THE Bafokeng community in villages around Rustenburg in North West are up in arms over what they call the tribe’s wealthy royal family’s arrogance in addressing their plight.
The communities from Luka, Kwa-Chaneng, Photsaneng, Thekwana and Bokamoso, among others, accuse their chief of attempts to dispose of the community’s mineral-rich land in favour of irresponsible mining operations that do not consider environmental depletion and sustainable livelihoods.
Villagers say their problems are compounded by the slow process of land restitution in their area. They argue that the king continues to “alienate” the land that is at present under land claims by the very same community he leads.
A further complaint is the use of the tribe’s coffers (held in trust and generated through royalties paid by mining companies) to pay exorbitant legal fees to fight a land claim in the Mafikeng High Court.
They also raised concerns about a R20m Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) “master plan”, which was farmed out to Singapore-based consultants Surbana in 2006.
According to the RBN website, the master plan aims to create “an environment in which people lead a dignified life with access to health, education and employment, thus enabling them to maximise their abilities”.
Almost seven years down the line, villagers say they have not seen the results of the investment. They now demand:
• The land-right inquiry to be fast-tracked;
• The certification that the king is rightfully the chief of the Bafokeng;
• A halt to all mining development on land that is currently part of their claim; and
• That the RBN be put under administration.
The RBN received international attention, particularly during the Fifa 2010 World Cup when its Royal Bafokeng Stadium hosted six matches and was the England team’s base.
With its administrative seat in Phokeng, the tribe’s land covers an area of about 1,000km².
Last month, communities made representations to the parliamentary committee on petitions and members’ private motions, requesting Parliament to intervene in their demands.
Thusi Rapoo, secretary of the Bafokeng Land Buyers’ Association, which is leading the charge against the king and the royal family, said the communities had complained about the royal family’s lavish lifestyle while the people were living in poverty and were unemployed.
“The complaints about the king’s lifestyle specifically refer to his taste for flying in three private jets, which were purchased through tribal funds, and his preference for having an office in Sandton rather than within the community,” he said.
Mr Rapoo said the communities had complained about the disproportionate delivery of services such as healthcare and security of tenure, and about the influx of migrant mine labourers, which were distorting customary and cultural practices.
“The king is supposed to be a trustee and a custodian of the community and should safeguard the interests of the community. The king instead prefers to safeguard and promote the interest of mining companies,” he said.
Businessman and community elder Gash Nape said there is no such entity as “Royal Bafokeng”.
“We are Bafokeng ba Thekwana. We were placed under this so-called ‘Royal Bafokeng’ by the apartheid regime. We can’t be called royal — we are not English,” he said.
Mr Nape said the land in question was bought by 29 men who formed a syndicate because legislation at the time dictated that no black person could own land on his own.
“There were so many villages in this area and each had its own chieftaincy. But apartheid forced us into the Bafokeng chieftaincy and demoted other chiefs into headmen,” he said.
Companies mining in the current Bafokeng jurisdiction include Xstrata, Implats, Amplats, Aquarius, Lanxess and Royal Bafokeng Platinum.
The king, Leruo Molotlegi, comes from the Phokeng village, where there are no mining activities.
Mr Nape described how the community discovered that the king had, in 2008, gone behind the communities’ back and applied in the Mafikeng High Court to have the land transferred and registered in RBN’s title.
“We have mobilised all the villages and have filed opposing affidavits. We have secured the help of the Legal Resource Centre. We are hoping that the process will be quick,” he said.
Mr Nape said he was angered that companies in the meantime continued to exploit the communities’ resources — “and by the time they hand back the land there will be nothing on it”.
Monti Huma, a community member, said amenities such as the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, the Royal Marang Hotel, the Lebone II private school and other Royal Bafokeng corporate institutions were accessible only to those close to the king.
“You can see that these institutions were built for a specific, elite group of people. They are expensive for an ordinary community member to access. The private school costs something like R3,500 a month. None of the local people could even afford to watch the Fifa 2010 World Cup,” said Huma.
Attempts to get a response from a spokesman of the royal family were unsuccessful.
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Diversified portfolio makes RBH a top performer
ROYAL Bafokeng Holdings (RBH) is responsible for the management and development of the commercial assets of the Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN).
Through the Royal Bafokeng Nation Development Trust, the RBN is RBH’s sole shareholder. RBH in turn owns sizeable stakes in companies active in the mining, industrial, financial, oil and gas, infrastructure, and other sectors.
The crown jewel is RBH’s 56.6% stake in JSE-listed Royal Bafokeng Platinum.
According to the RBH integrated review report for 2012, R137.6m was donated to the RBN to support community initiatives.
“Royal Bafokeng Platinum is a very well-run company, and it should be a model on how to involve community members in mining operations,” said Peter Major, mining consultant at Cadiz Corporate Solutions.
“The company’s operations are very boring, there is very little labour strife and stoppages, no management incompetence, and Steve Phiri is an excellent CEO. Hence the company was able to secure 8.83% annual wage increases and lock them in for the next three years.”
The RBH portfolio also includes stakes in the following:
• Mining: Impala Platinum Holdings and Merafe Resources.
• Industrials: Astrapak, Metair Investments and MB Technologies.
• Financials: Rand Merchant Bank Holdings and Rand Merchant Insurance Holdings.
• Mining, oil and gas services: Fraser Alexander and MOGS.
• Infrastructure: Atterbury Investment Holdings and Vodacom SA.
• Other: DHL Express, Pasco Risk Holdings, M-Tech Industrials, RB Engineering, T-Jet Helicopters, Praxima Africa Payroll Systems and BCT (26% of Purple Rain).
— Tshepo Mashego
• This article was first published in Sunday Times: Business Times
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