Mining companies called to plough back to communities

"... Mining continues to be the cornerstone of our economy. The mining industry has manifold benefits for the country," Zuma said.

Speaking at the official hand over of the newly built Ethridge Junior Secondary School in Mbizana, in the Eastern Cape, Zuma said government will continue to work with the mining sector to promote social development in the mining towns and labour sending areas.

"The building of this school is an important step towards achieving the imperatives as defined in our education policy, to have children being taught in a conducive environment," he said.

Zuma said mining companies should start investing in communities especially the labour sending ones.

The Ethridge Junior Secondary School has been built by Anglo American Platinum as part of compliance with the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act's Social and Labour Plan. The project was facilitated by the Department of Mineral Resources.

The new school replaces the old Ethridge School, which was dilapidated and not suitable for teaching and learning.

Anglo American Platinum Chief Executive Officer Chris Griffith said his company is committed in lifting communities.

"We hope that our contribution to education in our host labour sending communities will not create opportunities for learners to learn for a day, but that the learners will be curious and continue to learn for a life time," he said.

Ethridge was identified as one of the projects that would contribute towards rural development in one of the labour sending areas in the Eastern Cape.

Though this project was part of the Social and Labour Plan commitments of Anglo American Platinum and commissioned in November 2011, it has been fast-tracked as part of the efforts to implement the commitments entered into by government and social partners in the High Level Dialogue on the Economy convened and chaired by President Zuma in October last year, also known as the Presidential Package for mining towns.

The newly constructed school will cater for 1000 pupils from Grade R to Grade 9.

The provision of the school directly responds to commitments in the Presidential Package for the development of a new partnership between social partners for the development of sustainable human settlements in mining towns, labour sending areas and all communities.

The school, built at a cost of just over R45-million, has 18 classrooms, a sports ground, a computer laboratory, a science laboratory and a library.

The school also has a Lilliput Sewer Treatment Plant which processes sewerage and releases grey water for irrigation.