Community

In keeping with its commitment to mining communities and sustainability, during operations and after closure, AngloGold Ashanti felt it fitting that it should leave the communities surrounding Ergo with a lasting legacy when the plant is decommissioned in 2005.

The AngloGold Ashanti Fund makes available a budget of R16,148 million ($2,159 million) a year for corporate social investment, to focus on health care, HIV/AIDS, welfare, education, skills development and training and job creation. (This includes the Fund's management fee.) The Fund's board of trustees gave the go-ahead in 2004 for a sum of R6 million ($0,936 million) to be invested in the township communities of Tsakane and Kwa-Thema.

In February 2004, the Fund invited a number of key stakeholders from the area to take part in a consultative process to jointly prioritise interventions which would be sustainable into the future. A number of workshops were held, bringing together NGOs (non-governmental organisations), government departments, Ergo employees, service providers, and Fund Management in order to fully understand the social dynamics and specific needs of the area.

Three important areas were identified - education, skills development, welfare and community care development. The education and community care components are being directed by the Fund and skills development is the responsibility of the Ergo operation through its social plan training programme, aimed at providing marketable skills to employees. (See case study: Closure consultation with communities at Ergo.)

The Ergo Programme commenced in January 2005 and will run for a three-year period, ending in December 2007.

Education development component

The main aim of the education component is the upliftment of educators and learners in mathematics, science and technology, with a view to improving and enhancing the teaching skills of educators, many of whom are under-resourced, and encouraging more learner interest in these subjects, particularly at higher grade level. The focus though is on the educators, as they will be able to make a sustainable difference for many years to come. Sipho Mahlangu, programme manager of the Fund, says, "In order to achieve this goal, the levels of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Literacy at Primary School and Secondary School level need to be addressed as these are areas where teachers are under qualified and learners are not performing."

The Ergo programme will include a selection of 20 primary schools and all 14 secondary schools in these two areas. The programme is aligned with the National Curriculum 2005 - outcomes-based education (OBE), which favours a pupil-centred rather than a teacher-centred approach to learning and will thus assist teachers in the transition from traditional teaching methods to the new OBE approach. Mahlangu says the Fund's vision is to demystify mathematics and science teaching and learning. "Many children today make subject choices at school, based on the fear of mathematics and science, rather than on their personal aspirations. We hope to change this attitude," he explains.

Programme for Technological Careers (PROTEC) is the preferred service provider for the implementation of a Mathematics and Science intervention in Secondary Schools. PROTEC has excellent experience in implementing Mathematics, Science and Technology interventions in Secondary Schools. Although the focus again is on improving teaching skills in mathematics and science, PROTEC will also provide coaching to learners. The high school programme will start with Grade 10 educators and learners, who will benefit from the intervention up to matriculation (grade 12) level.

The primary schools programme will also include basic technology and literacy, the latter of which is to be supplied by the Read Educational Trust, which serves 1,600 schools in South Africa and develops materials and books for students and teachers. Mathematics, science and technology teaching will be supplied by the Mathematics Centre for Professional Teachers (MCPT), which provides training materials, workshops and classroom visits to enhance teachers' competency in teaching mathematics.

A Management Committee has been formed comprising the Ekurhuleni East Department of Education (under which Tsakane and Kwa-Thema fall), including its curriculum, mathematics, science and technology (MST) and institutional development divisions; the service providers - PROTEC, Read Educational Trust and MCPT; a Principals Forum (comprising representatives from primary and secondary schools); Chris Wiseman, senior human resources manager Ergo; and Sipho Mahlangu from the AngloGold Ashanti Fund.

All parties are accountable to the Ergo Programme and will meet regularly during the three-year period. Service providers will be required to submit quarterly progress reports as part of monitoring and evaluation. The high school programme is expected to yield tangible matric results only at the end of the programme in 2007.

Community care component

The community care component of the programme is to be run by St George's Home through its 'Rearabilwe Programme' (Sotho for 'we are answered'). This programme aims to develop and implement community-based models of care for orphan and vulnerable children, and to facilitate the co-ordination of services by existing service providers in order to limit the impact of HIV/AIDS on the social fabric of society. Mahlangu says, "The purpose of this component is to uplift the communities' social standing. The growing number of orphans and vulnerable children resulting from HIV/AIDS is a much neglected area and requires attention and resources. Children are falling out of the system due to uncoordinated efforts from current service providers dealing with only elements of care and support for children. There is a general lack of holistic programmes which ensure that all the needs of children are addressed."

Aimed at long-term social sustainability, 'Rearabilwe's' planning methodology is to support and strengthen existing community initiatives; to facilitate access to available resources; to bridge the gaps in service provision; and to ensure access to state support.

The project brings together major stakeholders, who are committed to meeting key objectives through crucial interventions for children in need. Intervention strategies, aimed at establishing efficient systems and ensuring sufficient resources through which to provide immediate and on-going child care, include a networking and partnership programme; a governance and management programme; a main programme (which comprises identification, registration, referral and placement of needy children); continuous care; screening of potential care-givers; a foster care recruitment programme; school-based support teams (SBST); and training and support. Equally important is the establishment of a reporting tool, by way of committees and forums, both to monitor and support all interventions. Stakeholders are expected to assume full responsibility for its running and monitoring.

St George's Home already runs a successful 'Rearabilwe' programme in the Etwata/Daveyton community and this is to be replicated in Tsakane and KwaThema. A pre-feasibility study has already been conducted to identify areas of need.

A separate Steering Committee has been formed, comprising St George's Home and representation from other service providers and/or NGOs; the Ekurhuleni East Department of Social Development; Chris Wiseman from Ergo and Sipho Mahlangu from the Fund.

Way forward

The Ergo Programme is a pilot project which, if successful, will pave the way for similar projects in other communities surrounding AngloGold Ashanti's operations. Recent experience has shown, however, that any interventions should preferably start at a much earlier stage that the Ergo Programme, ideally while the operation is still running.