South Africa’s mining empowerment legislation and the popularity of platinum has spawned a flurry of empowerment deals, the most recent of which introduced a new player in the platinum industry.
Khumama Platinum, comprising 12 empowerment groups, has entered a 50:50 joint venture with Anglo Platinum to explore the Booysendal platinum-bearing area on the Eastern limb of South Africa’s Bushveld Igneous Complex, in parts of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.
Khumama is led by two former public-services directors general, Paseka Ncholo and Robinson Ramaite, and businesswoman Nomazizi Mtshotshisa.
To capitalise on the joint venture Khumama approached Tokyo Sexwale’s Mvelaphanda to exchange the stake in the Booysendal joint venture for Mvelaphanda shares.
Speaking to the Mail & Guardian this week, Ncholo described platinum as “the metal of the future”, also noting that it “protects against the downside of the gold price”.
Platinum is currently trading at its highest price in two decades, and Ncholo expects the trend to continue.
The Booysendaal project is expected to produce 20 000 ounces of platinum a year at full capacity.
Analysts see the project as possessing value in the long term, but admit that at the current rand-dollar exchange rate, it is a marginal project.
The mine boosts Mvelaphanda’s platinum portfolio, which already includes 22,5 % of Northam and 50% of Dwaalkop properties in the Bushveld complex’s eastern limb, co-owned with Southern Era mining.
Other Anglo Platinum empowerment ventures include the Modikwa mine in North West province, with Patrice Motsepe’s newly formed African Rainbow Minerals.
The Anglo American subsidiary also runs the Bafokeng Rasimone mine near Rustenburg, which pays handsome royalties to the Bafokeng nation.