The mining industry faces increasing scrutiny for its role in resource extraction, climate change and impacts on indigenous peoples. By upholding human rights through robust policies, legal compliance, stakeholder engagement and contributions to community wellbeing, Exxaro supports a fairer, more equitable society while safeguarding our social licence to operate and ensuring mutual long-term success.
| Why this matters | Our response | |
| Honouring human rights | Respecting the fundamental and universal human rights and freedoms of every person is a key aspect of corporate social responsibility. | We champion fundamental human rights, including the basic freedoms of dignity, fairness, equality and respect for our employees, communities and other stakeholders.
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Employees, communities and suppliers
We ensure human rights are respected across all our stakeholder groups by driving responsible business practices across our organisation and supply chain. We address all human rights concerns related to our business and respond promptly to grievances.
Government and regulators
Engagements with the DMRE, DoH and DoE ensure compliance with the regulations that protect community and worker rights.
Industry alliances
Through the Minerals Council, we work with industry peers to promote responsible practices and address key human rights concerns within the mining sector.
Global frameworks
As a signatory of the UNGC, we align our practices with universal human rights principles and leverage the framework to guide responsible business conduct.
Research and education institutions
Collaborations with universities support research and innovative projects that empower communities and protect their natural resources.
Access to clean water, education and economic opportunities are fundamental human rights that drive sustainable community development.
At Tshikondeni, Exxaro engaged extensively with the community to identify priority needs, ensuring that its initiatives deliver meaningful and lasting impact. Through this process, the focus shifted from the initial plan for an ESD and skills development centre to addressing a more urgent need for potable water, alongside skills development and agricultural support.
To meet the community's immediate water needs, Exxaro launched a sand water extraction project, breaking ground in January 2025. At the same time, recognising the importance of skills development in the area, we funded an NPO computer literacy programme for school children and unemployed youth. Additionally, eight local farmers received support through infrastructure, agricultural training and market access facilitation in partnership with Tiger Brands.
These initiatives empower communities, enhance livelihoods and uphold the fundamental right to sustainable resources.
We are committed to respecting and protecting the human rights of people, in line with our purpose.
Exxaro's human rights policy supports the objectives of our Sustainable Growth and Impact, Social Impact and DEI strategies and our management approach ensures:
Accountability and responsibility
The SERC oversees the group's activities and output as a responsible corporate citizen, including the protection of human rights, on behalf of the board. The RBR committee is responsible for risk and compliance oversight, while the remuneration committee focuses on fair and responsible remuneration within the group. The executive committee ensures the implementation of our human rights policy.
Regulatory compliance
At a minimum, we uphold the human rights set out in legislation, including the South African Constitution, the BCEA and the Labour Relations Act.
Beyond compliance
We align our processes with the following guidance:
Recognising that potential for adverse human rights impacts, we are committed to conduct regular due diligence reviews to identify, prevent and mitigate such risks across our operations. This process assesses actual and potential human rights impacts, integrates and acts upon findings, tracks responses and communicates how impacts are addressed.
CENNERGI
Cennergi ensures human rights considerations are adequately managed and addressed through human resources policies and a code of conduct and grievance procedure aligned with South African human rights legislation.
Cennergi is also committed to the IFC's Performance Standard 2 on labour and working conditions, which requires companies to treat their workers fairly, provide safe and healthy working conditions, avoid using child or forced labour and identify related risks in their primary supply chain.
Employees can report human rights violations to supervisors, line managers, the people and performance department or anonymously through Exxaro's fraud and ethics hotline.
Our employees actively participate in social responsibility initiatives. We have established food gardens in schools and, to ensure sustainability, provided training to employees. Furthermore, through our PIT symposium, a fundraising concert raised R21 000 for the Zodwa School for children living with disabilities. This amount was matched by Exxaro, resulting in a total donation of R100 000.
We address key human rights issues in the following areas:
Governance and ethics
Our board oversees the management of reputational impacts across the following dimensions:
We prioritise human rights protection throughout our value chain, favouring contractors and suppliers that align with our values as outlined in our supplier code of conduct. Ethics awareness is promoted through our Mining with Morals theme, a strategic initiative that shapes our ethical culture, mitigates ethical risks and protects Exxaro's reputation.
Equal opportunities/ non-discrimination and transformation
Our DEI strategy protects employees' human rights by preventing discrimination, harassment and racism. It aligns with the South African Constitution and other national legislation, the National Gender Policy Framework and the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. We provide training for leaders and employees on critical topics such as gender equity and identity, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, racial equity, disability competence and creating an inclusive culture.
