A Tale of Two Indabas

This research paper contrasts the official Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town with the concurrent Alternative Mining Indaba, highlighting the exclusion of civil society from the main event and the systemic grievances of African communities regarding mining investments.

• The main Mining Indaba event effectively excluded most NGOs and community organizations through a R10 000 registration fee, limiting attendance to the largest international NGOs for the first two days.
• Community organizations from various African countries reported consistent grievances including a lack of consultation, environmental degradation, violations of human and cultural rights during relocation, and tax regimes that benefit investors over local governments and communities.
• At the Alternative Mining Indaba, evidence was presented regarding a 2009 chemical spill at a gold mine in Tanzania, which allegedly caused skin conditions and illness in local villagers and livestock.
• The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Day of the main event was criticized for its timing at the end of the agenda and for using question cards to potentially filter out uncomfortable inquiries, specifically those regarding pollution at the Tanzanian gold mine.
• Community organizations argue that 'community engagement' is often superficial, consisting of informing residents of investments rather than providing choice, while those raising rights-based concerns are frequently labeled as 'anti-development'.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2011). A Tale of Two Indabas. https://saiia.org.za/research/a-tale-of-two-indabas/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. A Tale of Two Indabas. 2011. https://saiia.org.za/research/a-tale-of-two-indabas/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=A Tale of Two Indabas |date=17 February 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/a-tale-of-two-indabas/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2011tale, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{A Tale of Two Indabas}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/a-tale-of-two-indabas/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }