Ihlazo elisha lihlakaza i-Apple nge-cobalt kusuka kumabhethri ayo

I-Apple ibhekene nehlazo elisha elihlobene nemvelaphi yezinto zokusetshenziswa amaShayina enza ngazo amabhethri wedivayisi yabo. I-Amnesty International isilahlile ukuthi i-cobalt okwenziwa ngayo amabhethri emikhiqizo ye-Apple nezinye izinkampani ezinkulu zobuchwepheshe zivela emsebenzini wezingane ezingaphansi kweminyaka eCongo.

Njengoba wazi kahle, kunezinkampani eziningi zobuchwepheshe ezenza imikhiqizo yazo kanye nezinto zemikhiqizo yazo eChina. Manje, ngaphandle kokuthi abezindaba bakhuluma nge-Apple nobudlelwano bayo nale nkinga, izinkampani ezinjengeMicrosoft, iSony, iSamsung kanye neVolkswagen zisesikhwameni esifanayo umsuka we-cobalt osetshenziswe kumabhethri wemikhiqizo yawo. 

Eminyakeni edlule i-Apple ibibandakanyeka ehlazweni lolu hlobo futhi ngenxa yalokhu, izinqubo ezinqala zokulawula izinto zokusetshenziswa zazalelwa e-Apple. Ukulawulwa kwe-Apple nabahlinzeki bayo kufinyelele kakhulu kangangokuthi njalo ngonyaka bakhipha umbiko ophelele ochaza konke ukunyakaza okwenziwe yinkampani yaseCupertino nabahlinzeki abathile. Esimweni lapho abahlinzeki be-Apple bengalandeli imigomo ebekiwe bazobhekana nokujeziswa kulabo abasemabhulokini noma bangabe besaba seqenjini labo abahlinzeki bezinto. 

Kodwa-ke, ngaphandle kwezilawuli i-Apple enazo kubahlinzeki bayo, iqinisekisa esitatimendeni ukuthi ayinakho ukwazi ukuthi imvelaphi ye-cobalt ekhona kumabhethri ayo. Singasho ukuthi i-NGO esola le nkinga ikhuluma ngezinkampani ezithenga amaminerali e-cobalt bese uyidayisela izinkampani ezifana neCongo Dongfang Minery okungekho lutho ngaphandle kwegatsha lomhlinzeki wamaminerali waseChina obizwa ngeZhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd.

Ngeke kube lula ukufika kumsuka waleyo cobalt futhi kungukuthi kamuva UZhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd. usabalalisa amaminerali ezinkampanini ezihlukene zaseChina nezaseKorea lokho ekugcineni kukhiqiza amabhethri ukuze kamuva afinyelele ezinkampanini ezinjenge-Apple kanye nolayini bazo bomhlangano eFoxconn.

Inkinga ngakho konke lokhu ukuthi njengoba i-cobalt ingathathwa njengembiwa phansi eyingozi, iziphathimandla azidingi ukuthi kube khona noma yiluphi uhlobo lombiko oluchaza imvelaphi yalo futhi ngenxa yalokhu sifunda ukuthi eRiphabhuliki yaseCongo kukhona izingane ezingaphezu kuka-35.000 ezisebenza amashifu angama-12 namahora angama-24 ezimayini ze-cobalt ukukhokhisa ubuningi bama-euro amabili ngosuku.

Njengoba i-Apple ingafuni ukuthi kwenziwe izinkuni zokubasa ngesihlahla esiwile, kusheshe kwathunyelwa i-BBC isitatimende esigxeka lezi zenzo:

Abasebenzi abasebancane ababekezelelwa lapho sibahlinzeka ngakho futhi siyaziqhenya ngokuhola le mboni ekuvikeleni izindlela ezintsha zokuvikela. Njengamanje sihlola inqwaba yezinto ezahlukahlukene, kufaka phakathi i-cobalt, ukuze kutholakale indawo yokusebenza nezingozi zemvelo, kanye namathuba we-Apple woshintsho olusebenzayo, olusabekayo, nolusimeme.