Court rules Ivanplats can proceed with relocation of graves

02 February 2017 - 21:13 By TMG Digital
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A Pretoria court ruled has ruled in favour of Ivanplats‚ an Ivanhoe Mines subsidiary‚ clearing the way for the company to proceed with a graves relocation programme at its Platreef mine development site near Mokopane in Limpopo.

Ivanplats challenged an interim order that was issued by the North Gauteng High Court following an “ex parte” hearing on November 28 last year which the company says was conducted without its knowledge or participation.

After hearing arguments in the Palace of Justice in Pretoria on Thursday‚ Justice John Murphy ordered that the interim interdict be set aside‚ saying he would give written reasons for his judgment in due course‚ including a ruling on the costs of the court action.

  • Ivanhoe drills into mistrust at PlatreefSecret payments and confusion about who benefits from resource extraction have bred mistrust between communities, traditional authorities and a company that intends to mine in Limpopo. 

Appearing for the company‚ Advocate Alfred Cockrell SC argued that Ivanplats had obtained all necessary permits and authorisations for the grave relocation process and conducted extensive consultation with community residents and relatives of the deceased individuals interred in the relevant graves.

In an affidavit submitted to the court‚ Ivanplats’ Managing Director Dr Patricia Makhesha said the company was in a unique position to develop what would become a large and highly profitable platinum mine which was co-owned by the local‚ historically-disadvantaged community and international investors.

Makhesha said the court action was an ill-conceived attempt by a few individuals to stop the construction of a mine that would provide much needed direct and indirect jobs‚ access to education and skills training for young people in Mokopane.

“The Platreef underground mine represents one of the most significant foreign direct investments into the South African economy in recent years‚ and constitutes an asset which will yield very significant benefits to the South African economy in general and the economy of Mokopane and the Limpopo Province in particular‚” Makhesha said.

The first applicant in the court action was Aubrey Langa‚ who is opposed to the project.

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