Miner suffers as tribal skirmish escalates
| Platmin is caught in the middle of a protracted battle of the two Pilanes, writes Lucky Biyase
THE Pilanesberg Platinum Mine (PPM) of Platmin is caught in the middle of a dispute about land ownership and mining benefits between two men who are both called Pilane.
The Bakgatla Ba-Kafela tribe of Motlhabe village near Pilanesberg wants to secede from the current administration of chief Nyalala Pilane, whom they have denounced as their rightful traditional leader and are also claiming back land that is currently hosting PPM.
Villagers have rallied behind the other Pilane, chief-in-waiting Mmuthi Pilane. They say the platinum-rich land belongs to them but was being hijacked by Nyalala Pilane, who is reaping the benefits associated with mining investment in the area.
A Motlhabe villager who took Business Times to an ancestral grave site says they have seen little development in the area while they are aware that the land they have lived on for centuries is rich in platinum and other mineral resources.
“Even when we dig our pit toilets, platinum comes out of it. You can see inside the pit everything is glittering.
“We know that the company is aware of this. The next move from the company and Nyalala will be to relocate us. We will fight to the last drop of blood,” says Filiciano Chelaole, a local elder and traditional healer who is one of the advisers to the chief-in-waiting.
Mmuthi Pilane says the tribe
Foreigners who were brought in as security guards have left some girls with fatherless children
does not want Nyalala Pilane to be dethroned but they want what belongs to the Motlhabe village to be given to the villagers.
He says he has been living under constant harassment by the police, who have been threatening him with arrest when he convened a meeting with the villagers.
The two Pilanes have been embroiled in protracted battle in and out of court.
The fact that the land is mineral rich raises the bar and it culminated in chief Nyalala Pilane, who is recognised by legislation, seeking a court interdict to prevent Mmuthi Pilane, who is recognised by customary law as a village level chief of Motlhabe, from conducting a meeting.
Nyalala Pilane has not been accepted by the Motlhabe villagers because more often than not, meetings dwell on plans to secede from his administration.
However, Mmuthi Pilane appealed Nyalala Pilane’s interdict at the Constitutional Court, saying the interdict curtailed freedom of association and expression. The court found in Mmuthi Pilane’s favour.
This created uncertainty about the mine, which is now a subject of land claims by both Nyalala and Mmuthi’s clans.
“All the contributions from this area should remain here and should not go to Moruleng [one of Nyalala Pilane’s villages used as a seat for Bakgatla-BaKafela]. The money that is collected from site allocation, the rentals that are paid by the likes of Vodacom [for its] tower and the Eskom [for its] power cables that supply electricity to the mines in Thabazimbi should now remain here in Motlhabe. All the cables are crossing over our area we used to farm in. It is where I used to look after cattle,” says 56-year old Joseph Mohowa, who is Mmuthi Pilane’s uncle.
When the PPM project was unveiled in 2011, Nyalala Pilane said: “Our community faces varied challenges ranging from education, infrastructure, environmental degradation and lack of economic opportunities. Our long-term plan is that our community should meet these headon and reap the benefits of our mineral endowment.”
But villagers say they have seen little delivery on this and have experienced a reign of terror by Nyalala Pilane through his private army of foreign security guards.
“The foreigners who were brought in as security guards have left some young girls with fatherless children. We had to fight very hard and at some
All the cables are crossing over our area we used to farm in. It is where I used to look after the cattle There are numerous reports of mercenary cells around Ventersdorp and Rustenburg [The tribe] wants what belongs to the Motlhabe village to be given to the villagers
point the villagers had to burn down a makeshift hostel used to house the foreigners because it is where they were luring girls with money,” says Chelaole.
During the launch of PPM, the Toronto- and JSE-listed company said it had the potential of creating direct and indirect job op- portunities for about 35 000 people, about 10% of the population in the 32 villages under Nyalala Pilane’s jurisdiction.
Platmin says it purchased the mineral rights for PPM from a number of private and public companies and also from the Bakgatla Ba-Kafela Tribal Authority.
“The company is aware of one land-claim dispute over one property, but it has to deal with the legal owners.
“So if legal ownership changes, the mine would obviously deal with the new legal owners,” it said.
Platmin says the tribal authority is a substantial investor in Platmin and in its mining properties and operations and in acquiring these properties, Platmin has been meticulous in following the correct legal procedure in the allocation of equity in the company.
“As far as could be ascertained, there were no outstanding land claims at the time of the purchase. And if, by chance, some new ones have arisen, then the claimants should pursue the matter through the appropriate legal processes,” said Platmin.