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April 2015
MODERN MINING
47
COUNTRY FOCUS –
ZAMBIA
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the secondary roads at the mine,” van der
Merwe notes.
As part of the study, a haulage road was
divided into equal sections to be treated
with water only and with RDC 20 for com-
parative purposes. The results revealed that
the use of RDC 20 as a replacement dust
suppressant solution for water resulted in an
almost twofold improvement in every vari-
able, including dust fallout, fuel usage, water
usage and carbon footprint.
According to van der Merwe, I-CAT’s mis-
sion is to prevent environmentally harmful
products from affecting and contaminat-
ing runoff streams and dams. “I-CAT Zambia
has been registered with the Zambian
Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA)
since 2012, and our entire product line has
been tested and declared as environment-
friendly by ZEMA. Bearing this in mind, I
am confident of increasing future market
share in the Zambian mining industry,” he
concludes.
infrastructure spending and higher public
sector wages.
“As serious as these disagreements over
royalties are, however, they are certainly
not uncommon – nor are they specific to
Africa,” he pointed out. “In fact, the global
mining sector has in recent decades made
considerable progress in addressing these
sorts of issues, having recognised the
importance of stakeholder engagement in
working towards long-term sustainability.”
He said one industry body, the Interna
tional Council on Mining and Metals, was
formed nearly 15 years ago to focus on
the role of mining in a sustainable future.
Among its 10 guiding principles is “effective
and transparent engagement, communica-
tion and independently verified reporting
arrangements with our stakeholders”.
Another important initiative is the
Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative (EITI), set up as a coalition of gov-
ernments, companies and civil society to
provide a global standard for accountable
management of natural resources. Working
in various mining countries – including
Zambia – the EITI seeks to strengthen gov-
ernment and company reporting systems,
inform public debate and enhance trust.
“In much the same vein, the range of
our work as consulting engineers has
expanded beyond the traditional disci-
plines (such as geological, geotechnical,
mining, hydrology and environmental ser-
vices) into the increasingly vital sphere of
stakeholder engagement,” said Mwila.
“This includes a company’s mine-level engage-
ment with communities and interest groups, as
well as interactions with different levels of govern-
ment. And it is not just the number and diversity of
relationships that is important; it is the quality and
robustness of the partnerships that is key to sustain-
ability – whether at mine level or at corporate level.”
Mwila emphasised the positive steps that have
been made in the mining sector toward continuous
engagement between stakeholders, as they worked
out the best ways to achieve mutually constructive
goals. “Despite the rocky patches,” he said, “it is a
path to which all parties must remain committed.”