The struggle against the “Platinum Rush” and the New land dispossessions

In this article Jubilee South Africa gives the backround to the campaign against forced removals in the platinum rich Bushveld complex in Limpopo, Northwest and Mpumalanga. The article also looks at community resistance to the forced removals

The platinum rush is underway in South Africa, which has approximately 90% of the world’s platinum reserves. Various

corporations have flocked to the Bushveld Mineral Complex which stretches from North West Province across Limpopo to Mpumalanga, including

the world’s two largest Platinum companies: Anglo Platinum (Amplats), and Impala Platinum (Implats). Communities living on this platinum- rich land have seen their rights, culture and livelihoods trampled on by this stampede while these corporations swim in massive profits. In 2006, Amplats’ net profit was nearly R4.5 billion, while Impala enjoyed a net profit of nearly R4.4 billion.

To legitimise this new plunder BEE groups have been drawn into this new gold rush. As with the discovery of gold in the 1880s, which led to the birth of apartheid in South Africa, the aim of the corporations is to drive the people off the land at whatever cost.

Communities have been attempting to address the environmental damage, lack of development, and abuses of their rights. The mining corporations use tactics that are similar across all areas, including the following:

 

• Signing agreements with traditional leaders with no agreement from communities;

 

• Offering communities a shameful price for their land;

 

• Removing tens of thousands of people from ancestral lands to townships with substandard housing and lack of adequate essential services;

will be given when the last family moves. In some other villages the once off compensation is a sum of R5000. This tactic is to avoid having any families refuse to move. In addition, Anglo Platinum pays a total of R15 000 per annum to rent 3 farms for mining – these farms total 1852 hectares.   By contrast Anglo Platinum made a net profit of some 4 billion rands in 2005.

The communities’ sources of livelihood on the land are terminated and they are herded into “townships” with sub-economic housing drop the charges if the communities would stop ploughing and allow Anglo to finish its fence. The communities refused, and a case challenging Anglo’s access to their land will be in court in early 2007.

Ga-Molekane is another community struggling against Anglo Platinum. PPL has removed people to make way for a slime dump, and they have arrested community leaders – even a former councilor – for speaking out against the mine’s tactics.

In the Tubatse Municipality in eastern Limpopo In this article Jubilee South Africa* gives the background to the campaign against forced removals in the platinum rich bushveld complex in limpopo, Northwest and Mpumalanga. The article also looks

at community resistance to the forced removals.

• Cutting off water and electricity in communities that refuse to move;

• Depriving communities of grazing and plough- ing fields, removing their primary sources of food and income;

• Harrassing, arresting, shooting, and beating community members when they demonstrate and protect their land;

• Targeting and arresting both traditional and community leaders for protecting their land and giving them bail conditions resembling apartheid banning orders;

• Bribing traditional and community leaders;

• Attempting to persuade communities to fire their attorneys and accept ones appointed by the mine;

• Degrading the environment, with visible effects of land and water pollution.

In 2006 Anglo Platinum’s use of such tactics were exposed when they received the “Grim Reaper Award” at groundWork’s Corpse Awards. This was the main ‘award’ of the year, given in recognition of Anglo’s gross human rights violations.

Apartheid-style removals On the platinum reef today mass removals are underway. Villagers are being brutally uprooted, and given a once-off pittance in “compensation.” In Mothlohlo, for example, R8000 was given to each family and an additional R12000 per family structures. These settlements do not have any

proper services, the houses are cracking and lack proper foundations. There is no adequate space for villagers to keep their cattle and many have lost livestock. In Magobading near Anglo’s Twickenham mine, the settlement has had no water or electricity since April 2006. Roads are made of dirt and have not been improved as promised. The problems

of health services and schools for their children are far worse than they were in their old villages. There are no jobs. Vitally, they have been cut off from the ploughing fields out of which they have traditionally eked out a livelihood for generations. The conditions are nothing but a glorified type of concentration camp where people are allowed to starve.

Communities Resist Villages north of Mokopane are working together to defend themselves against the tactics of Anglo Platinum’s PPL Mine. The mine has removed thousands of people from their ancestral lands to townships – some of the largest such operations since the end of apartheid. In Ga-Pila, about 6 000 people were relocated to Sterkwater to make way for a waste rock dump. Twenty-five families courageously refused to move, resisting despite cutoffs of electricity and water, and harassment and beatings from police. There are current plans to relocate about 10 000 more people in Mapela.

In Ga-Chaba and Mothlohlo Anglo-Platinum has deprived communities of their ploughing fields since 2002. These communities have lived off their fields for generations – it is an integral part of their community, culture and family life. One elder of Ga-Chaba who was born there in

1911 declared, “This is our land! We bought it, it’s ours!” In November 2006 the communities resumed ploughing their fields. Anglo sent police and

private security to intimidate, threaten, and arrest community members. In December, four Mothlohlo leaders were arrested for removing a fence from their fields. When released on R2000 bail (total),the magistrate told them to stay away from their fields or bail would be revoked. Anglo offered to several mines are in operation, including: Marula

(Impala); Modikwa (Amplats & African Rainbow Minerals); Twickenham (Amplats); and Atok (Amplats). Communities in Tubatse are working closely together, appointing a coordinator to build solidarity and cooperation.

In Maandagshoek (comprising 5 villages), two chiefs and other community members were arrested for protecting their land. Police fired rubber and live bullets – injuring several people including a baby – during a demonstration by the community denouncing the mine’s tactics.

Magobading is a relocation camp where people were relocated from several villages. Residents are angry about the poor quality of houses, lack of water service since April 2006, overflowing toilets, lack of adequate crop fields, and lack of space for livestock. During removals, gravesites were moved some headstones were lost and all but 2 in the new site have fallen down.

Villages near Rustenburg, in the North West, have been waging similar struggles against Anglo Platinum. Ga-Luka has seen environmental degradation and similar repression as in Limpopo. Most community members have not seen any benefits from agreements signed with Anglo Platinum – instead their situation has worsened.

Jubilee South Africa’s Ecological debt

Campaign

In September 2006, Jubilee began to work more systematically with these communities to support them in their struggles, beginning with a meeting of representatives of several affected communities and allied organisations. Jubilee has made several trips to affected areas in Limpopo to gather information, give support, and attend meetings. Other organisations have shown solidarity and other forms of support for the communities, including groundWork, Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee, Samancor Retrenched Workers Crisis Committee, Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance, Sounds of Edutainment, Centre for Civil Society, Southern Africa Centre for Economic Justice,

Anti-Privatisation Forum, Rights and Democracy

 

(in Canada), and Khanya College – to name a few. Jubilee SA and these communities have established a strong partnership which falls under Jubilee’s Ecological Debt campaign. Plans for action will be

accelerated in 2007 to ensure that these corporations that put profits before people are not allowed to trample on the rights of these communities.

As one community member of Mothlohlo said, “I think about what my grandchildren would say if

I didn’t fight for our land. They would ask me ‘why weren’t you strong enough to fight for our land?’ And they would be right. We must be strong and fight to protect our heritage, our culture and our community.”

Naga ke ya rona! The land is ours!

 

ISSUED BY: the Ecological Debt Campaign of Jubilee

South Africa

 

12th Floor Auckland House, 185 Smit Street, Braamfontein 2017

 

KINDLY CONtACt: Brand Nthako : 082 6281362

 

Anne Mayher : 082 3986882

 

Emmanuel Makgoga : 082 3435095

 

Phillipos Dolo : 084 0236237

 

*Jubilee South Africa is a social movement organising around various forms of debt in South Africa.