Raw materials in South Africa: Implications for the environment and society, social consequences & Europe's role

I am standing here because iron and manganese are being loaded onto the cargo ships in large quantities in less than three kilometres as the crow flies. Metals that are ultimately also installed and used on the streets of Germany in the form of cars, batteries or in buildings.

Germany and the EU have been in enormous dependence on raw materials from South Africa for decades. In addition, we are one of the largest consumers of metallic raw materials and for the transformation into a post-fossil economy and the maintenance of the economic status quo, a new political run on metals worldwide is emerging - including in South Africa.

More than 12,000 kilometres from Europe, in South Africa the current political climate of the EU meets historical continuities of exploitation and the continued outsourcing of the European lifestyle.

While politics and business focus on securing raw material imports, there is frighteningly little question about the impact of our metal-rich lifestyle on the mining regions.

The EU in the field of raw materials policy
Alertness and a new law

The EU knows how dependent it is on raw materials from other countries, and with the experience of supply chain disruptions over the last three years and the forecasts of increasing metal demand, it has just been able to achieve record levels of production. Critical Raw Materials Act adopted.

As part of the EU Green Deal, the law aims to ensure that the EU is reliably supplied with critical raw materials (CRM) and strategic raw materials (SRM) in order to ensure the decarbonisation of EU industry.

CRM and SRM have been defined by the Commission as raw materials of particular importance to European industries. For example, for digitalization, mobility, energy or defence products. The strategic raw materials also include manganese or platinum group metals (PGM), which are extracted to a considerable extent in South Africa.

In the brooding midday heat I sit next to Kyle Dodds, hotel owner in close proximity to the port in Saldanha.

Just a few hours earlier, he had warmly welcomed me and thanked me for taking the time to listen to their concerns. Since iron ore was loaded in the immediate vicinity of his property, there would be enormous dust pollution in the region, Dodds said. While he reports of the immense burden of the port, his cheerfulness is clouded and the worries are written in his face.

To the left of us, the wagons rattle along, transporting the ores from the interior to the coast without any cover. A rust-red carpet covers the entire region, giving even the gulls a pink breast plumage. The value of the houses in the municipalities has also fallen sharply in recent years, as permanent dust pollution makes maintenance extremely difficult.

The red dust is one thing, but what has been worrying Dodds and his family for quite some time is the black dust of manganese ore, which is now also exported via Saldanha. It poses life-threatening health risks.

Together with his wife and other inhabitants of the region, Dodds founded the ’Red Dust Action Group” to draw the attention of those responsible, such as the South African government, the mine operator, but also the major buyers of the raw materials, to the situation and to demand improvement.

As a major buyer of South African iron and manganese, Germany is also responsible.

Facts about Iron

How is iron ore mined and what role does South Africa play?

Iron ore is mined in opencast mines as a raw material for steel production. With a share of almost 38 percent, South Africa is the most important iron ore exporter for Germany. South Africa is the seventh largest producer in the world. In South Africa, iron ore is mined mainly in Northern Cape at the Sishen, Kolomela and Khumani mines. The mining area is connected to the port of Saldanha by a train line of more than 800 kilometres. A 342 wagon long freight train brings the ore to the port to be exported from there to the world.

What is iron ore used for?

Iron ore is required in numerous applications, but plays an important role in Germany, especially in mechanical engineering, construction and the automotive industry. (E)-cars consist of a considerable proportion of steel, which is mainly installed in the body, but also in the chassis and battery housing as well as in the cathode of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. In 2019, 26 percent of the processed steel went to the automotive industry.

What are the consequences of iron ore mining in South Africa?

A report by Action Aid South Africa and MACUA/WAMUA examined the impact of mining on various mining communities in South Africa. This includes Maremane, in close proximity to the Kolomela Mine, the second largest iron ore mine in South Africa. In the investigations, it became clear that the population, similar to the port of Saldanha, suffers from the enormous dust pollution. This is mainly a consequence of mining and transporting the ore on untarred roads.

