Issued by: North West Communication Service
The Premier of the North West Province, Mr Popo Molefe today (Monday) met with the Chairman of the VAMETCO Mining Corporation in Mmabatho, to discuss the continued smooth operation of the corporation in the Province.
The corporation is mining vanadium on two farms separately owned by private co-owners at Uitvalgrond and Krokodilkraal near Brits. The operations at the mine have recently been occasionally disrupted by a conflict arising out of the contract on the royalties paid by the mine to these communities.
Mr Molefe recently commissioned the provincial leadership of the African National Congress to intervene in the process, and this intervention resulted in creating stability and smooth operation of the mine. The chairman of the corporation, Mr William Beattie requested the Premier to expedite the resolution of the conflict for the company to be able to embark on a R20m project, that would establish a beneficiation plant to manufacture nitrovan to enable the corporation to be the only one that would sell this product.
This, Mr Beattie said, "will come up with spinoffs resulting in further jobs being created and sustaining the mining operation in the vanadium market".
Mr Molefe reaffirmed his commitment to deal decisively with the conflict in both the interest of the community and South Africa. "The Provincial government will not allow anybody to stand in the way of stability and prosperity of the citizens of the province, and will decisively deal with any forces bent on working against this", said Mr Molefe.
Contact: Willie Modise Cell (082 558 4087) 20 May 1996