Human rights in the workplace
Exxaro strictly prohibits forced or compulsory labour and does not employ individuals under the legal minimum age of 18, adhering to ILO conventions on child labour. We support legitimate workplace apprenticeships, internships and similar initiatives in full compliance with applicable laws. To safeguard employees' physical and mental health, we enforce reasonable working hours, leave and holidays, aligned with ILO conventions. Disciplinary and grievance mechanisms are transparent and ensure fair treatment when required.
Security
Our response to protest actions is guided by the Regulation of Gatherings Act, 1993 (Act 205 of 1993), stakeholder management policy, human rights policy and our security strategy, which aligns with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. To uphold human rights in security practices, we conduct ongoing training that includes induction programmes, security personal training and refresher courses to ensure employees and security teams are equipped with an understanding of human rights principles and our stance against discrimination.
Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
We respect the right of employees to form or join labour unions without fear of reprisal, intimidation or harassment. We foster constructive dialogue with legally recognised union representatives freely chosen by our employees. We engage in good faith with these representatives to build trust and maintain positive labour relations.
Safety and health in the work environment
We uphold the highest safety standards and strive for zero harm in all workplaces through rigorous management systems, protocols and dedicated safety programmes at each operation.
Environmental management and conservation
To safeguard the environment and support community resilience, we prioritise early mine closure planning and rehabilitation throughout the lifecycle of operations. Our mineral succession planning programme addresses mine closure impacts by supporting black emerging farmers with access to resources that enable them to commercialise their businesses. The programme ensures a positive legacy through secondary economic activities in areas where Exxaro (previously Kumba and Iscor) has operated mines. Support focuses on funding, market access, inputs, machinery and training for sustainability. This approach aligns with our commitments to responsible mining, decarbonisation and climate change mitigation.
Respect for all communities
Communities have a fundamental right to access quality water, affordable electricity and protection from noise, air pollution and hazardous materials. As a responsible corporate citizen, we uphold the cultural values of local communities, including traditional authorities in host communities. Our efforts focus on advancing self-sufficiency, sustainability and protecting health, safety and the natural environment. When resettlement is necessary, we follow the DMRE's mine community resettlement guidelines. For non-mining-related resettlements, we are guided by the IFC's Performance Standard 5 and the Minerals Council's Human Rights Framework to ensure ethical and equitable practices.
Children's rights
Exxaro believes that every child has the right to access education and be treated in a manner that considers their age. Our 2024 social investment strategy prioritised human capital development, focusing on ECD, whole school development, skills development, and agricultural and entrepreneurial skills. Our ECD programmes are designed to ensure children are school-ready and have the opportunity to thrive. Recognising the importance of quality education beyond early childhood, Exxaro, also through our Grootegeluk and Matla SLPs, committed to improving school infrastructure. These infrastructure projects, identified through stakeholder engagement, create conducive learning environments for students and teachers, promoting equal access to education.
In 2024, the strategic resilience and governance function completed an internal due diligence analysis to reinforce alignment with Exxaro's Sustainable Growth and Impact strategy.
The analysis focused on:
The analysis highlighted several strengths, including Exxaro's human rights policy, which aligns with both local industry standards and international best practice. Key highlights included:
The findings, consisting mainly of process improvements, were presented to the SERC on 22 October 2024 and incorporated into ongoing governance processes to enhance accountability and reinforce our commitment to honouring human rights.
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Human rights grievances lodged against Exxaro | None | None | None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees participating in DEI courses such as workplace harassment and diversity and inclusion | 136 | 196 | None | ||
| Fraud and ethics allegations reported | 252 | 191 | 213 | ||
| Allegations reported via the fraud and ethics hotline | 220 | 164 | 186 | ||
| Percentage of allegations resulting in disciplinary inquiries | 4% | 23% | 20% | ||
| Disciplinary hearings concluded | 5 | 22 | 42 | ||
| Cases brought before the Council of Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) | 4 | 2 | None |
Of the five disciplinary hearings concluded in 2024, four ended with a verdict of guilty (2023: 19), while one resulted in a not-guilty verdict (2023: one).
With regard to CCMA cases, the Commissioner decided in favour of Exxaro twice (2023: once) and there was no instance where the matter was resolved through a mutual agreement (2023: once). Two other matters lodged with the CCMA in 2024 are still outstanding.
The due diligence conducted identified process improvements and operational challenges requiring management action. Key areas for improvement include:
In addition, a recommendation was made to expand Exxaro's policy commitment on child labour to include broader children's rights, aligning with our Sustainable Growth and Impact strategy.
These enhancements will strengthen Exxaro's human rights management approach, ensuring compliance, transparency and meaningful engagement with all stakeholders.
Our primary focus in 2025 will be:
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