Modern Quarrying July-August 2016

REGULAR UPDATE ASPASA

Aspasa focuses on industry sustainability into the future

The Aggregate & Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa) continues to play an important role in ensuring the long- term sustainability of the industry. Its services include challenging legislation deemed to undermine fair and profitable practices, addressing technical issues and playing a regulatory and guiding role for the industry it represents.

the Chamber of Mines, the Mine Health & Safety Council, as well as the Mining Regulatory Advisory Committee (MRAC), where the Association’s director Nico Pienaar is chairperson of the Human Resources Committee.” Coffee says Aspasa is in regular con- tact with the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) regarding the trou- blesome issue of Sector 54 closures, the Mining Charter, and many more issues. “We remain in discussion with NOSA towards developing an accreditation system for contractors on site; with the Chief Inspector of Mines to explain our role with regard to health and safety; the Mine Health & Safety Council Ministerial Advisory Committee; as well as meetings with the Department of Transport against banning vehicles between certain hours of the day in Gauteng. “The expectation is that there will be very little, if any growth, in aggregate and sand sales in South Africa this year, so we need to work smarter and ensure that the aggregates supplied to the marketplace are of the highest possible standard and quarried in a safe and sustainable man- ner,” he adds. ISHE Top Performer: AfriSam Newcastle. This operation has also achieved Showplace status for five years in a row.

A spasa is an association serving the aggregates industry with 35 mem- ber companies operating in over 100 quarries. It is estimated that Aspasa represents some 75% of the aggregates crushed in South Africa. The list of services rendered to the industry is an ever-expanding one and continues to pave the way forward for an industry with world-class standards. Speaking recently to international delegates at the prestigious Global Aggregates Information Network (GAIN) meeting in Cape Town, Aspasa chairman Gert Coffee says that during the past year, the Association has been involved in various interventions where it believes member rights are being infringed. These include winning the rights for its mem- bers to continue to claim diesel rebates for off-road vehicles and equipment,

as well as arguing that the industry be exempted from the payment of royal- ties. Aspasa believes that the payment of royalties will hamstring legal quarrying operators while simultaneously increas- ing the price of aggregates, all of which results in further stress on the construc- tion industry. “In order to stay abreast of what is happening in our sector, we are also rep- resented on various committees where our input has a direct bearing on the industry,” Coffee explains. “These include the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) committee, looking at new COTO specifications for road building where we have put forward various exclusion clauses for the construction industry to take note of. “We are also active on committees to kerb illegal mining, as well as rep- resenting the industry at Exco level on