At the Kolomela Mine, conventional open pit drilling is used to blow up and transport the ore extracted from the mine to the nearby processing plant. There, the ore is broken and sieved and then brought to the port via the Sishen-Saldanha railway line. Above all, the resulting dust developments lead to considerable health problems for the population. In addition, the population is affected by various diseases resulting from poor access to water, electricity and housing.

Facts about Manganese

How is manganese mined and what role does South Africa play?

Manganese is mainly mined as ore in industrial open pit or underground mining. South Africa is the most important producer country with 33 percent of global production. Two thirds of all manganese mines and a large part of the reserves are located in the so-called Kalahari manganese field, which extends over 425 km2 in northern South Africa (Northern Cape). It is the largest manganese ore deposit in the world. With the new classification of the EU, manganese is now part of the Strategic Raw Materials (SRM), as it is of particular importance for European industry. Planned, so-called strategic projects of the EU could therefore also affect the manganese fields in South Africa in the future.

What is manganese used for?

The most important application area for manganese is the steel industry with over 90 percent. Manganese is also an important component of the cathode of nickel-manganese-cobalt or lithium-manganese batteries. Due to its specific chemical properties, manganese can improve the range and safety of an electric car.

What are the consequences of manganese mining in South Africa?

One of the biggest challenges in the mining and processing of manganese is the enormous health hazard posed above all by black manganese dust. The small particles can enter the lungs and bloodstream directly through breathing. The smaller the manganese particles and the longer the exposure to manganese, the higher the risk that they will be absorbed by the body and suffer from manganism, a disease similar to Parkinson's disease. This chronic manganese poisoning leads to various neurological disorders, such as nerve and muscle damage, paralysis, speech and memory disorders as well as mental impairments. Especially workers in manganese mining, processing, transport and residents along the manganese rivers are exposed to the high risk of manganism if safety precautions are not in place.

In an analysis by Action Aid, MACUA/WAMUA and SOMO in 2021, the authors came to the conclusion that manganese mining in the Kalahari manganese field leads to water shortages and pollution of water, air and soil. As a result, local communities are suffering from enormous health problems. Children and women in particular are affected by the consequences of manganese extraction – whether through health damage such as reduced growth and lung diseases or the assumption of care work in the care of those affected.

The Legacy of Racist Spatial Policy in South Africa: Social inequalities along commodity flows

While workers and residents along the iron ore and manganese rivers face enormous risks and demand justice, mining companies continue to produce for the global market. And find customers.
Also in Germany.

Despite the end of apartheid, there are still enormous inequalities within South Africa, mainly due to the fact that the profits from mining and commodity trading continue to be reserved for the elites of the country as well as for foreign actors.

An example of the historical continuities of racist space politics can be seen in the gold mining region one hour east of Johannesburg. Right next to the residential buildings, holes as deep as power poles open in Khutsong in the municipality of Merafong.

Where the ground opens in one place, the tailings of unused rock from mining pile up along the platinum belt in the province of Gauteng.

Acting like mountain ranges from a distance, the remnants of the global commodity trade are emerging without any security and in close proximity to housing estates.

While I look at the beige wall with the company name “Sibanye Stillwater” in black letters, I clean my sunglasses from a fine layer of dust. I'm standing in front of Marikana's entrance gates.

This summer will mark the twelfth anniversary of the Marikana massacre. More than a decade of lack of accountability on the part of the South African government, the police, the then Lonmin company, now Sibanye Stillwater, and commodity buyers.

More than a decade of unanswered questions for victims and loved ones.

The wounds are deep and waiting for justice for those affected is agonizing.

But what happened then?

On August 16, 2012, a strike by workers from the Marikana platinum mine was bloodily ended by the South African police and security personnel of the mining company. 34 people were murdered by the police and at least 78 others were injured. The workers of the mine had laid down their work in order to demand a living wage, better housing conditions and a fair distribution of raw material revenues.

The Marikana massacre is not limited to South Africa. It is embedded in global commodity trading and responsibility networks. Germany also plays a role in this. At that time, the German company BASF was one of the main customers of the British company Lonmin and continues to source South African platinum. by Sibanye Stillwater.

