EXXARO HANDS OVER
TITLE DEEDS TO 49
RIETKUIL FAMILIES
EXXARO HANDS OVER TITLE DEEDS TO 49 RIETKUIL FAMILIES
Exxaro has officially handed over 49 title deeds for the newly built houses in Botleng to the Rietkuil families – a day of great celebration for the resettled community.
The handover was a joyous occasion, attended by many notable guests, including the Executive Mayor of the Victor Khanye Local Municipality, Mangaliso Sethethi, and the management team from the Exxaro Leeuwpan mine, and of course the resettled Rietkuil family members.
Many years in the planning
The handover marked the culmination of many years of planning and partnering between Leeuwpan mine, the Rietkuil families and many community stakeholders. It all started in 2015, when Leeuwpan mine looked into the possibility of extending the life of the mine beyond 2019. This led to the creation of the Leeuwpan Lifex project, which developed a strategy to enable the mine to achieve its sustainability goals. It soon became evident that the project would impact a farm called Rietkuil, where a small community of 143 people were living. After consulting with numerous stakeholders, including the Rietkuil community, it was decided to relocate the Rietkuil community in December 2020. The community chose to move to Botleng, approximately 15km from Rietkuil.
Driving a sense of family
Exxaro set about finding a way to ensure that every family unit would own their own house as part of the resettlement process. Exxaro even made sure to buy stands which were near each other, to ensure the same strong sense of community would be carried over to Botleng.
Creating local opportunities
In August 2019, Leeuwpan mine appointed five local companies to construct the Botleng houses and another company to do the earthworks. Additional opportunities were also provided to several subcontracting companies. A total number of 386 jobs were created during this project.
Supporting a thriving community
To ensure a “thriving community” develops, one that has access to basic human needs like water and electricity, sanitation, healthcare, and quality education, Exxaro has committed to covering the costs of the municipal services for the households for five years, from 2020.
“Everything Exxaro does today is geared towards ensuring a safer and more sustainable tomorrow. With careful management, innovative policies and a spirit of full accountability, we will continue to create a positive impact on the country’s economy and its people for generations to come,” says Mongezi Veti, Executive Head: Sustainability.
Before
After
MEET EXXARO’S FIRST FEMALE SURVEY MANAGER
Have you met Ennie Chitambo – Exxaro’s first female Survey Manager and a graduate of Exxaro’s esteemed Professionals in Training
(PIT) programme.
“I am excited to add value to the business unit and Exxaro as a whole,” says Ennie.
Growing up as a young girl in Glen Cowie, Limpopo, Ennie didn’t know what a surveyor was, let alone that women worked in this profession. That all changed in her first year of mining engineering, where she fell in love with surveying. And she’s never looked back.
Ennie joined Exxaro in 2012 as part of the PIT programme. A year later, she joined Matla as a mine surveyor. Her dedication and hard work resulted in her promotion to Senior Surveyor – a role she has occupied for five years, before being promoted to her new role as Survey Manager.
Having achieved this incredible milestone, Ennie has a few words of wisdom to pass on: “I would like to remind ladies and every employee that everything is possible if you put your mind to it and focus on your focus”.
Ennie Chitambo
Survey Manager
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