Jubilee South Africa
Press Statement
30 August 2010
Sekiming activsts who stood up to Anglo Platinum and its Section 21 company will be sentenced on 1 September 2010.
Sixteen community members in Sekiming have been convicted of “public violence” related to a community protest against Sekiming Section 21 company members and a contractor that are paid by Anglo Platinum to do its bidding.
Anglo Platinum established Section 21 companies in villages across the areas where it is mining platinum in a deliberate attempt to divide communities so as to more easily impose its mining operations. These companies have thus become much reviled by the overwhelming majority of villagers.
In 2008, Jubilee Sekiming engaged in sustained protest action and succeeded in driving the unwanted Lonmin prospecting rigs off their land. Later that year, when Anglo Platinum began paying Section 21 companies in villages across the area to paper over the cracks in houses due to its blasting activities, the Sekiming activitists again stood up for their rights.
It was through actions like these that the Minister of Mineral Resources was finally forced to announce her intention to disband the Section 21 companies. Yet, these companies still appear to be benefitting from Anglo Platinum favours today.
The question is: How can Anglo Platinum form structures in communities in order to SOW DIVISION. How can it BULLDOZE GRAVES in Sekuruwe, DUMP DIRT ON WOMEN PROTECTING THEIR LAND, allow women, children, and men to be beaten and arrested for protecting their land across the platinum belt, and ARREST 80 year old traditional leaders and the 11 year old child of an activist? HOW IS THAT ACCEPTABLE in the new democracy? BUT WHEN Sekiming community members protect their land, and drive off the drilling machines from Lonmin to which they never consented, then stand firm in the face of Anglo Platinum buying off the people in the Section 21, 46 community members are targeted and arrested for several charges, and 16 are convicted of public violence?
CLEARLY ANGLO PLATINUM BENEFITTED FROM APARTHEID and BENEFITS EVEN MORE NOW!
Jubilee Mokopane and community members from around the Mapela and Mokopane areas will be in the Mahwelereng Magistrate’s Court on 1 September 2010 to protest this repression perpetrated by Anglo Platinum and the Police. Despite reports from Action Aid, the SA Human Rights Commission, Benchmarks Foundation, the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and even the Limpopo Premier’s Office exposing Anglo Platinum’s wrongdoing, the communities continue to face repression with no hope in sight from the government they elected and who is supposed to protect them.
For more information, please contact: Phillipos Dolo, (Jubilee Mokopane Coordinator) at 073 789 2489, Mr. Sekgala (Jubilee Sekiming) 071 245 4788, or George Dor (Jubilee South Africa General Secretary) at 011 648 7000 or 076 460 9620, george@mail.ngo.za.