JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela Tribal Authority (BBKTA) and Sedibelo Platinum Mines (SPM), in the North West, on Friday announced plans to merge projects and community initiatives to ensure greater socioeconomic impact for the residents of the region.
SPM, which owned and operated the Pilanesberg platinum mine, and BBKTA would renew their seven-year partnership by implementing a number of joint large-scale initiatives for the area to “turbocharge” the steady upliftment progress made by the BBK community to date.
The targeted initiatives included a water project in Pilanesberg West; a housing development project in Lekutung; a sewer pipeline project to connect the mine and the Sedibelo Corridor villages to the Moruleng water treatment plant; and a road infrastructure project focusing on the Legkraal-Motlhabe road.
“Instead of initiating separate projects, we will merge our resources to provide an integrated approach to the development of the region. This should result in significant infrastructure projects that will benefit all members of the BBK communities,” SPM acting CEO and CFO Erich Clarke said in a statement on Friday.
The intention was to dovetail BBKTA’s ‘master plan’ for socioeconomic development with the ambitions of SPM, which, to date, had injected R50-million into community projects.
BBKTA leader Kgosi Nyalala Pilane explained that the master plan focused on mining, tourism, manufacturing and agricultural development in the densely populated rural area that is home to 350 000 people residing in 32 villages.