JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Mining companies need to approach environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles on a truth and reconciliation footing and be honest about where they are on a scale of one to 10, says Rifle-Shot Performance business development director Dilley Naidoo.

Naidoo, who spoke to Mining Weekly on Zoom, advocates that ESG be a living, breathing, day-to-day reality in mining companies, which need to be conscious of what has gone on before, where the industry is at present, and how it must move into the future. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Naidoo’s view of mining’s history over the last century in South Africa is that it has been largely investor-centred but points to the ESG consciousness of today’s generation as lighting up the new path that has to be taken.

He says that miners need to make ESG part of the social fabric and DNA of the company, and take an holistic transformational approach that is bolted and costed into the business model.

Right from the exploration stage, companies must, he adds, have definitive exit plans that sustain subsidiary industries, employment and economic activity upon mine closure.

Boardrooms and rockfaces must be integrated to ensure that the ESG message is spread across all operations.

Among the many other points made by Naidoo are that:

• Communities must be made part of the value chain.
• Continuing use of male hostels must be declared unacceptable from a humanitarian perspective.
• Mine tailings must be subjected to predictive monitoring to create awareness well in advance of tailings breaches.

Mining Weekly: Are there countries that are good models to follow?

Naidoo: There are challenges all over the mining world, but I think the countries I'll probably single out are Australia and Canada in terms of starting to do a better job in the areas of environmental, social and governance as part of the business model.

Rifle-Shot Performance Holdings