Anglo American Platinum : in partnership with Komatsu on the ICT infrastructure and Mechanical hub in Ga-Molekana Village, Mogalakwena

Demonstration of successful partnership that supports economic and social development in communities.

Anglo American Platinum and Komatsu, the Japanese manufacturer of construction, mining and industrial equipment, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to partner in jointly designing, building and funding an ICT training, internet café and mechanical hub in Ga-Molekana village, Mogalakwena. This project is one of the 5 initiatives that were identified by the Mapela Faith Group to bring about peace and Unity in the Mapela Community. The Ga-Molekana Faith leaders are in the fore front of ensuring that this project becomes a reality for the Ga-Molekana and neighbouring communities.

Pastor Cheadley said 'the role that interfaith groups can play in community development is important. As faith leaders we can be at the centre of the community development discourse and practice as we are naturally grounded in the communities. We promote ethical practises and our focus is on vulnerable members of the community. For us this is an opportunity to bring together our communities and corporates to understand and work with each other better.'

The project will give back to the community through not only providing access to internet resources but also to ICT training, and equipping community members with powerful tools. This will lead to opportunities to advance development and offer communities and enterprises access to the digital world. The mechanical hub will provide access to mechanical infrastructure, tooling and support services to community members. The mechanical hub will also be used to train the youth in mechanics, promote entrepreneurship and enterprise development by facilitating and influencing businesses and suppliers to procure services from the mechanics. As the project is led by the Faith Group, there will also be a food bank in the Centre where people can donate food and other necessities that will then be distributed to orphans and vulnerable children in the area.

Providing the community members access to training and skills developments is in line with Anglo American Platinum's SLP, CSI and sustainability goals. In addition to providing funding for the project, Anglo American Platinum will assist with identifying suitable learners, schools and youth from Mapela to participate in the project after they have received appropriate training and entrepreneurial skills.

Speaking after signing the Memorandum of Understanding, Seara Mkhabela, Executive Head of Corporate Affairs at Anglo American Platinum said 'This project is an investment into the future of the community, and presents a significant opportunity for digital access and enterprise development. It is important for industry to serve the needs of communities where they operate, and ensure long-term, sustainable development which empowers members of the community.'

The project forms part of Anglo American's continued focused on FutureSmart MiningTM, an innovation- led approach to sustainable mining, which includes being an active corporate citizen on issues relevant to stakeholders. The company's focus is on shared value; finding shared solutions that will unlock value not only across the company's operations but across the entire mining value chain.

Mkhabela added: 'We are very proud to partner with Komatsu on this project. Collaborative Regional Development is at the heart of how we aim to bring long-term development opportunities to the regions around our operations. Through identifying the socio-economic development opportunities of greatest potential in a province, and then facilitating partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders, we hope to create the foundations for long-term sustainable development in the areas in which we operate that extend well beyond the life of the mine.'

Mike Blom, Managing Director for Komatsu South Africa said 'We recognise that transformation initiatives remain necessary to ensure sustainable development and upliftment of the communities where we do business. Anglo American Platinum has always been one of our key business partners and we are extremely proud to be collaborating with them in this project.'

The companies will jointly support, train and fund the early operations of the project, in the first six to twelve months to ensure sustainability, and the KSAF Transformation Trust, representing Komatsu, will continue providing a grant to support the mechanical hub for at least two more years.

Furthermore, the parties will explore, design and develop related projects of mutual interest in other sites where Anglo American Platinum has operations, including Mogalakwena, Twickenham and Amandelbult, continuing the company's long-term focus on sustainable community development.