RUSTENBURG - The land reform programme is about building a country where all South Africans can achieve their potential, Anglo American Platinum said on Friday.
"For us, as Anglo American, this transformation and associated land reform program is about building a country where all South Africans can achieve their potential, not only for themselves but for successive generations too--regardless of their race, gender, sexuality or beliefs," CEO Chris Griffith said.
He was speaking in Rustenburg where the company donated 270 hectares of land to the Rustenburg municipality.
He said they supported the notion expressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa that South Africa’s land reform was no land grab, nor was it an assault on the private ownership of property and it should not undermine future investment in the economy.
"The proposals on land expropriation without compensation is just one element of a broader programme on land reform and our land donation here today is an example of how business and mining companies can embrace land reform to release well-located urban land available for low-cost housing so that the poor can own property and live close to economic opportunities."
The land handed over to the Rustenburg municipality would be used for housing.
It was expected that the land would assist the municipality to resettle residents of Chachalaza 14 and Plot 14 informal settlements, the formalisation of the Popo Molefe and Mbeki Sun informal settlements to give residents security of tenure and access to suitable service delivery standards.
The Rustenburg Community Development Trust, received over 27 hectares of the land allocated, to construct a care centre for approximately 155 people.
"This centre will provide care for the disabled, the elderly, orphans and child-headed families in the community. We are also proud of our partnership with the Rustenburg local municipality and the provincial government of the North West," he said.
"Through this partnership, we donated 204 hectares of land in 2014 at Bokamoso, and we have subsequently invested in bulk infrastructure more than R140 million by constructing a wastewater treatment plant and tarred access roads. As a result of this donation and the provision of bulk infrastructure, the department of human settlements are now able to build 4000 housing units on serviced land."