Mining Weekly reports that platinum producer Lonmin has introduced a community grievance mechanism called Buang Le Rona/Thetha Nathi, meaning ‘Talk to Us’.  

The mechanism was started last year with a pilot project and Lonmin stakeholder engagement and regulatory affairs executive VP Thandeka Ncube on Wednesday expressed her excitement with the company launching a full-service grievance system.  The system is aimed at improving two-way communication between communities and Lonmin and resolving grievances within the greater Lonmin community.  “We made it a point to ensure that grievances and conflicts are mediated in a transparent and fair manner and, most importantly, this system will be able to track the progress of a grievance until it is resolved by the responsible stakeholder, whether an internal Lonmin department or an external stakeholder,” Ncube indicated.  To ensure maximum impact and awareness of the mechanism, Lonmin has invested in an awareness campaign to educate community members and employees on how they can access the system and submit a grievance.