ANC veterans target dormant gold, coal mines

Veterans of the African National Congress’ (ANC) former military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), intend reactivating dormant gold and coal mines in Mpumalanga province to create jobs and wealth for unemployed liberation struggle soldiers, African Eye News Service reported on Wednesday. MK Veterans Association (MKVA) provincial secretary Mmaruseng Moyo said on Tuesday that scores of small mines had been closed by large mining houses over the past seven years after profit margins fell. “The mines can still be profitable if run by small-scale operations, with low overheads,” Moyo was quoted saying.

The initiative, adopted during the MKVA’s third provincial conference at the weekend, formed part of a wider job creation strategy designed to benefit the organisation’s 215 registered members in Mpumalanga. Other initiatives include plans to establish specialist security companies to guard schools and municipal offices, low-cost housing companies and small-scale manufacturing concerns, the report said.

Moyo said the MKVA would initially target government tenders, but stressed that the companies were intended to be commercially viable and would be expected to compete on the open market. He declined to release budgets for the initiative, but confirmed that initial seed capital would be supplied by the MKVA’s national structures and donors. “The keyword is viability. We will target government and donor funding, but wish to remain autonomous,” said Moyo. The organisation’s provincial membership includes respected university lecturers, career soldiers, civil servants and private businessmen. All members are screened to verify their military and criminal records. “We will therefore draw on their skills, as well as our extensive military training, to initiate the projects,” Moyo was quoted saying.