An Mpumalanga tribe celebrated victory in an eight-year land claim against mining giant Anglo Platinum with a traditional dance on the steps of the Land Claims Court in Randburg.
Judge Thomas Ncube ordered Anglo Platinum and the 190 households of the GaMawela community to settle by the end of next January. If no settlement is reached, the land will be expropriated for the community.
The dispossessed labour tenants asked the court to order the expropriation of the farm St George, part of Anglo Platinum’s De Brochen mining project near Steelpoort. Durkje Gilfillan of the Legal Resources Centre said the case would ”set a precedent for communities claiming land owned by mining giants”.
The GaMawelas’ ancestors used the St George land to draw water from a sacred spring each August to perform a rain-making spell.
Two years ago, the Land Claims Court ordered the land to be returned to GaMawelas, giving them nine months to devise a business plan for its management.
The community presented the plan to Judge Ncube in court this week, saying it would focus on small-scale agriculture, including new initiatives such as bee farming and herb cultivation. It would also supply fresh produce to the growing community of miners in the area.
Lazarus Mankge, chairperson of the GaMawela Land Claims Committee, said a survey of the 190 households showed that 77% of the claimants depended on some sort of a social grant from the government.
Anglo Platinum did not oppose the community’s motion. However, it has said it does not believe the community’s ”fancy plan” for farming is financially viable.