Under the boiling January sun, I now stand on a hill and look at the platinum factory's industrial facilities, a wide field and the informal settlement of Nkaneng.

At over 30 degrees, the piercing siren of the numerous power cables above me sounds even more crushing.
It's not some hill or field, it's the bloody scene of August 16, 2012. The bloody scene of the Marikana massacre.

I'm not alone on the hill. Thato and Lizeka are standing next to me.

They are part of the ’Sinethemba Marikana Women's Collective”. A self-organized grassroots group that came together after the massacre to provide a certain income to the women of Marikana through sewing and crafts.

Marikana Today and the Role of Germany

What Thato, Lizeka and Thumeka report is also reflected in the study by Asanda-Jonas Benya and Crispen Chinguno. They interviewed many of those affected in Marikana and found that working and living conditions, which were among the reasons for the strikes in 2012, had improved only marginally more than a decade later, and in some cases even worsened.

Bread for the World (2022) "Waiting for Justice"

Since there is almost no metal mining in Germany, PGM is imported on a large scale from abroad. In terms of platinum, South Africa is the second most important exporter for Germany. In total, more than three quarters of the platinum produced in South Africa is exported. BASF, based in Germany, has been one of the largest buyers of South African platinum for years. Despite devastating and ongoing human rights violations in PGM mining, such as the Marikana massacre, its production in South Africa has increased significantly in recent years. Compared to the previous year, the three largest mining companies Sibanye Stillwater, Anglo American Platinum and Impala Platinum mined more than ten percent more.

With the announcement of the CRMA, South Africa was also designated as a potential strategic partner of the EU due to its significant role in the production of PGM.

I looked at the company profile of them, read the BASF annual reports and saw what they wrote on their Marikana website, where they themselves present it as a best practice example for German industry, where they claim to be committed to clean supply chains. But the conditions in Marikana speak a different language. They testify to a different reality. The people there tell me that Sibanye Stillwater involves them even less than Lonmin, gives them even less say, gives them even less agency. [...] If BASF acts as if it is committed to clean supply chains, then it is also committed to these people.

by Niren Tolsi

The bright light reflects in the clean windows of Cape Town's waterfront.

Not far from the huge DHL stadium, but far from the mines in the Kalahari manganese field or the platinum belt, the largest mining conference on the African continent meets.

The annual “Mining Indaba” brings together mining companies such as Anglo American, Rio Tinto and Co, politicians from all over the world, consultants and industry representatives.

There will be exchanges on investment opportunities, challenges and potentials of the African mining sector. “Unlocking African Mining Investment: Stabitlity, Security and Supply” is featured above the multi-day programme.

Not far from Africa's largest mining conference, I now sit next to numerous representatives from NGOs, churches, affected mining communities, trade unions and other organizations.

I am currently visiting the Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI).
Civil society from South Africa and numerous other African countries have come together to discuss the consequences of mining and the necessary steps towards a globally just energy transition.

Whether in Saldanha, Maremane or gathered at the AMI:
The increased interest in the so-called CRM and SRM, such as the PGM or manganese, is particularly noticeable for the mining communities. They notice it in increasing exploration, increased mining production or increased transportation of raw materials in their immediate vicinity.

I am far from the EU's plenary chambers and closer than ever to the debate.

With the demands of the Red Dust Action Group, the Sinethemba Women's Collective, MACUA/WAMUA and Co. in my luggage, with the current efforts of the EU to push mining further, I am once again in inner turmoil and division between the conference participants.
This time in Cape Town.

Whose energy transition will it be?

Who will benefit from this?

Who designs them?

Who decides for whom and for what the energy is needed?

How can we ensure that communities are at the centre of debate and further implementation?

How is it ensured that communities have access to energy?

What will be different than in the last decades of the exploitation of raw materials?

What role do the countries of the Global North play in respecting the rights of communities and the environment?

How are the old crimes, such as the Marikana massacre, dealt with?

When and how will those who wait for justice come to justice?

What is happening to the communities that are currently living off coal mining?

