Security improvement for miners

Mining companies get under pressure to make changes as Glencore’s Congo tragedy highlights security conundrum for miners

The deaths of 43 illegal miners at a Glencore facility in Congo highlighted a growing challenge for mining companies struggling to secure sites from small-scale prospectors digging for cobalt, copper and other minerals.

Many mines span hundreds of square kilometers across rural terrains, a tantalizing prospect for illegal miners, also known as artisanal miners, who break into sites in search of metals, some of which end up in electric cars and other products. But even as the tragedy ratcheted up pressure on companies to make changes to security and community outreach, industry consultants and analysts say the task will be difficult given the geographic constraintsand economic challenges faced by the world’s estimated 40 million artisanal miners.

The tragedy occurred in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) concession, which spans kilometers of flat terrain on the outskirts of Kolwezi in the southern part of the country. The mine is operated by Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), a joint venture between Glencore-controlled Katanga Mining Ltd and the state-owned Gecamines.

Only part of the perimeter, which abuts densely-populated residential areas, is protected by fencing, giving the local population easy access. Young men can often be seen just outside the mine carrying shovels and sacks brimming with freshly-mined ore to nearby trading depots dominated by Chinese buyers.

Private contractors provide most of the security, but activists say they are often ineffective and easily bought off by the miners in exchange for ignoring trespassers.

Congo’s military plans to deploy troops to the KCC site, as it did in late June when it sent hundreds of soldiers to protect the Tenke copper and cobalt mine, which is owned by China Molybdenum Co Ltd.

“Security is not a highly-paid profession, so if you can get kickbacks from turning a blind eye, it can make you money,” said Nicholas Garrett of RCS Global, a consultancy which audits mining supply chains.

In South Africa, there are about 30,000 illegal miners providing one of the biggest sources of illicit gold on the continent, with an output of around $994.4 million per year. The illegal miners are known in Zulu as “zama-zamas,” which loosely translates as “those who try to get something from nothing.”

Sibanye-Stillwater, which spent millions upgrading its security infrastructure, found almost 1,400 zama-zamas in its Cooke gold mine during a 2017 security sweep.

“We have been arresting and trying to control access to the mines, but it’s been difficult,” said Sibanye-Stillwater spokesman James Wellsted.

NAUČTE SE GRAMATIKU PODLE TEXTU

V dnešním článku jsem se setkali s příkladem idiomu, a to ve větě „…if you can get kickbacks from turning a blind eye… “ („… pokud můžete dostat úplatek za to, že děláte, že nic nevidíte…“). Idiomy jsou spojení, které nemůžeme přeložit doslovným překladem jednotlivých slov. Mají svůj specifický význam v daném jazyce, do jiného jazyka je překládáme pomocí významově blízkého ekvivalentu, pokud takový nalezneme, jako např. It’s all Greek to me nepřeložíme jako ‚Je to pro mě všechno řečtina/řecké‘, ale použijeme český idiom Je to pro mě španělská vesnice.

Přiřaďte idiomy a jejich ekvivalenty:

1. keep one‘s fingers crossed, 2. break a leg, 3. lend a hand, 4. learn by heart, 5. pull sb‘s leg / a. zlomit vaz, b. naučit se nazpaměť, c. tahat někoho za nos, d. držet palce, e. pomoci

Řešení: 1d, 2a, 3e, 4b, 5c

REUTERS

Source LN