Johannesburg - Lonmin [JSE:LON] has been nominated as one of
the world's worst companies of 2012, environmental organisation groundWork said
on Friday.
"This submission was based on the human rights
violations and environmental destruction that the corporation has carried out
since the establishment of its mine in the Marikana region," said groundWork director Bobby
Peek.
Lonmin's name was submitted by groundWork and the Bench
Marks Foundation for the Public Eye Awards.
The awards are a regular feature on the sidelines of the
World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting and are conducted by civic organisations from
across the globe.
This year the WEF meeting will take place in Davos,
Switzerland from January 23 to 27.
Other companies short-listed for the Public
Eye Awards include G4S, Repower, Alstom, Shell, Coal India and Goldman Sachs.
On August 16 last year 34 people died when police opened
fire on striking miners in Marikana, North West.
Another 10 people had been killed the week before and 78
miners were injured during the strike, which lasted six weeks.
The miners were demanding salary increases from the world's
third-largest producer of platinum.
"Mines such as Lonmin need to stop obsessing with
cutting costs, which is usually at the expense of the environment, labour and
communities.
"They continue to find ways to shift their social
responsibilities. Often this turns into protests such as those we experienced
in Marikana," said John Capel, director of the Bench Marks Foundation.
Lonmin spokesperson Barnard Mokwena said the company was not
aware of the Public Eye Awards nomination.
"We do not know the criteria used during the nomination
and we were not consulted. As a company we cannot comment on the
nomination," he said.
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