2012, with another 78 mineworkers injured. A total of 47 people were killed during the nearly two-month-long unprotected strike, including union officials and security personnel.

This, in many experts views, highlighted the socioeconomic discrepancies in South Africa’s mining industry, which includes issues such as migrant workers.

The company resumed production at the end of September and is committing to its community obligations amid an uncertain labour and economic climate.

The company states that, thus far, 612 families and 1 048 individuals have benefited from these conversions.

Planning for the sustainable housing settlement was undertaken by Midguard Conscious Group (MCG), which was approached by Lonmin to assist an architectural firm it had appointed with sustainable housing develop- ment solutions and project management solutions, sustainable management consultants group Permaculture states on its website.

The project area comprised the undeveloped phases of an existing township in which the first phase of the current development had been built. This accounted for some of Lonmin’s labour force, but it was a typical apartheid-era dormitory township.

“Lonmin was cautious not to replicate this apartheid-era township, but rather wanted to ensure that the new housing project creates a sustainable built environment that provides housing, public and community facilities, socioeconomic opportunities and green open spaces,” Permaculture says.

Further, the existing apartheid-era township had to be incorporated into the new design so that an overall sustainable built environment could be provided.

MCG’s planning contribution for this project provided the layout strategy and concept design for sustainable housing. Permaculture’s zoning theory, which refers to a method of ensuring that elements are correctly placed, was used in a town environment to plan for the Marikana town centre, commercial facilities, social facilities, housing stock, agricultural opportunities and environmental-conservation areas.

The design process of the project entailed the preparation of a status quo assessment, a design strategy and design concepts, states Permaculture.

The status quo assessment obtained the aerial images base map and overlaid the existing town planning layout. Lonmin had acquired a major tract of land for which a town plan layout and associated public records were already approved, but which had not yet been developed.

The project site was fairly flat and surrounded by the unsightly tailings from the mining operations. There were dams within the central part of the site that have been used by the mines to discharge foul water. Some of the dams were leaking and aggravating the swampy conditions within the undeveloped central portions of the site.

The design strategy for each zone was outlined together with associated action plans and key performance indicators. This also included the integration of the existing township into the overall plan, reports Permaculture.

Amid a National Crisis

Meanwhile, Lonmin acting CEO Simon Scott told Mining Weekly in February that it was important to remember that Lonmin was at the centre of nothing less than a national crisis for South Africa.

His comments reflected on the labour unrest that took place at Marikana in 2012.

“Certainly, we were amid huge pressure to find a way to resolve the situation [the labour strikes] so that we could start mining again and protect the safety and jobs of tens of thousands of employees who were not involved. “We also needed to give the nation an opportunity to start addressing the difficult issues the company faced.”

Scott pledged Lonmin’s unwavering support to the Farlam Commission of Inquiry, which continues to investigate the reasons that lead to the events at Marikana.

“The Farlam Commission is the cornerstone of a national debate, not only about the tragedy, but also about the relationships between mines, mineworkers, local communities and the nation as a whole,” he said.

Scott added that Lonmin is also committed to helping those who were injured and bereaved in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy and that the company has established the Sixteen-Eight Memorial Fund to assist with the education needs of the children of the deceased.