Mining industry employer organisation Minerals Council South Africa has published the first edition of its Accommodation Newsletter, which highlights the interventions by, and projects of, member companies to provide decent housing and accommodation for their employees.

The newsletter, which will be issued yearly, details investments by mining companies in schools, clinics, roads, water and street lighting, among others, which improve the lives of people living in mine-host communities.

"The provision of good-quality accommodation for employees and their families marks a clear break from the past by moving away from the migrant labour legacy and multiple occupancy hostels, which dominated the mining industry for decades.

"Living in decent housing provides social stability, personal comfort and mental wellbeing for employees, which translates into safer and more productive mining operations.

"The initiatives our members are engaged in demonstrate why Mining Matters to our employees," the organisation said in the newsletter.

Nine companies provided details on some of the projects they are involved in.

Iron-ore and manganese mining and smelting company Assmang says its iKhaya Policy is designed to facilitate private home ownership and alternative housing benefit options for employees of its Northern Cape operations of Khumani mine, Black Rock mining Ooperations, and Beeshoek mine.

More than 2 150 stands have been serviced and 1 623 houses built for Assmang's Northern Cape workforce, thereby promoting affordable housing options. The company also saw more than 1 300 instalment sale agreements concluded and more than 350 houses rented to employees, which fosters financial stability and a sense of security.

Additionally, 235 title deeds were transferred to employees, which empowers them to establish roots in the Northern Cape, Assmang says.

Assmang is also involved in various infrastructure development projects in partnership with local municipalities, such as the installation of bulk water services in Kruisaar and Cassel villages, the refurbishment of Kuruman wastewater treatment plant, upgrades to electrical infrastructure and roads, and the installation of solar streetlights.

JSE-listed gold producer and metal residue recovery from tailings retreatment specialist DRDGOLD's employee homeownership scheme aims to facilitate and create an enabling environment for home ownership options for its employees, as it does not operate hostels or any other type of company-owned accommodation.

The scheme provides an interest-free housing loan of up to R85 000 for first-time homeowners who wish to purchase a bonded house. The loan from the scheme is written off over a period of 8 years of the employee working for DRDGOLD. The intention is to facilitate the purchase of one home per family through the scheme.

Additionally, JSE-listed gold mining and exploration company Harmony Gold is selling existing mine houses in municipal areas to employees at a 40% discount to create new homeowners and immediate equity.

All Free State houses will be sold to employees before transferring to a separate entity. The properties strategy includes 4 175 houses, 623 units, and 277 vacant stands in mine villages and municipal areas, the mining company notes.

Impala Platinum (Implats) has spent more than R5-billion on housing and living conditions, achieving 11 500 units, including the conversion of hostels, since it adopted its accommodation strategy in 2008.

Implats has built 4 000 homes. It has also sold a total of 4 400 housing units in Rustenburg, Impala Springs and Burgersfort for home ownership, which includes company houses, to employees, while 10% of newly constructed houses were sold to the private market to create integrated communities.

Implats has converted mining hostels into 5 243 decent single units and 308 family units, it says in the newsletter.

Meanwhile, platinum-group metals (PGM) and base metals miner Ivanplats said its 2021 to 2025 social and labour plan prioritised water-related provisions and community service or development projects.

The project aims to provide potable water to local communities and expand the footprint of community access to water through the refurbishment of boreholes in densely populated communities, it says.

The number of people benefiting from the project is 43 000 after the first two phases of borehole refurbishment servicing five villages was completed.

Further, Kumba Iron Ore’s Transformed Housing Policy aims to support eligible employees to access safe, decent and affordable accommodation at work, as well as to support qualifying employees to become homeowners.

It focuses on work accommodation in the towns and areas near the Kolomela and Sishen mines in the Northern Cape.

PGMs producer Northam Platinum’s accommodation and housing strategy promotes home ownership as the preferred sustainable tenure option, while acknowledging rental units and company accommodation will also be required.

Phase 1 the home ownership project in Mashishing, called Emaweni Village, delivered 68 units of which 63 units have been sold and registered, with another 4 transactions in progress.

Chemicals and energy company Sasol has built a R12.5-million state-of-the-art clinic in Parys, in the Free State, which is equipped with X-ray facilities, three doctors’ consulting rooms, a dental care room, an emergency room, a counselling room and a pharmacy.

To ensure reliable and uninterrupted operations, even during power outages, the clinic operates solely on solar power and is also fitted with a 10 000-litre water catchment system, Sasol says.

JSE-listed precious metals mining company Sibanye-Stillwater regards housing and living conditions as a key workforce enabler and a critical means to be a force for good in host communities.

Its Housing and Socioeconomic Strategy facilitates home ownership for employees who are interested and eligible by offering discounted prices, subsidies and financial assistance. Employees who do not wish to own a home at their places of work can use alternative accommodation options.

The strategy has achieved significant results in terms of housing sales and construction, with 2 083 houses sold to employees since its inception in 2015, with an average of 260 new homeowners a year. Sibanye has built 76 houses since 2015, with 19 houses built in 2023.

Sibanye-Stillwater has a vision of transforming its land and housing assets to create a diversified and sustainable economy, with infrastructure for sustainable socioeconomic projects, such as integrated value chain agri-projects. The strategy also intends to deliver integrated housing solutions that include social amenities and green technologies, it says in the newsletter.