Address by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe at the TB in the Mining Sector Regional Ministerial Meeting in Sandton Convention Centre
Programme Director,
The South African Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi,
Minister of Health from the SADC Region,
Ministers Present,
The Business Community,
The Labour Movement,
Ladies and gentlemen.
I am honoured to welcome you to South Africa on this occasion that is without a doubt a landmark event in our collective effort to address the public health challenge of TB in the mining sector in Southern Africa.
It is historic because we have collectively recognised that TB in the Mining Sector is not just a health issue but an economic, labour and development issue: One that requires a collective, coordinated approach - especially given the fact that mining contributes significantly to development on the continent. This explains the presence of such a broad range of stakeholders here today.
TB in the mining sector is a particular challenge due to the fact that the prevalence of TB is higher in mining communities than it is in the general population. Given the sobering fact that Africa is the only continent unlikely to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target of halving TB related mortality by the end of 2015, the urgency of developing and implementing region-wide programmes is self-evident.
Programme Director,
Africa is where mining began. The oldest mines in the world are to be found on our continent. Of the 54 countries on the African continent, 46 have mineral resources of “commercial importance”. Today, Africa mines or quarries 60 mineral products, and mining contributes about 20% of Africa's economic activity.
Minerals are Africa's second-largest export category and are exceeded only by oil and gas. Even though many believe that much of the continents' mineral wealth remain undiscovered, Africa is among the well-endowed nations in terms of mineral resources. There is no doubt therefore that mining is a key component of Africa's development and will continue to be so in the decades to come.
However, like most industrial activities, mining has an impact on the environment, on communities in which mining happens, and on the individuals who work in mines and in mine-related services.
Mining also has a large impact on internal and cross-border migration and so the impact of TB in mine-linked communities is felt much more acutely than it is in the population at large. These challenges need to be addressed, so that benefits accrue to all those involved in this sector as well as communities and countries.
Programme Director,
It is in recognition of these issues and the need for a regional approach that SADC Heads of State signed the Declaration on TB in the Mining Sector in August 2012.
This Declaration recognises the particular vulnerability of mineworkers to TB and to HIV as a result of their occupation and lifestyles. It also highlights many of the specific challenges that need to be urgently addressed in order to overcome this disease.
Some of the gaps identified include:
- A lack of harmonised treatment regimens between mines and across borders
- An absence of effective cross-border medical referral and patient tracking systems
- A lack of minimum standards for the control of occupational TB, TB/HIV, silicosis and other occupational respiratory diseases
Inadequate or absence of mechanisms for financial compensation of mineworkers and ex-mineworkers with TB, silicosis and other occupational respiratory diseases;
Weak coordination and collaboration at national and regional levels and a weak policy and legislative environment.
The Declaration recognises that globalised trade and migration will always intersect and it emphasises the need for us to move forward as a collective. The Declaration further draws from the lessons learned in responding to the HIV epidemic - particularly the value of partnerships and the lesson that a coordinated multi-stakeholder approach is likely to yield results in the short, medium and long term and that governments cannot tackle these challenges single-handedly.
For this reason the Declaration reinforces the regional ministerial mandate for a truly harmonised approach to TB in the mining sector in which all partners - public, private, multilateral and bilateral - are aligned around a single coordinated framework for the delivery of services that will have a profound and positive impact on the lives of mine workers and the communities where mining takes place.
Programme Director;
It is important to recognise the efforts of our colleagues and counterparts who worked so tirelessly to secure agreement on the SADC Declaration on TB in the Mining Sector.
We thank them for sterling leadership they have shown and recognise the work they have done to get us to the point where we are today. Their good leadership has enabled us to make the political and operational decisions that take advantage of a decade of scientific advances which have accelerated the global TB response.
Due to the urgency required to address the issues, Ministers of Health from Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa have led the charge with the development of a harmonised approach to the treatment of TB in the mining sector. Progress on this will be shared and issues debated in this meeting today. Lessons learnt will hopefully assist other countries in the future. We commend the technical experts who have worked on these protocols and the leadership and support provided by the Ministers in this regard.
Let me also commend the private sector, organised labour, the development community and many others who have contributed to this work and who remain committed to this effort as evidenced by their presence in this meeting today.
Ladies and gentlemen;
Although the Declaration focuses largely on the health aspects of TB in the mining sector, there is a clear recognition of the fact that this is not just a health matter but it is also an economic, social and development issue especially for southern Africa.
This disease - which is the leading cause of death in our country, has a huge impact on workforce productivity and operational costs in an industry that contributes almost 20% to South Africa's GDP.
TB contracted in and around the mining sector but treated in public health facilities places a huge burden on the national health systems of affected countries and undermines public health efforts. Furthermore, the fact that disease rates have been disproportionately high for more than a century has contributed to the build-up of unresolved legacy issues for an industry in which appropriate humane standards of treatment, care, workers' protection and compensation have rarely been comprehensively enforced.
While the SADC Declaration on TB in the Mining Sector provides a scaffold for the agreements that need to be reached, our task today is to 'put meat on the bones' so that we can accelerate regional implementation.
Among the components that will be interrogated today will be the evidence for why TB in the mining sector deserves attention as well as elaboration of the 'Harmonised Framework' that four countries in the region have agreed. We will also hear about the challenge of adequately compensating mineworkers and ex-mineworkers who develop occupational disease or injuries. Compensation issues have historically been extremely difficult to resolve due to the complexities inherent in the processes.
It is heartening to note that a few weeks ago, a two day workshop involving many of the key role players in this particular issue was convened here in Gauteng and that a number of important recommendations were adopted and commitments made to find ways to ensure that benefits reach those who qualify, including their dependants.
I am hopeful that what will emerge today will be a clear roadmap for tackling not only treatment related issues but that the other concerns highlighted in the Declaration namely:
- Mechanisms for effective cross border referral;
- The development and implementation of a monitoring system to enable us to assess progress as well as;
- Dealing with the protracted challenge of fair compensation of ex-mineworkers and mineworkers as alluded to above.
Under the leadership of SADC and of the A.U. this roadmap will serve as a template for a region-wide and ultimately a continent-wide effort to deal proactively and comprehensively with the challenge of TB in the mining sector. In fact, this template can be applied to other migrant populations in other sectors such as the farming and agricultural sector and many others because the principles that underpin the work are universally accepted.
Programme Director;
This is an example of what is possible when we respond in ways that strengthen our common humanity. Whilst the private sector applies an employer/employee lens to the issues, organised labour focuses on securing an enabling work place, fair labour practices and fair remuneration, governments have a duty to respect, protect and create an enabling environment for fulfilling the basic rights that workers are entitled to.
All role players need to always bear in mind that workers are also members of families, and that they are searching for opportunities to earn a decent living in order to provide for their families like all other workers in various other fields.
By keeping this important concept central to our work, our responses take on a different colour; one that recognises our common humanity and enables us to collectively adopt and implement compassionate and yet pragmatic solutions that benefit all.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
By now we have all learnt that so much more can be achieved by working together in pursuit of a common purpose.
I thank you for your leadership in this initiative and for convening here to take up this challenge.
May your deliberations today produce outcomes, strategies and solutions that help us to reduce the devastating impact of TB on population health and economic growth. May they produce the roadmap setting out the steps for how we will eliminate this longstanding challenge once and for all.
I wish you well in your deliberations and look forward to hearing about the outcomes of this landmark event. Let me thank you once again for being here and hope that those of you who have come from other parts of this beautiful region/continent will find time to enjoy and experience the warmth of the people of South Africa.
I thank you!
