SANEDI (South African National Energy Development Institute) and the Mineworkers Development Agency (MDA) have signed a Partnership Agreement that will see the organisations partnering to bring relief to the country’s former mineworkers and their communities in the wake of mine closures and the ever-growing prevalence of mining “ghost towns” and other poverty stricken areas.
An important element of this partnership is offering immediate COVID-19 support to 200 identified needy families, worst affected by the pandemic in mining communities in the Free State and the North West provinces. SANEDI and MDA will be providing packages that include portable LPG stoves systems with a number of LPG refill vouchers to minimise the impact of lack of access to efficient and effective cooking fuels. The identified families are currently using traditional fuels that have detrimental the indoor air quality challenges that can exacerbate the risks associated with the pandemic.
The MDA’s mandate is to create sustainable livelihoods in areas of endemic poverty. As in the case with SANEDI, the agency works in tandem with partners such as NGOs and CSI programmes. A key part of the MDA’s work is to provide food security, targeted support to emerging farmers and other job creation micro-enterprises. The Agency also support capacity building among community organisations. These are the areas that are targeted for applied research by the SANEDI in its energy access portfolio.
SANEDI is supporting these objectives through the development and use of renewable energy and efficiency systems that use natural and other available resources to enhance the energy optimisation of operations of these community-based establishments. These initiatives will improve viability of the goods and services produced, thereby enhancing the sustainability of the operations, thereby reducing poverty and enhancing livelihoods in targeted areas.
“Together with the MDA, SANEDI can establish effective and sustainable energy systems that will ensure communities optimise their energy use while instilling effective resource optimisation combined with sustainable waste management practices. Key to this is a systems approach to resource management including waste to energy initiatives that contribute towards the circular economy in these operations.” explains David Mahuma, General Manager: Working for Energy Programme at SANEDI.
As part of the MDA’s mandate, which compliments the work of the Department of Social Development, it must provide healthcare support to those former mineworkers that are HIV positive, have tuberculosis or other illnesses. The MDA CEO Mr Tshimane Monteodi indicated that, “This partnership with SANEDI comes at an opportune moment in terms of the provision of efficient and effective cooking and heating sources for former mineworkers and their communities. The pandemic and winter season further exacerbated the already vulnerable grouping, due to occupational health related diseases. Also following our recent 1200 food parcel distribution in the identified provinces”.
The infrastructure in mining towns is used as a place where these workers can find treatment and convalesce and where SANEDI is also establishing energy efficient systems. Additionally, the MDA is working together with various mining organisations’ social funding initiatives to ensure mineworkers get the necessary support after mining operations close.
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