Corporate Social Investment

On 18 August 2021, South Africa-focused platinum developer, Nkwe Platinum Limited, and the Zijin Mining Group, a multinational mining group, has partnered with Sany Southern Africa, a world-leading construction & mining equipment manufacturer and supplier, to provide an entry-level excavator training programme for six women from its mining communities.

During the week-long programme, the women will learn the basic components and structure of excavators and will also physically learn how to operate basic movements on the machines.

Nkwe Platinum Limited and the Zijin Mining Group, believe that the inclusion of women in the mining sector contributes significantly to its communities’ sustainable development and long-term economic growth. We recognise the potential that women can unlock for successful mining operations and understand that their skills development forms a vital foundation for a more productive community.

For women’s month, Nkwe Platinum Limited and the Zijin Mining Group introduced the establishment of the Garatau Women’s Forum to support women in the community. The Forum consists of five women from the Garatau community to form a platform where the mine, the community and regulatory authorities can work together to share best practices and seek solutions for sustainable, inclusive socio-economic growth and wellbeing.

The company also donated 1000 sanitary products to communities around the Garatau Mine. Nkwe Platinum Limited and the Zijin Mining Group evenly distributed sanitary products to underprivileged girls in schools and women in Garatau, Maandagshoek, Hoepakrantz and De Kom. In addition to the donation, teams of local community women were arranged to provide hygiene awareness and social counselling to recipients of the sanitary products.

In November 2021, South Africa Zijin Platinum (Pty) Ltd as the mining contractor under Nkwe Platinum Limited, donated 100 backpacks and 100 school shoes to primary schools and underprivileged children across the key communities of the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine. 20 of the most underprivileged primary school children and community children were identified from each community: Garatau, Maandagshoek, Hoepakrantz and De Kom, to receive a pair and school shoes and a school back.

Nkwe Platinum Limited, donated a total of 100 school shoes to selected primary schools within the communities around the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine.

The school shoes were donated to the following primary schools: Setlopong Primary School in Maandagshoek, Ratau Primary School in Garatau, Lobamba Combined School in Hoepakrantz; as well as to disadvantaged children in De Kom.

This is the second time that school shoes have been donated to primary schools and underprivileged children in the mine’s communities, since 2021.

“We are really happy to have received another batch of new school shoes for our learners. This donation really helps to restore confidence to our most disadvantaged learners to attend classes,” said Mr. Barnabas Mashweu, Head of Department of Setlopong Primary School.

Nkwe Platinum Limited undertook the task to refurbish the library of Molaka Primary School in Maandagshoek. The library serves as the educational and reading area for the learners who attend the school.

Nkwe Platinum Limited funded the repainting of the library, as well as the building and installation of bookshelves, tables and mats to enhance the pupils’ learning and reading experience.

In line with its commitment to corporate social responsibility initiatives, Nkwe Platinum Limited also donated a total of 80 slip-on takkies to the elderly of the four directly affected mine communities of the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine.

The shoes were distributed to the most disadvantaged elderly of the Garatau, Maandagshoek, Hoepakrantz and De Kom communities.

Nkwe Platinum Limited donated blankets and beanies to the Special Programs Unit of the Sekhukhune District Municipality for distribution to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and the disabled within the municipality’s communities.

The Company donated a total of 100 blankets and 100 beanies, worth R60 000.00, to the Sekhukhune District Municipality in support of their Nelson Mandela Day initiative to promote care for communities’ underprivileged groups.

Executive Mayor of the Sekhukhune District Municipality, Cllr Maleke Mokganyatji, says, “The Special Programs Unit of the Executive Mayor Office celebrates Mandela Day with vulnerable groups. It is the obligation of this office to ensure that the rights of these special groups are protected, promoted, and always supported. We sincerely thank Nkwe Platinum Limited for this generous donation which supports us in this endeavour.”

In July 2023, Nkwe Platinum Limited also donated a total of 185 blankets across the four host communities of the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine. The donation was initiated in celebration of Nelson Mandela Day and made concurrently with the 100 blankets and beanies donation to the Special Programs Unit of the Sekhukhune District Municipality for distribution to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and the disabled within the municipality’s communities.

In August 2023, Nkwe Platinum Limited hosted a nail care session for 16 (sixteen) female employees at the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine, in honour of Women’s Day.

