Two reports from the BBC

Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Mining forces out thousands in SA
BBC

Thousands have had to leave their homes due to open-cast mines

It was also shown evidence the UK-based firm had polluted water sources and scores of miners had been killed.

The rising price of platinum has seen a new wave of open-cast mines in South Africa, the world's largest producer.

Anglo American has said it is treating safety as a priority and that it is aiming to make communities better off.

'Relocated'

The increased demand for platinum, used in the electronics industry and in catalytic converters for cars - has caused world prices for the metal to soar.

"In terms of resettlement our objective is to ensure that we at least leave the communities no worse off and our objective is to make them better off." -Edward Bickham Anglo American

Nearly 90% of the world's platinum reserves are in southern Africa and the largest producer by far is Anglo American through its subsidiary, Anglo Platinum.

In the last five years, thousands of people were forced to leave their ancestral lands and move to purpose-built townships financed by Anglo Platinum, which has offered compensation and new land.

Villagers who have resisted claim they have been shot with rubber bullets by the police.

Last October, the charity Action Aid conducted water sampling around Anglo Platinum's mines in the Limpopo province and found sources used by schools and villages were unfit for human consumption.

It said they had been contaminated with nitrates, which can cause a potentially fatal blood disorder and stomach cancer.

Anglo Platinum has also been criticised over safety standards - on average, around 20 people a year are killed whilst working in its mines.

Anglo American has said it is treating safety as a priority, is looking into the issue of contaminated water and that the majority of people "relocated" to make way for its mines agree to move.

"In terms of resettlement our objective is to ensure that we at least leave the communities no worse off and our objective is to make them better off," Edward Bickham, Group Head of External Affairs, told File On 4.

Hear the full story on BBC Radio 4: File On 4 Tuesday 25 March 2008 at 2000 GMT, repeated Sunday 30 March at 1700 GMT or online at the File on 4website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7312018.stm

More details in an earlier BBC report

Who pays the price of platinum?
By Angus Stickler

Platinum mining is highly profitable

But there are concerns that people are being forced off their land as the world's third largest mining operation seeks huge profits from the increasing world demand for platinum.

The global drive for clean air is driving the market in platinum which is used to produce catalytic converters.

Nearly 90% of the world's platinum reserves are in southern Africa with Anglo American's mines proving to be highly productive and profitable.

It makes the company a major player in the South African economy paying nearly £1bn in tax to the government.

'Forced to move'

This platinum rush has seen a new wave of mines with deep pit mining abandoned and massive open casts mines coming on stream.

But thousands of villagers have had to move from their ancestral lands - relocated to purpose built townships financed by Anglo American's subsidiary Anglo Platinum which offers compensation and new land.

Not everyone was happy to leave.

Abel Moholah is holding out in Ga-Pila, the land where his forefathers lived and died - fertile land with produce including pumpkins, beans, and sugar canes.

"They are forcing us out - they don't care how they are getting their platinum" -Rose Thlarera

He is among a group of 140 out of 7,000 people who refused to leave.

Another villager Rose Thlarera told File On 4: "I worked my arse off working for these people - for white people - and cleaning their houses."

No water

"I'm not going to move just because they come and tell me - force me to go - I can't do that. I believe I have also got rights," said Rose.

"What the mine is doing to us is worse than the apartheid era - during apartheid we had our water and electricity but we didn't have the mine amongst us."

She added: "They are forcing us out - they don't care how they are getting their platinum."

The company said it had no part in removing the electricity and water supply.

Thousands of people have had to leave their homes due to open cast mines

With no water the remaining villagers rely on a seep dug next to a stream, "We don't think it is clean - it is not healthy any more," said Rose.

Pollution fear

They fear the water is polluted with chemicals from the nearby mine and Abel said he was hospitalised for three weeks with a stomach ailment and breathlessness.

Last October an independent analysis, commissioned by the charity Action Aid , of water at 10 sites near Anglo Platinum mines in the Limpopo Province found water unfit for human consumption.

The analysis by environmental chemist Carin Bosman found it contained high concentrations of salts, particularly nitrates, which could cause stomach cancer and sometimes a fatal blood disorder - one of its symptoms is breathlessness.

Her analysis at one village Ga-Molekane, found the village water supply has extremely high levels of nitrates and bacteriological contamination.

Ms Bosman said she is certain a waste reservoir next to the mine is responsible for the contamination.

Daisy Lekoane, head-teacher at the village primary school was shown the results, by File On 4, which revealed the school's supply was contaminated.

"This is terrible, our lives are at stake," she said.

She added: "The mine should do something to alleviate this problem."

Action Aid say water from this bore hole is contaminated

Secondary school head Kenneth Chepape, whose school had a water tank and bore hole provided by the mining company, was equally shocked.

Stomach problems

"I don't even know what to say," he said.

He added many pupils had experienced stomach problems and dizziness.

Mr Chepape said the company was not doing enough to help, adding, "It is an open secret that they are making millions and millions out of the land that was formerly occupied by the community."

Anglo Platinum's Executive Head of Corporate Affairs Mary-Jane Morifi told File On 4: "We would be interested in engaging with Action Aid to understand what the results were and where exactly they tested."

She doubted whether Ga-Pila's water was affected as the site is upstream from its mining activity.

'Fair compensation'

And a later statement from Anglo Platinum said it did not dispute that high levels of nitrates were found in some downstream monitoring points but added it was highly unlikely this would migrate towards Ga-Molekane.

"In terms of resettlement our objective is to ensure that we at least leave the communities no worse off and our objective is to make them better off." - Edward Bickham, Anglo American

An Action Aid report also accuses the company of exploiting those forced to leave their land.

"People need to be given fair amounts of compensation, they need to be asked whether they want to be moved or not in these mining processes of mining and they should be compensated adequately for that," said its author Mark Curtis.

But Anglo American rebuts this.

Edward Bickham, Group Head of External Affairs, told File On 4, "In terms of resettlement our objective is to ensure that we at least leave the communities no worse off and our objective is to make them better off."

Representatives of various campaign groups have bought shares in the company and are expected to attend next month's annual general meeting.

The question they pose is what price platinum and who ultimately has to pay?

Hear the full story on BBC Radio 4: File On 4 Tuesday 25 March 2008 at 2000 GMT, repeated Sunday 30 March at 1700 GMT or online at the File on 4 website.