Residents march over mine
More than 200 residents from various villages in Mogalakwena embarked on a peaceful protest march on Tuesday where they handed over a memorandum of demands to Ivanplats and the Mahwelereng police.
LIMPOPO – More than 200 residents from various villages in Mogalakwena embarked on a peaceful protest march on Tuesday where they handed over a memorandum of demands to Ivanplats and the Mahwelereng police.
The march was organised by the Kopano Formation, Kgobudi Youth and Residents Development, Sekgoboko Development Committee and Mokopane Interested and Affected Communities (MIACC).
The residents met at the Magongoa Sports Ground about a kilometre from Ivanplats Platreef mine where they discussed their grievances.
From there they marched to the mine where they handed over the memorandum and their last stop was at the Mahwelereng police station.
Derick Tsita, Spokesperson for MIACC told Bosveld: “This march was structurally planned to collapse with the Mining Indaba that is currently taking place in Cape Town. With these marches we are definitely knocking on the right doors. We gave Ivanplats and the Mahwelereng police station seven days to respond to our demands, if we do not hear anything from them within this timeframe we as a community will decide what the next step is.”
Const Sello Leso, Mahwelereng Police Spokesperson, said: “In the absence of the Station Commander, Matsaung Mamtotje, who is currently on leave, we will look into the list of demands and try to find a resolution.
“However we appeal to the community not to wait for a march to raise their concerns, our doors are always open.
“Concerned residents are welcome to contact me at 071 678 2209 if they seek feedback regarding a case.”
Jeremy Michaels, Spokesperson for Ivanplats, gave the following statement regarding the march: “We have noted the march which took place on Tuesday.
“Ivanplats is a law-abiding company and we are constantly engaging all our stakeholders to ensure that we understand the concerns of our host communities and also to communicate the company’s views on the issues which they raise with us. We are confident that we have built good relations with our host communities and will continue to engage as we build a new mine, creating jobs and new economic opportunities for people in and around Mokopane.”
