MOKOPANE – Nel’s tenacity in the courtroom has earned him the nickname Bulldog, and he joined the civil rights organisation, AfriForum in March 2017. Since then he has headed the Anti-Corruption Unit and Private Prosecution Office.
Nel met with the Kekana royal family of the Ndebele Vaaltyn Tribe.
He said he will take on the case of the Ndebele Vaaltyn Tribe who brought criminal charges in 2014 against Canadian mining company, Ivanhoe Mines Ltd, owned by billionaire and mining magnate, Robert Friedland.
The criminal complaints relate to illegal mining operations, contraventions of environmental legislation and unlawful, and seemingly culturally disrespectful, relocation of the tribes’ historical and ancestral graves.
Bosveld and the community of Mokopane accompanied Nel and his team, members of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Kekana royal family to various sites while inspections were carried out in the concerned areas.
Aubrey Langa, representative for the Kekana royal family and Ndebele Vaaltyn Tribe, said the dispute between the Vaaltyn tribe community and Ivanplats has been going on for years.
“The community opened various cases against Ivanplats but nothing came of these cases.
“These cases were referred to the Limpopo Commissioner and the Hawks and were taken over by the Director of the Public Prosecutor where Nel got involved.
“The Vaaltyn community is a poor community that are proud of their history and descent and want to be respected for that, but their pleas and complaints fell on deaf ears.”
Attorney Peter Smit, Director of Falcon and Hume Incorporate and legal representative of Ivanplats, said: “The history and the factional circumstances are complicated. We have to sit down with Langa and his legal team to discuss these allegations. We don’t intend to respond in detail in public with the media.”
Nel responded to Smit’s comment with: “I think this invitation is long overdue but we publicly accept the invitation and will gladly take part in any conversation”.
The community demands as per the memorandum are:
• Stop illegal mine operations (“zama-zama”).
• Stop unlawful access to, use and occupation of our land (“land grab”).
• Stop excluding local residents from meaningful economic participation.
• Stop compromising independence of our local municipality, by offering it a loan to complete the sewage treatment plant.
• Stop compromising their national leaders, recently including Kgalema Motlhanthe, whom Ivanplats offered directorship in order to influence government not to act against Ivanplats for illegal mine operations.
• Stop unlawful application for Phase 2 graves relocation permit, which is submitted without consent of the tribe.
It is noted that many of the remaining graves are historical graves not claimed by next-of-kin and so they belong to the tribe.
• Provide the community with an undertaking that the application submitted in August 2017, will be immediately withdrawn.
redaksie.bosvelder@nmgroup.co.za
