Promoting employee home ownership and building social cohesion

Anew housing project, Lesedi Village, is being established by Northam Platinum Holdings Limited (Northam Platinum) and will soon change the lives of many employees and surrounding communities who aspire to own decent yet affordable housing.

Through the Social and Labour Plan (SLP) and the many housing projects launched locally and in labour sending areas, Northam has proven to prioritise the wellbeing of its people. Affordable housing and decent living conditions is a critical component of the Mining Charter, and Northam Zondereinde has dedicated the next five years to home ownership in line with the mine’s Social and Labour Plan (SLP).

This is to assist employees of Northam who might be faced with challenges in entering the property market due to affordability or other reasons. The houses are sold at cost, and therefore have a high return on investment value for employees. Northam Platinum’s housing scheme also aims to build social cohesion among families, another attempt to improve employee morale and to keep families together.

As Gerrie Geertsema, Northam Platinum Accommodation Strategy Consultant explains, “The company offers employees 30% interest-free loans to encourage home ownership and as part of its retention strategy. We also assist employees with bond applications and clearing of credit scores through an external party.”

The plan provides for a total of 240 housing units to be constructed in phases, and is located close to amenities such as schools, shops and public transport. Phase 1, consisting of 72 units, is currently being developed and made available to the market.

Of the 72 units, 32 are being built by a main contractor and four local Small, Medium and

Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are constructing five units each. To ensure that the project is executed within an agreed schedule, on budget and in terms of quality specifications, the mine has made available the services of a Clerk of Works, Johan Rossouw, as well as the main contractor to support the four SMMEs.

Each of the four local SMMEs has a contract in excess of R3-million, of which three are women-owned. These companies are Ayathoma Construction, Ditiro Tebogo and Masedi Construction. These women have shown tremendous diligence and have paced themselves, producing high-quality houses that Northam is proud to hand over to its employees. The fourth contractor is Setquip, which was supported in the construction of Lefika Village, Northam’s first home-ownership project.

The project seeks to achieve the following:

• Make home ownership accessible and affordable.

• Promote integrated family lifestyles for employees who would otherwise live in single units, with the rest of their families located in other provinces.

• Integrate mine employees into local communities.

• Drive investment in property that will sustain employees even after their employment on the mine.

• Contribute meaningfully to communities around which we operate.

The Northam Platinum Board of Directors visited the site to mark the first phase of the project completion with a tree-planting symbol.

About Northam Platinum

Northam is an independent, empowered, integrated PGM producer. Our strategy is to grow production down the cost curve while reducing operational risk. Our aspirational target is to produce one million oz 4E pa. Northam’s activities are integrated, from underground mining through to Concentrating, Smelting and Base Metal Removal. Precious Metal Refining is outsourced. Since inception, Northam’s precious metals have been refined by Heraeus Deutschland GmbH & Co KG in terms of a toll refining agreement.

With the recent expansion of output, Northam has recently contracted Johnson Matthey’s precious metals services to diversify its refining capacity. Northam wholly owns and operates the following mines:

Zondereinde

Zondereinde has reliably produced PGMs for over 40 years in the Limpopo Province at this, the world’s deepest platinum mine. The group pioneered innovative technology at Zondereinde to mine successfully at these depths. Given recent expansion at 3#, Zondereinde employs more than 11 000 people, mainly from the local area.

Booysendal

The Booysendal property near Mashishing is underlain by a resource of >100 million PGM ounces and hosts the modern, mechanised North and South modular mining complexes on the property. This massive resource lends itself to brownfields exploration and renders this a long-life mining operation providing meaningful work and 8 000 valuable jobs in a remote area of the country.

Eland

The Eland mine near Brits is ramping up to steady state production of 180 000 oz pa. The total capex investment in this mine is estimated to reach R4.5-billion by 2028. ■