Corporate Overview

Community relations

Resolute recognises the need to focus on and proactively manage community issues in the areas surrounding its operations. Resolute is committed to fostering long-term relationships and partnerships with these communities by developing a culture of mutual understanding, co-operation, consultation and respect.

Our social investment initiatives aim to deliver significant and lasting benefits to employees, the community and other key stakeholders, through our community programmes. Resolute’s Community Policy provides the objectives for the management programmes to be achieved by its operations, as:

  • Recognise and respect the value of cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Establish enduring relationships with communities based on honesty and mutual trust
  • Support the development and implementation of sustainable social and economic initiatives within the communities through co-operation and participation
  • Provide management systems to identify, assess, monitor and control existing and potential impacts on communities
  • Maintain an ‘open door’ policy whereby the local traditional leaders and community leaders have access at reasonable times to the Company’s management
  • Ensure that employees are aware of and understand the requirements of this policy.

Golden Pride Mine – Tanzania

Golden Pride Mine progressed its commitment to sustainable development of the area around Nzega, particularly the communities close to the mine site. This support includes contributions of resources to improve infrastructure, education, health and the environment. The overall aim is to help these communities enhance their standard of living and increase their capabilities independently.

Initiatives and active participation of the local community withResolute over the past seven years using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques, has made the programme a success.

Resolute continued to support of a number of new and long running community development programmes. These focus on environment, health, education and capacity building with activities built around outcomes of PRA.

Key project highlights for the year include:

  • Opening of the Nzega Ndogo Secondary School in January 2009. The Company supported the construction of the school infrastructure and assisted with the donation of student desks. Further to this, sanitation facilities were provided at Mwanzwilo Primary School.
  • Continued support of a volunteer teacher to assist local schools in development of curriculum and teacher training
  • Installation of three community water bores at Ishiki, Mwashina and Lusu villages to allow more sustainable water access and to reduce the laboriousness of water collection
  • Resolute sponsored four community members to attend a bee keeping course and also supplied the relevant equipment to produce honey locally as a source of alternative income. This project has been successful with the first 40kg of product being produced this year. The project will be enhanced next year with further steps to be taken to modernise and improve the viability of the operation. Aside from the commercial benefits of this project, there are environmental benefits as it serves to demonstrate a sustainable use of forest resources
  • Health projects this year included the construction of a dispensary and doctor’s house at Undomo Village with the opening ceremony attended by the Tabora Regional Commissioner and the Nzega District Commissioner. The dispensary at Mwaluzwilo was also renovated this year and a nurse has been employed to manage the HIV testing and counselling centre at the dispensary
  • Dialogue, including site tours, took place this year with members of the community to familiarise them with the waste management practices of the operation. The issues specifically addressed were tailings management and mine water management to ensure an accurate understanding of the environmental management activities of the Company and assure downstream residents that the water quality in the Ibole River is not adversely impacted by rainfall runoff from the operation
  • An assessment of the success of the Company’s tree seedling donation programme was made this year and it was found that the seedling survival rate in the community was 59%. A number of issues were highlighted and have been addressed in order to improve this. This project is targeted at reducing the impact of local deforestation.

Stakeholder Consultation:

Resolute received two complaints from communities this year, both of which were resolved harmoniously. The first complaint was of groundwater contamination due to exploration drilling which was later proven to be unfounded. The second complaint was of unauthorised drilling in the Kilabili village due to mistaken drilling location co-ordinates. Both complaints were resolved during a meeting held with the village leaders in the presence of the Nzega District Commissioner and Resolute staff.

Syama Mine – Mali

The Syama Mine Community Consultative Committee (SMCCC) held several meetings during the year. The main goals of these meetings were to keep the community abreast of the progress of the Syama Gold Project and to monitor and address community feedback. After the SMCCC meetings, notes were sent out to inform the community of the exploration programme for 2008-2009. That programme was to be mainly based around Syama and south of Finkolo. Community consultation took place in the villages of Galamakourou, Finkolo and Tabakoroni to implement the exploration programme which included line clearing, road making and a compensation agreement.

Projects undertaken during the year included a community baseline health survey, further improvements to the Fourou water supply and in the surrounding villages of the mine, improvement to the conditions of the road to the Bagoë River, building a shed with chairs supplied for the Traditional Chief (Land Owner) of Syama village and providing roofing material to cover houses for school teachers at Syama village. Re-usable containers and fabricated racks were supplied to Fourou village to assist with the market cleaning. Support was provided for community and sporting events (Sikasso), financial support for cultural activities including Mali Independence Day celebrations, school events, the Annual Association of Hunters celebrations and the reforestation campaign called the Tree Planting Day.

Benefits also increased for the local guards (hunters) provided by the community who protect the perimeter of the project site. In line with the traditional beliefs and to appease the gods of the land for working on Fridays with metal items on the land of Syama village, SOMISY made ritual sacrifices on the mine premises.

Transportation was provided to the school pupils between Syama village and Fourou schools during the school year.

Ravenswood Mine – Queensland

The Ravenswood Gold mine is located in close proximity to the historic gold mining town of Ravenswood, and a strong emphasis is placed on maintaining a positive relationship with, and informing the community about proposed changes to the operations through:

  • Heritage listed buildings within the town being managed by the Ravenswood Restoration and Preservation Association with support from the Company.
  • Meetings with the local community where people were informed about Ravenswood Gold mine activities. Leaflets, posters and community newsletters were also distributed. The main focus was to keep the community informed about the Mt Wright Project and the closure of the Sarsfield Pit
  • The on-site clinic and occupational health nurses providing 24 hour emergency medical support to the community. In the last financial year the on-site nurses provided 281 community related consultations. On a monthly basis the site nurses also organise visits from the Royal Flying Doctor Service.