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From Knowmore.org

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[edit] Criticism

• A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleges that mining giant AngloGold Ashanti has worked extensively with mercenaries and warlords in order to gain access to the precious metals of the Democratic Republic of Congo, scene of a bitter decade-long civil war. What makes these revelations particularly ironic is that AngloGold is part of the Anglo American group who have played a leading role in advising Tony Blair's Commission for Africa (CfA) on poverty reduction.

[edit] Environmental

• $30m environmental bill for Anglo American to quit Zambian mine"Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa used his speech at the World Economic Forum meeting in Durban to castigate Anglo American for not paying exit damages to the government of $200m for pulling out of the copper mine there.The company should have paid, he argued, to compensate for environmental damage and the cost of lost jobs. The company in fact offered to pay $30m."It is not corporate responsibility to leave just because all things are not rosy," Mwanawasa told a press conference.The company stated that it would not "just walk away from Zambia" and that it had left time to negotiate a settlement."
• Anglo Commits to Africa"Anglo's review of the Konkola mines threatens over 10,000 jobs and Zambia's main source of foreign exchange."
• Giant Mining Firm’s Social Responsibility Claims: Rhetoric or Reality?"The environmental problems include numerous spills and accidental discharges at Anglo American’s platinum operations in South Africa and AngloGold’s mines in Ghana. Waterway degradation occurred at Anglo American’s Lisheen lead and zinc mine in Ireland, while children living near the company’s Black Mountain zinc/lead/copper mine in South Africa were found to be struggling in school because of elevated levels of lead in their blood."
• Mining Activities Adversely Affecting Villages in Limpopo"We witness worsening social and environmental conditions in this platinum producing area. These conditions, resulting from the mining activities of Anglo Platinum... Industrial waste and open raw sewerage from the Anglo Mining compound flow freely into the catchment area of the Moetse – one of the large rivers in the area. The river provides drinking water to both people and livestock...Mining ventilation shafts, near where people live, constantly emit foul gasses into the air. A significant increase in health problems, including coughing and breathing problems among community in the area of Driekop under Tshwakomohlala municipality, are directly being attributed to the large tailings dams in the area and general mining operations. Mining explosives are poorly guarded...ATM robberies in our country involve explosives of the kind only accessible to the mining industry, this lack of security is deeply disturbing...A number of people told us that they are also being forcibly removed from their homes to make way for mining activities in the area.Mining also leaves the land barren and unsuitable for farming. On land vacated by the mines, dangerous hazards such as open holes in the ground and waste materials are still present. It is sad to note that it is usually children who fall victim to these toxic substances and who suffer injuries from falling into old shafts and wells."

[edit] Human Rights

• Giant Mining Firm’s Social Responsibility Claims: Rhetoric or Reality?"The main human rights controversies have taken place in Ghana, where subsistence farmers have been displaced by AngloGold’s operations and have not been given new land, and in the Limpopo area of South Africa, where villagers were similarly displaced by Anglo American’s platinum operations. High levels of fatalities in the mines of Anglo American and AngloGold—more than 200 in the last five years—have become a major scandal in South Africa, where miners staged a national strike over the issue late last year."
• A New Leader of Concerned Farmers in Rural Ghana"Amoateng is now a leader of the Concerned Farmers’ Association of Teberebie, which consists of 35 farmers who have worked with WACAM to learn about their human rights under Ghana’s constitution and Minerals and Mining Act. She is leading this group in a legal case against AngloGold, alleging non-payment of compensation for their lost farms, which are now buried under piles of waste rock."

[edit] Political Influence

• Platinum Protests in the Limpopo"The platinum miners have cut off services to those communities that refuse to be relocated. They are using the police as muscle to throw people off their ancestral land so that they can mine there...They are using the police, and some of the government departments. I believe the South African government is on the side of the corporation, because they are looking at the revenues they are getting."

[edit] Praise

• Anglo Commits to Africa"Mining giant Anglo American says it is still committed to Africa and to finding new mines, despite pulling out of the Konkola copper mine in Zambia amid fierce criticism...Africa continued to receive the largest share of Anglo's exploration spending, even though its exploration budget had shrunk 31% to $42m in 2002."

[edit] Subsidiaries and Affiliates

DeBeers AngloGold Ashanti Anglo Platinum

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