Gatherings like the Investing in African Mining Indaba, now a regular feature of Cape Town’s calendar in February, are becoming even more important in an age of widespread misinformation.

This is likely to make the theme of the event – which this year is ‘Stronger Together’ – resonate with delegates, according to Andrew van Zyl, managing director of SRK Consulting (South Africa).

“As an industry, there is not much that we can do to counter the rise of misinformation and the mix of private and state actors using various platforms and tools for their own ends,” said Van Zyl. “However, we can continue to build trust – among each other and with the communities we impact.”

The theme of the Indaba, he argued, should inspire the sector to think even more deeply about the importance of speaking and acting with integrity – so that every engagement can be leveraged to build trust.

“As ambassadors for our companies, our countries and our industry, we can make a positive difference by remaining authentic and in direct contact with our stakeholders,” he said. “Our interactions at the Indaba can set the tone for the message we take out, a message that must be conveyed directly to our other stakeholders who are not attending, especially those communities directly impacted by our activities.”

Van Zyl emphasised how trust needs to be cultivated over time, based on each player’s true assessment of the other. Critical to this process is proving one’s bona fides to others in the mining ecosystem, and receiving the same consideration from them.

“Physical engagements like the Mining Indaba, rather than virtual or remote conversations – give us a better sense of who we were dealing with, how they see the world, what their values are, and how their views compare to our own,” he said. “Most importantly, the personal connection gives us the opportunity to find ways through our disagreements. Once the trust is there, it gives more scope to explore a positive route that may be unfamiliar to both parties.”

The issue of trust has become critical to the mining sector, notably in the relationships between mines and communities. He pointed out that, however, that just as the industry has made advances in its engineering solutions, so it is learning to more effectively engage with communities.

“Questions of communication and trust are now front and centre in mining’s efforts to mitigate social risk, and this is demonstrated through the sector’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments,” he said. “With smart devices now carrying messages in real time across all sectors of society, mining companies need to become more proactive in how they communicate.”

He noted, however, that communication was becoming more challenging where digital and other media were harnessed to spread untruths; this has led to situations where a mine and communities do not even share a common set of basic facts.

“One of the tasks facing us as an industry is to build upon the trust and partnerships that exist in our respective ecosystems, to ensure that there remains a common factual basis for a relationship of mutual trust,” he explained. “Indeed, it applies to our relationships with all stakeholders – from government and regulators to customers and suppliers.”

He noted that, while the rise of artificial intelligence may contribute to innovative technical solutions, it is also likely to lead to even more misinformation – which will make it harder to preserve and build trust.

“This is exacerbated by the fact that past mistakes by the industry are more likely to stick in the minds of the public than the many ways in which we have become more responsible in our mining operations,” he said. “There is now a greater onus on the sector to build relationships that will withstand the inevitable impact of misinformation.”

He argued that greater trust will provide parties with firmer ground on which to base their decisions and interactions. Consistent integrity should, at the very least, provide the industry with the opportunity to engage and retain its social licence to operate, even when misinformation is rife.

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