Stone and pebble harvesting

The women are involved in harvesting a variety of natural stones and pebbles in different sizes and colours. These include a multi-red pebble, a multi-white pebble, a multi-red gravel and a multi-white gravel.
Working with basic tools such as picks, spades and shovels, they extract the stones from the allocated 1,5ha site and each one has her own area in which to work. Sometimes they use their bare hands to pull out the stones, which are then sorted manually on a grid placed over an old steel drum. After sorting the piles into various types, sizes and colours, the stones are washed by hand. Water is collected by the women who walk 2km from the mine site to fetch it in large plastic containers. There is as yet no running water or electricity, but a borehole has been sunk and will be operational in the near future. From the various piles, the stones are poured into heavy duty plastic bags which are UV, sun and chemical-resistant. Once filled, each bag weighs 20kg. Larger stones are not bagged but rather sold as ‘jumbos’ according to their weight. The bags are provided by C&M Landscaping Supplies.

The women are paid per filled bag and can work at their own pace. They are not restricted in terms of working days and sometimes choose to work over weekends.
Once a consignment of stones (approximately 1 700 bags) is packed and ready to be transported, it is loaded by casual labourers onto a large interlink truck and taken to the depot of C&M Landscaping Supplies in Pretoria (a trip of 10 hours). Cliff and Magdaleen Malan, owners of C&M Landscaping Supplies, purchase the stones from the Babirwa community. Previously, the women had been exploited by other buyers and these frustrations led to the establishment and legalisation of the project.

Some of the women involved are over 60 years of age and in order to ensure continuity of the project, they have been asked to identify younger members of the community who will carry on their work. The younger members will be trained in basic mining skills by the Limpopo Department of Minerals and Energy and will be awarded SAQA accredited certificates, enabling them to seek employment in the formal sector. The present group of women also have accreditation.


LIBSA and the Limpopo Government

The Limpopo Business Support Agency (LIBSA) is a Limpopo Government financed organisation established in 1991 by the (then) Department of Finance and Economic Development. It provides developmental, business skills and technical support to existing and aspiring SMMEs and co-operatives in all sectors. Matsobane Kekana, LIBSA’s co-operative officer in the Waterberg District, explains: “Our support of co-ops in Limpopo has had a remarkable impact on this pebble project. Since we started with it, we have been able to train members in financial management, bookkeeping, the concept of co-operatives and related matters. The infrastructure that is in place has been made possible through LIBSA’s allocation of R500 000 and in the very near future, members will no longer be subjected to difficult manual labour as we will ensure that the correct tools, equipment and machinery are available through additional funding.”

Peter Tsheola is the Deputy Manager, Community Environmental Development, Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism. His department was approached by the Babirwa community workers for assistance with their stone harvesting project and he submitted their requests and information to the Department of Minerals and Energy.

“Our aim is to empower these women and ensure that they are not exploited. At the same time, we want to encourage both the landscapers and the pebble collectors to operate legally because in terms of the new Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act, heavy sentences can be imposed if mineral resources are collected without the necessary permit and authorisation,” he explains. In the case of pebble and stone collection by the Babirwa community applying for a mining permit, the area they harvest may not exceed 1,5ha.

Says Tsheola: “In empowering these women, they will be able to provide a better quality of life for their families. We are in the middle of Ellisras, Makopane and Polokwane where there is much poverty. The women are mainly widows and heads of their households, shouldering the entire responsibility for supporting them with the money they earn from the stone and pebble harvesting. This project places the community on the map of economic development.”
Maphuti Kenny Makgakga is the assistant director of small scale mining in the Department of Minerals and Energy, Limpopo Regional Office. His directorate develops small scale mining projects from pre-feasibility stage to the full capability of the project, assisting both financially and technically.

Before a potential small scale mining project can be assisted, a basic assessment form is filled out, and together with a written report, sent to a National Steering Committee of Service Providers, established to address the needs of small scale mining. The report submitted to the Steering Committee should state the geology of the area, the type of mineral deposit to be explored, whether an infrastructure of water and electricity exists or if a borehole can be drilled. The need for the project must also be established. Before any assistance can be approved, the report is subjected to a critical evaluation.

Makgakga also identifies illegal small scale mining operations, advising and encouraging those involved to apply for the necessary mining permit or mining right. They are prevented from extracting minerals illegally. “There are a lot of fragmented illegal pebble mining operations going on in Limpopo Province and these need to be consolidated and legalised. This, according to those involved in the pebble business, is killing the market, with prices too low compared to legalised operations. We need to educate people to apply for the relevant permits or mining rights so that innocent workers are protected and the provisions of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act are adhered to,” he states. Makgakga follows up and investigates if given information that illegal mining operations are taking place.

The stones are removed with basic tools such as rakes, picks and shovels		Stones are sorted manually on a grid
Stones are placed into piles, according to type, size and colour		The stones are poured into strong plastic bags
The team of workers with filled plastic bags		The bags are loaded onto a large interlink truck and transported to the depot of C&M Landscaping Supplies in Pretoria
Larger stones are not bagged but rather sold as ‘jumbos’ according to their weight		From left: Peter Tsheola, Deputy Manager, Community Environmental Development, Tezz Mahorala, Project Co-Ordinator, Magalakwena Municipality of Limpopo, Ndifelani Ramulwela, Community Environmental Development Officer, Matsobane Jacob Kekana, Co-Operative Project Officer, LIBSA
The tribal elders of the Babirwa community. Kneeling in front is Peter Tsheola		Maphuti Kenny Makgakga, Assistant Director: Small Scale Mining, Limpopo Department of Minerals and Energy