Page 35 - 100 years of Anglo American

‘‘ The community Greenman Ngobeni is a community safety officer near the Bokoni Platinum Mine, a
joint venture between Anglo American Platinum and Atlatsa Resources
must help look
after itself.
We can’t wait
for government
all the time
GREENMAN
NGOBENI

otorists slow down and
hoot as they approach a
speed hump on the D4180
road. Some open their
windows and shout
Mexcitedly at the man in
green overalls who is walking around the
freshly painted hump.
“Seat belt! Put on your seat belt!” the man
in green warns through a megaphone that
hangs from his shoulder. Greenman
“Hey, Ngobeni! Ngobeni!” motorists call out
in admiration of the man, who doesn’t smile.
“Your car has seat belts for a reason! Use
them! Put them on!” his voice rises above the
noise of the lazy mid-morning traffic in rural
Limpopo.
“They call me Greenman,” he says after
finishing his work.
He prefers this nickname to his real name,
which he is reluctant to divulge.
Greenman Ngobeni came to Atok back in
1983 to work at Bokoni Platinum Mine, a
joint-venture between Atlatsa Resources and
Anglo American Platinum, which has
recently been placed on care and
maintenance. He remembers the D4180 as a
little gravel road that caused a lot of dust
and made travelling, especially during the
rainy season, daunting and dangerous.
The road cuts through the village of
Greenman
Sefateng towards Atok near the mine. It is an
important artery that connects the villages in
this part of the Sekhukhune district to the AND THE GOOD ROADS
main R37, which, in turn, connects Limpopo
to the eastern part of the country, including
Mpumalanga and Mozambique.
Last year, Anglo American Platinum signed Mining giant partners with local government to make
a memorandum of agreement with Roads travelling safer and easier, writes Lucas Ledwaba
Agency Limpopo (RAL) to collaborate on the
development of road infrastructure. The RAL
is a state-owned entity that was formed by partnerships ensure that it is aligned and safety officer.
the Limpopo department of public works, works collaboratively to create value for the He teaches pedestrians to observe road
roads and infrastructure to help fund the communities in which it operates. rules and tells motorists not to speed. He’s
development of roads in the province. The initiative also forms part of its even placed green suggestion boxes at
Anglo American Platinum allocated commitment to sustainable community strategic locations so the community can
R46.8 million towards the design and development, and to improving the standard report faults and hazards, and offer advice.
construction of the D4180, while the RAL of living in communities neighbouring its On the morning we met, he was painting
committed to providing funding for the mining operations through its social and one of the speed humps on the D4180 after
completion of the project. labour plans. motorists raised concerns that it was not
The mining company says it believes in Ngobeni retired from Bokoni a few years clearly visible from a distance. Greenman
playing an active role in understanding and ago, but found life at home in Sefateng too didn’t waste time – he organised some paint
supporting the Limpopo government’s boring. So he decided to impart the and brushes, and got to work.
development plans, which are aimed at knowledge he learnt about safety on the “The community must help look after
improving the local economy and the mines, and soon the community and Bokoni itself. We can’t wait for government all the
livelihoods of residents, and that such asked him to be their official community time,” he says.
ANGLO AMERICAN 100 YEARS 35