Five graduates from the 2022 Beauty and Care Training Programme were brought in to provide the above nail care services that included nail enhancement treatments such as nail polish applications, installation of acrylic tips, and manicures. These graduates formed part of the community empowerment programme, which trained 11 community women in SETA-Accredited beauty and nail therapy, massage therapy, make up and individual lashes over a period of 3 months.

The Company donated nail care hampers consisting of a variety of gel polish, nail polish remover, nail files, nail clippers and an UV nail lamp, to these graduates.

One beauty and care training programme graduate, Mahadi Tsosane from Maandagshoek, says, “I think I can start a business in line with this course. I’d go around providing my services to people at weddings and events. As one of the former learners who attended the beauty therapy course, I would like to thank the Mine for giving us this opportunity, because I learnt so many things I didn’t know of.”

Nkwe Platinum Limited gave essential supply donations to under-resourced creches within the directly-affected communities surrounding the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine.

Donations included one 3-plate gas stove with gas cylinder, ten kiddie chairs with five tables, five cotton mattresses, twenty alphabet/number puzzles and three mini blankets for each of the creches.

A total of nine creches across Garatouw, Maandagshoek and Hoepakrantz were identified to receive these donations.

Nkwe Platinum Limited provided approximately R150,000.00 worth of sponsorships towards the community youth soccer tournament, which took place at the soccer field at the Garatouw junior sports field, from 28^th – 29^th October 2023.

The soccer tournament began on Saturday, 28^th October with 8 teams of youth players from the Mine’s directly-affected communities of Garatouw, Maandagshoek, De Kom and Hoepakrantz. They competed in a knockout with various teams being eliminated in the different rounds, culminating in semi-final and final matches on Sunday, 29^th October.

The sponsorships included refreshment snacks and beverages for all 8 teams, soccer kits for these teams, as well as medals, trophies, and large cash prizes for the three winning teams. The Company also sponsored the lease of chairs, tents, and transportation for the players over the two-day tournament.

Three schools surrounding Nkwe Platinum’s Garatau Mine have become the latest recipients of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) equipment that will ensure effective teaching and learning.

The donations were made on the 21^st and 22^nd November 2023 by the representatives from Nkwe Platinum’s Garatau Mine. The lucky schools to have benefited from the donations are Ratau Primary School (Ga Ratau Village), Molaka Primary School (Maandagshoek), and Lobamba Combined School (Hoepakrantz).

At all the three schools, the equipment was received by the principals as well as the School Management Team (SMT).

The equipment, donated by the Mine, will assist the Limpopo Department of Education in its drive to ensure that more learners in the province have access to a wealth of information relating to their curriculum needs through the use of ICT.

The schools were given overhead data projectors, projector screens, laptops, and mouse.

Nkwe Platinum Limited donated approximately R250 000’s worth of food parcels to disadvantaged families of the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine’s directly affected mining communities on December 21 and 22, 2023.

A total of 200 parcels were donated to provide food relief for underprivileged community members of Garatouw, Maandagshoek, De Kom and Hoepakrantz for the festive season. Each parcel consisted of a 12.5kg bag of maize meal, a 2L bottle of cooking oil, 2kg sugar, tinned food, 2kg washing powder and many other essentials.

This initiative is in line with Nkwe Platinum Limited’s and Zijin Mining Group’s mission statement of ‘Mining for a Better Society’.

Nkwe Platinum Limited started 2024 with a gesture of goodwill by donating 13 wheelchairs, valuing to a total of R113,000.00, to identified beneficiaries within the host communities of the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine.

Research shows that people with disabilities in rural impoverished areas, experience significantly more challenges when trying to get access to healthcare. They are also more likely to be subjected to discrimination and stigma.

People with physical disabilities who do not have wheelchairs are frequently confined to their homes or beds, socially isolated, unable to use public transportation, and have limited educational possibilities because most schools are not set up to assist the immobile.

On the 19th of January 2024, Nkwe Platinum Limited once again took a significant step towards fostering menstrual equity by donating R70,000.00 worth of feminine hygiene products to young women across five communities around the Zijin Garatau Platinum Mine.

The aim is to empower these women, ensuring they don’t face barriers in pursuing their education due to the lack of access to essential feminine hygiene products.

Girls from primary and secondary schools across Maandagshoek, Garatouw, Hoepakrantz, together with young women from Dekom and Makwana received a total of 1260 packs of sanitary pads.

This marks the third consecutive year that Nkwe Platinum Limited has dedicated resources to alleviate the vulnerable position of girls facing challenges in accessing sanitary pads.