Reminiscent of the Sishen debacle when Imperial Crown Trading (ICT) was awarded prospecting rights at Anglo’s Kumba iron ore mine, three small Rustenburg companies have been awarded the right to prospect at some of Anglo Platinum’s tailings dumps.
Aletta Vos, a director and shareholder of all three companies — Mogwele Trading, Nungu Trading and Reneilwe Rothle — became aware of the prime opportunity presented by the tailings and applied for prospecting rights. She said that, based on the assessment of a mining engineer, the resources were estimated to be worth R10-billion.
The prospecting rights to tailings dams containing recoverable platinum, gold, cobalt, copper, nickel and chrome were awarded by the department of mineral resources to Vos’s companies in 2006 and 2007. Anglo has to date refused them access to the tailing dams.
In 2009, the department awarded ICT a prospecting right to 21.4% of Kumba Iron Ore’s Sishen mine, after ArcelorMittal South Africa failed to renew its right to this portion. Claiming fraud, Kumba, an Anglo subsidiary, has taken ICT and the department to court.
Vos said Anglo Platinum failed to declare the tailings resources at its Rustenburg, Amandelbult, Leplats and Union sections when it updated its old-order mining rights in terms of the Mineral Resources and Petroleum Development Act of 2002.
In its 2005 annual report, Anglo Platinum declared no resources in the Amandelbult and Leplats tailings and only some resources in the tailings of its Rustenburg and Union sections.
Vos said that the declared figures were a gross underestimate.
The annual report said that, in terms of the new Act, where rights had been relinquished, these had been excluded from the Anglo Platinum’s reserve and resource statement.
Vos’s three companies were awarded rights to the Paardekraal, Amandelbult and Waterval tailings resources in these sections.
Department spokesperson Zingaphi Jakuja confirmed that rights had been issued to the three companies.
But Anglo Platinum has refused to recognise the validity of the prospecting licences and barred the companies from the tailing-resource areas.
Vos said she had sent many letters to Anglo Platinum requesting access. On October 24, Kenny Mokoka, the head of business development at Anglo Platinum, wrote back to say that “you are well aware that we believe that neither of the companies which you represent holds valid prospecting rights over our properties — As a result of this we have lodged internal appeals with the department of mineral resources to withdraw your alleged rights.”
In the letter Mokoka noted that Anglo had tried to reach an agreement with the consortium to abandon “any rights which you believe you may have”. But Vos said the proposal was not advantageous to the consortium.
Mpumi Sithole, Anglo Platinum’s media manager, said the matter had been referred to its attorneys, who were not in a position to comment.