Mining company Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) earlier this month handed over the keys to the new homeowners of the first 422 units at the Waterkloof Estate Employee Home Ownership Scheme, in Rustenburg, North West, marking the offical launch of the scheme’s Phase 1.

The scheme offers all RBPlat’s employees the option of becoming home-owners for the first time, ushering out the use of single-sex hostels and unsanitary rented shacks that have become the normal standard of living for mineworkers across the country.

Mining companies have long been critic- ised for not looking after their employees properly and the housing scheme highlights an attempt to rectify that.

National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) deputy general secretary Tshimane Montoedi stated at the event that the gesture would ensure that NUM members at RBPlat would now be able to live in safe, appropriate housing.

"The NUM is proud to be part of this historic project and we hope that other mining companies [will follow suit]," he said.

RBPlat employee Jan Mothoatlhaga was excited at the prospect of being a homeowner and said that being able to have his family live with him near his place of work was a big moment for him.

“Owning my own home has been my dream and the day has finally arrived. I am so happy.”

The 80 m2, 140 m2, 220 m2 and 360 m2 homes are built next to the N4 freeway.

Future plans for the phase include the development of social amenities and RBPlat will provide interim transport for the first year for employees to use at their own cost, until the municipality rolls out public transport services.

RBPlat has approved R2.8-billion for the next phase of the project, which will result in an additional 3 000 homes being completed by 2019.

Royal Bafokeng Resources Properties (RBRP) was established by RBPlat to manage and develop the employee estate. Its main objectives are to source funding, develop housing, provide loans and facilitate agreements with the employer for employee home-loan repayments.

RBPlat senior human resources manager Collin Alexander said that the company would provide loans at the consumer price index rate plus one percentage point.

Employees will repay R2 900 monthly and repayments on houses that cost R500 000 will increase by 7% a year.

Alexander noted that a homeowner’s allowance and living-out allowance would be replaced by a homeowner’s contribution, which will be applied to home-loan repayments.

“Increases will be effective on July 1 each year, in line with yearly wage increases, and each homeowner will receive a monthly statement.”

Alexander further explained that RBRP remained the registered owner of the property until 50% of all repayment obligations had been met. At this time, the owner could choose to either have the property transferred to him/her, with RBRP registering a bond for the property, or to have the property transferred when the full amount of the bond had been paid over 18 years.

About 1 200 jobs were created during Phase 1 of the housing scheme and 120 people from the Department of Housing were trained during the project.

R560-million will be invested in the Rustenburg local municipality bulk services structure, while additional funding is being raised for educational, health, recreational and commercial infrastructure that will be developed during Phase 2.