Over-population in Ikemeleng.
STEVEN RAMOKHULA (Ikemeleng)
When mines don’t provide with accommodation, then Ikemeleng
should provide.
Ikemeleng is a mining community in Kroondal just seven
kiolometres outside Rustenburg. It is in the centre of five mining companies
which are Xstrata, Samancor, Lanxess, Aquarius and Anglo American Platinum. One
of the main issues facing the community of Ikemeleng is over population. The
surrounding mining companies play a very big role in the increasing population
within Ikemeleng. People come from different parts of the continent and country
to seek employment. We have people from Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique,
Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana and nationwide. All these people came
to seek employment to improve their standards of living.
Most of these people are attracted by mining activities
taking place around Ikemeleng community. Floods of job-seekers flock towards the
community because of the surrounding mines. Every month the population within
Ikemeleng increases. The place is plus/minus twelve square kilometers (12km2)
but accommodate plus/minus nine thousand (9000) people.
The living out allowance is the outstanding factor of the
problem we are facing of over population in Ikemeleng. The surrounding mining
company does not provide accommodation for their employees. They are given
money named “living out allowance” which is meant to pay for their
accommodation, food and transport. The employees find life very easy in
Ikemeleng and they save some of their money for their needs.
Due to this over population, Ikemeleng has experienced lot
of problems, crime has increased on the 25th of May this year a man
was shot and injured on his way from a tavern, again on the 28th another
man was found dead just few metres from the entrance of Ikemeleng and his
private parts were cut off. The abuse of substances also has increased the
spread of HIV/AIDS and other STI’s as well. Some people buy liquor and drugs
for women in exchange for sex, while under the substances the don’t use condoms
during sexual intercourse and leads to unwanted or unplanned pregnancy and the
spread of STI’s and HIV/AIDS. Rape is also sky rocketing, all this unwanted/
unplanned pregnancies contribute to the increasing population.
I conducted two interviews using the “5why tool”
N.B the people I interview refused to give all their details
only granted permission to use their first names.
Interviewee one – Motsamai
1.
Why do you think there is over population in
Ikemeleng?
“Because many people are living in a small
place and don’t mind it as long as they have roof over their heads. They don’t
even have a privacy or security”
2.
Why so many people live in small place?
“Because there is lot of tenants in our
community,”
3.
Why is there lot of tenants?
“Because of mine workers, they are ones
that are tenants in our community”
4.
Why are mine workers tenants in the community?
“Because mine does not provide its
employees with accommodation, so they are forced to be tenants within surrounding
communities”
5.
Why do these mines provide accommodation?
“Because the mines provides the employees
with the living out allowance, this money is meant to pay for their
accommodation, food and transport so they use the money to pay for cheaper
accommodation and keep the remaining money.
Interviewee two – Molamo
1. Why
do you think there is over population in Ikemeleng?
“Because the
people living in the community are more than what the community can
accommodate”
2. Why
are there so many people in the community?
“Because of the
mining activities are taking place in the community of Ikemeleng”
3. Why
the surrounding is mines causing over population?
“Because most
people living Ikemeleng are tenants. (Mine employees and job seekers)
4.
Why are most mine employees tenants in
Ikemeleng?
“Because mines do not provide them with
accommodation”
5.
Why is it that the mines do not provide with
accommodation?
“Because these mines provide a living out
allowance”
We urge all mining companies surrounding Ikemeleng to work
hand in hand with the community in decreasing or managing the population. We
also urge the companies to build hostels to accommodate its employees whom are
from other parts of the continent and country, and for the living out allowance
to be given only to local employees. Mining companies, private companies and
all stake holders to help existing local organizations to host awareness
campaigns on social issues such as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, rape, and safe
sex among others.
We further urge the community to build strong and active
structures that will help community members gain confidence. Structures that
will benefit the community at large teach members their rights and help them
put them into practice.
Comments
Post a Comment