Anglo American Platinum, the largest platinum producer in the world, and the Royal Bafokeng Nation recently signed a $384 million deal to mine the extensive reserves on the tribe’s land. The partnership involves commitment of money and reserves by both sides, with the goal of producing 485,000 ounces of refined platinum within five years. The Royal Bafokeng Nation is a Setswana-speaking indigenous community in the Northwest Province of South Africa. The 350,000 members of the Nation occupy the 1000-square mile Bafokeng Region, but much of the land in the area is privately or state-owned.
