* Same mining salaries go further in kingdom
* Small window to use mineral wealth to fix problems
* Bafokeng still face protests over land claims, pollution
By Jon Herskovitz
PHOKENG, South Africa, Oct 18 (Reuters) – While South
African mining companies try to halt the spread of deadly labour
strife, a kingdom that partly governs a small stretch of the
country’s platinum belt has managed to transform mineral wealth
into social stability.
The Royal Bafokeng Nation has funnelled money it earns from
its Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPLat) company into a
mini sovereign wealth fund that provides cash for schools,
clinics and infrastructure.
It and its capital, Phokeng, stand out as a beacon of
success amid the poverty of the platinum belt, where sprawling
tin-hut shanty towns sit alongside billion-dollar mines digging
out the precious metal used in vehicle catalytic converters.
The community has not been entirely immune from the labour
unrest that has rocked northwestern South Africa, home to nearly
80 percent of the world’s known platinum reserves.
It has also been criticised for using the facade of
traditional leadership to help mining firms expand in the region
and wasteful spending on pet projects of the royal family.
Continued…