How do you ensure that you are involved in the transformation?

Yes, metallic raw materials play an important role in the transformation to the post-fossil age, but metals defined by the EU as ‘critical’ or ‘strategic’ must not be given a free pass to mine as quickly as possible.

First and foremost, the definition must be a reminder to deal with the existing and current challenges along metallic raw material supply chains.

What is really critical are the EU's consumption, which has always been far too high, the conscious ignoring of the effects in the regions of degradation and further processing, and the also life-threatening crossing of planetary boundaries.

Dusty-pressing flashback

I remember my afternoon in Saldanha.

As I sat next to Kyle, he told me of all his worries between anger and grief. Fears of getting sick from black manganese dust. The fear of financial losses because tourists stay away. Worries about the future.

I remember him sitting next to me in the car as we drove through the rusty lunar landscape of Saldanha and he told me:

"You know Hannah, I wouldn't say I'm totally depressed, but since we've been living here, it's been going on with me."

He means the dust. He lies down, not only on the houses, the streets and the parasols, he lies down in the bodies of the inhabitants and workers of the region. The bodies along the railway line from Sishen to Saldanha. Although I've only been to this place for one afternoon, I feel like I'm surrounded by a shallow, crushing layer of dust.

I find it difficult to answer adequately.

"It's also our dust," I say.

Dusty shine: new raw material needs of the EU, Old injustices for South Africa

At the drip: Raw material dependencies of the EU and the new run on metals

Although the citizens of EU only 6% of the world's population make up, using We are already 25-30% of the world's metals produced.

The EU in the field of raw materials policy Alertness and a new law

How many metals, most of which are mined in South Africa, were consumed globally in 2022?

Selection of important metals that Germany and the EU currently import from the African continent

Which metals is South Africa a major producer of?

What are the main countries of origin of German imports of industrial metals?

Which countries have the highest share of the global supply of critical raw materials?

Which strategic raw materials flow into which sectors?

Which of these come from South Africa and how many were mined there in 2022?

PGM*

Palladium

Platin

Titanium

ilmenite

rutile

manganese

Of red and black dust: Manganese and iron ore

From the political halls of Brussels back to the South African west coast

Railway line from Saldanha Port to Sishen Mine

How is iron ore mined and what role does South Africa play?

What is iron ore used for?

What are the consequences of iron ore mining in South Africa?

How is manganese mined and what role does South Africa play?

What is manganese used for?

What are the consequences of manganese mining in South Africa?

Use of steel by industrial sector

Use of manganese by industrial sector

The Legacy of Racist Spatial Policy in South Africa: Social inequalities along commodity flows

From unhealed wounds and ongoing vulnerabilities: PGM from South Africa

Marikana Today and the Role of Germany

The role of German BASF

All of us dust: Without a shift in raw materials, there is no justice for civil society worldwide.

Civil society in South Africa calls for voice and clarity

Questions from South African civil society to the resource-using countries of the Global North

Whose energy transition will it be?

Who will benefit from this?

Who designs them?

Who decides for whom and for what the energy is needed?

How can we ensure that communities are at the centre of debate and further implementation?

How is it ensured that communities have access to energy?

What will be different than in the last decades of the exploitation of raw materials?

What role do the countries of the Global North play in respecting the rights of communities and the environment?

How are the old crimes, such as the Marikana massacre, dealt with?

When and how will those who wait for justice come to justice?

What is happening to the communities that are currently living off coal mining?

How do you ensure that you are involved in the transformation?

What is actually critical: Lack of EU consumption reduction and responsibility

The era of irresponsibility, looking away and ignoring must come to an end.

A question of global justice...

Vehicles per 1000 people 2022

Germany 30th place with 628 vehicles

South Africa 108th place with 176 vehicles

Dusty-pressing flashback

Dusty shine:
new raw material needs of the EU,
Old injustices for South Africa

The EU in the field of raw materials policy
Alertness and a new law

All of us dust:
Without a shift in raw materials, there is no justice for civil society worldwide.

What is actually critical:
Lack of EU consumption reduction and responsibility