Members of the Merafong Business Chamber 2 (MBC 2) have taken proactive steps following their recent protest march to the Merafong City Local Municipality by initiating talks with one of the region’s largest mining companies.

According to Sibusiso Nhlapo, chairperson of MBC 2, representatives of the chamber met with officials from Sibanye-Stillwater at the company’s Libanon operations on May 16. The meeting was aimed at strengthening ties between local businesses and the mining sector to boost local economic development and job creation.

“We met with Razaro Jele from Sibanye’s procurement department and John Tamela from stakeholder engagement. They listened to all our concerns and promised to follow up after consulting with the relevant decision-makers within the company,” said Nhlapo.

During the meeting, MBC 2 members also submitted CVs of unemployed young people from the area, appealing to the mining house to consider them for upcoming opportunities.

The business chamber had also submitted a memorandum of demands to the Merafong City Local Municipality on a previous occasion. While they received a written response on May 7, the chamber requested a physical meeting within five working days. That deadline expired on May 20, with no meeting having taken place.

Nhlapo indicated that MBC 2 is still hopeful that a positive working relationship can be established with other stakeholders. However, should the municipality continue to remain silent, the chamber plans to escalate the matter to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).

Despite limited responses so far from other entities that received their memoranda, MBC 2 remains optimistic about the potential for collaboration that benefits both the local economy and community development.