Mining giant’s ‘accountability deficit’ discussed in meeting with Cape Town Archbishop

ACTSA STATEMENT: On the 11^th of February, the 36th anniversary of first democratic President Nelson Mandela’s walk from prison after 27 years, ACTSA was with partners from across SADC to present a new report ‘Anglo American: the Accountability Deficit’ to the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, in the house where Mr Mandela spent his first night of freedom.

A new global initiative is being led by the Most Reverend Dr Thabo Makgoba to support reconciliation and peace in mining communities.  The Global Centre for Peacebuilding and Reconciliation (https://www.gcpb.org/) is based on a commitment to truth and ethics from investors and business, a willingness to right past wrongs and to prevent conflict in the rush for minerals in the future.

In the first of what is hoped-to-be ongoing engagements, we shared lived experiences from across Southern African mining communities who are living with the impacts of past harms.

ACTSA plays a pivotal role in facilitating spaces in which the voices of grassroots activists can be amplified and solutions which change people’s lives can be found.

This report challenges the narrative of Anglo American’s public relations and asks, ‘what does justice look like for people and communities affected by mining?’

We believe communities must be at the heart of determining what peace looks like and for those with resources to respond and be accountable.

We are grateful to Archbishop Dr Thabo Makgoba for his invitation and for the work he continues in pursuit of justice.

You can download the joint report, Anglo American Accountability Deficit: The devastating 100 year legacy of extraction by South Africa’s largest mining company: A call for corporate accountability across Southern Africa, Latin America and the Global South, here.

Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) is a UK-based charity which came out of British Anti-Apartheid Movement and works in solidarity with Southern African civil society organisations and activists across the region and the UK, so that the legacies of colonialism, racism and apartheid are replaced with justice, human rights and peace.