Sibanye Stillwater and RLM to re-purpose unused mine assets

Rustenburg – Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM) executive mayor councillor Mpho Khunou was part of a group of municipal officials who met with the Sibanye Stillwater leadership for a tour of properties and infrastructure that is no longer being used by the mining company.

The tour of the facilities as led by the mining company’s representatives – group manager HRTS and property Fritz Jooste, engineering vice president Henry Ricks and acting community engagement and development head of department Morgan Motswana, comes in the wake of the mining giant’s move to dispose its assets which are not actively in use.

The assets include mining houses and hostels which were used by mine employees. In addition, some of the infrastructure include offices, used for administration, halls, and portions of undeveloped land.

Said RLM executive mayor Mpho: “Our association with Sibanye has benefitted many of our communities in the past. Given the housing demands in the city, the acquisition of the land will accelerate our program for housing which will deal with people residing at informal dwellings. Therefore, any access to additional land, lessens the burden as we roll out developments in the city, particularly those being targeted for infrastructure development.”

The tour included visiting facilities in near Zakhele informal settlement, an inspection at the mine’s operations near Nkaneng as well a portion of land in Marikana, which the mining company intends on disposing with the intention building houses.

In recent years, the municipality has worked hard to address the housing question, to the extent that one of its successful housing projects has seen Bokamoso residents receiving proper housing with supplementary municipal amenities.

RLM press release extracts