The Land Claims Court has ordered mining giant Anglo Platinum to return ancestral land to the Ga Mawela community in Limpopo, community representatives said on Wednesday.
The ruling brought to a closure a five-year battle between the community and Anglo Platinum, said community lawyer Durkje Gilfillan.
”The claim was about restoring the rights of a former labour tenant community which was dispossessed of their land under apartheid.”
Anglo Platinum welcomed the ruling.
”This … gives clarity regarding ownership of the land and clears up a long-standing claim,” said spokesperson Simon Tebele.
”When we purchased St Georges farm from a previous owner five years ago, we were aware of the land claim over the property. After our review, we decided not to oppose the claim.”
The Ga Mawela community comprises about 200 households from the poorest area of Limpopo province, with an unemployment rate of 69%.
The community, known in earlier times for its skills as rainmakers, farmers and herbalists, told the court it wished to protect a number of sites of sacred importance.
These included pools and caves, some of which remained sacred to this day.
Chairperson of the Ga Mawela Land Claims Committee Mabutswe Lazarus Mankge said: ”The farm St George will make a significant contribution to household food security, and provide for extra income through the sale of surplus produce in local markets.”
Secretary of the land claims committee Tiny Mankge said the entire episode had been ”offensive” to the community.
”I wonder if Anglo Platinum will ever apologise to the community? It can never be in the best interests of shareholders to oppose measures to address past racial actions by the apartheid state.”
In June 2004, the Ga Mawela community won the first stage of a court battle, which involved proving the legal validity of its land claim in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act of 2004.
Tebele said the court ruling provided for restitution of the land while recognising existing mining rights. – Sapa