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Indybay Feature

Australian coalmining executives pledge to talk with impacted South African woman

by Michelle at Action Aid Australia
Today was an incredible testament to the power of our movement.I flew into Perth this morning to join activists stationed outside the AGM of big Australian mining company, South32, calling on them to listen to the women of Phola impacted directly by South32’s coal mine in South Africa.

The women of Phola have repeatedly tried to meet with South32 to discuss their concerns about the serious mining impacts affecting their community, but to no avail.
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Today was an incredible testament to the power of our movement.I flew into Perth this morning to join activists stationed outside the AGM of big Australian mining company, South32, calling on them to listen to the women of Phola impacted directly by South32’s coal mine in South Africa.

The women of Phola have repeatedly tried to meet with South32 to discuss their concerns about the serious mining impacts affecting their community, but to no avail.

This was our opportunity to put their concerns back on the agenda in a way South32 couldn’t ignore. And it worked!

Your pressure had already been building for days, amplifying the calls of the women in Phola who have been campaigning for justice for too long.

In the lead up to the AGM, over 2000 people signed the petition calling on South32 executives to meet with the women of Phola and respond to their calls for justice.

The night before their AGM, over 100 people shared ActionAid's video on social media to expose the truth about South32’s operations in South Africa.

Realising the power of our movement, South32 called a meeting with the women in Phola overnight – but their last-minute attempt to engage was too little, too late. We weren’t going to back down until the women’s concerns were taken seriously.

So today, activists were ready and waiting to greet South32 shareholders and executives headed into the AGM with photos and testimonials straight from the women of Phola.

Shortly after we arrived I received a call telling me that South32 CEO Graham Kerr and COO Mike Fraser wanted to meet with us urgently, right before the AGM kicked off.

This was the moment we’d been waiting for.

Minutes before the start of their AGM, we met with South32 executives who listened to our demands and caved to building pressure from the Australian public.

This is a huge victory for the women of Phola, and for people like you, Diet, who have been campaigning in solidarity with them in Australia!

South32’s senior leadership have agreed to meet directly with the women of Phola, committing to listen to their concerns and meaningfully consult with them on the legally binding commitments South32 has made to respect the rights of the community.

These agreements are a major win, but we can’t stop now.

We can see that our pressure is clearly working – but we must keep the spotlight on South32 to follow through with their commitments and take concrete actions to ensure the women’s concerns are addressed.

Share this graphic on social media to pressure South32 to keep their commitments to meet with the women of Phola, and show them the force of the Australian community ready to hold them to account if they try to back down.

Thank you for standing with the women of Phola. This is a moment to celebrate.

In solidarity,

Michelle and the ActionAid Australia team
§
by Michelle at Action Aid Australia
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