Richtersveld community and government
14 June 2007
Early this week, Minister Alec Erwin met the newly established Interim Joint
Board (IJB) of Alexkor and over 200 people from the Richtersveld Community to
map out the process of implementing the recently signed Settlement
Agreement.
This was a significant first step in the process of implementing the
agreement for the formation of the Pooling and Sharing Joint Venture (PSJV), in
which Alexkor and the community will hold a 51% interest and 49% interest
respectively. The IJB consists of six members, three appointed by Alexkor and
three appointed by the community, who will be responsible for implementation of
the settlement, which results in protecting the assets of the community and
developing a sustainable, diverse economy for the Richtersveld region.
The landmark Settlement Agreement, which was signed on 22 April 2007,
includes:
* restoration of the land claimed
* restoration of the mineral rights by way of transfer of Alexkor's land mining
rights
* other compensation in the form of monetary payments and transfer of
agricultural and mari-culture assets
* establishment of a formal township at Alexander Bay
* environmental rehabilitation
The Minister highlighted that Government is firm on not getting the
Community into debt in this settlement agreement and that the community will
not be paying for the assets that they will own, including mineral, property
and land rights.
He added that the Community will receive monetary payments as grants and
seed funding for commercial activities, with the intention of developing
Alexander Bay from a mining town to a township. Furthermore R190 million
compensation will be paid over the next three years into a trust for
communities, who will then decide how to use the monies to create a better
quality of life for themselves.
The Minister's message was clear, "Never underestimate the power of the
people on the ground, although the agreement is complicated, we must move
quickly to get the work done."
To show the collective commitment of the community, the department and
Alexkor, their representatives (including their respective legal
representatives) met the following day to set up a Settlement Implementation
Committee.
This Committee will assign responsibilities, within delineated timelines, to
ensure the efficient implementation of the Settlement and will meet monthly, to
monitor progress made on the various activities. During this first meeting, the
Committee focused on action-steps related to the first lump sum payment and the
transfer of the agricultural and mari-cultural assets. This included the
establishment of a four-person committee (two from the Community and two from
Alexkor) to prepare an inventory of the moveable assets.
Government is confident that the partnership with the Community has begun
and that there is a bright future for the people of the Richtersveld and the
economy of the region.
Summarised versions of the Settlement Agreement are available in English,
Afrikaans and Nama:
* English - http://www.dpe.gov.za/home.asp?id=779
* Nama (PDF - 839 KB) - http://www.dpe.gov.za/res/RichNama.pdf
* Afrikaans (PDF - 172 KB) - http://www.dpe.gov.za/res/RichAfr.pdf
Enquiries:
Vimla Maistry
Chief Director: Communications
Tel: 012 431 1121
E-mail: Vimla.maistry@dpe.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Public Enterprises
14 June 2007
Source: Department of Public Enterprises (http://www.dpe.gov.za)
