We have a need to secure water for our Platinum business in the region. Rather than limiting the supply to our own operations – Thermal Coal, Kumba Iron Ore and Platinum - we saw an opportunity to take a collaborative approach with other businesses in the area, as well as supporting the local community. It initiated the Joint Water Forum, comprising 26 mining companies inside the Oliphants river region, that all required a water supply for their operations. Out of the Joint Water Forum came the Oliphants River Water Resource Development Project. In partnership with the South African government's department of Water Affairs it was agreed that half the water in the planned pipeline should be allocated for human consumption in the region – an area where currently there is no access to direct water flow, only from pumps, boreholes or the river.
Phase one of the project raised the wall of the Flag Boshielo Dam, and initiated the infrastructure for water delivery in the Limpopo region by connecting up the various operations. The completion of a new dam, the De Hoop Dam, is also nearing completion and already drawing water. Phase two involves better understanding how the water can be apportioned and moved around the catchment area; already the scope of the project has increased in size in order to include more stakeholders.
Bertus Bierman, who has been instrumental in securing the water supply for our Platinum business, says that the success of the project is largely down to trust and understanding between stakeholders. "Water performance inside our operations is crucial – we always need to demonstrate best practice in terms of usage – but the supply and availability of water in a region such as Limpopo needs to go way beyond resourcing a single operation. By changing mindsets from a competitive to a collaborative approach, we are able to deliver a legacy that will benefit the local communities way beyond our tenure in the region."
