The rebellious and ungovernable Barberton community against Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd

Abstract

This is a study of community protest against Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd. It is a study of conflict and conflict resolutions. Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd is one of the three gold mining companies in Barberton, and is in dire need of a bankable community/stakeholder relation management strategy, which should at least reduce, if not eliminate, the endless violent community protests against its operations. Methodologically, the study is predicated on a qualitative approach backed by oral interviews and the use of a survey. The study reveals that as much as the community appreciates Barberton Mines for its delivery in socio-economic development initiatives, Barberton Mines’ recruitment and procurement departments are not doing any justice in terms of preferred policy in favour of the locals/Barberton community. This is a key source of conflict. The results also reveal that the Barberton Mines Transformation Trust (BMTT), a vehicle established for socioeconomic development in Barberton, is considered to be ineffective by the community and is one of the causes of the conflict. The resolutions of the conflict include the effective implementation of the mining legislation and unrolling of the Mining Charter. The effectiveness and lack thereof of these conflict resolutions are subjected to analysis in this study.