Richard Spoor
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Spoor unbowed by litigious Anglo Platinum
Allan Seccombe
Posted: Thu, 06 Jul 2006

[miningmx.com] -- Anglo Platinum tightened the screws on its most outspoken critic Richard Spoor on Thursday by threatening legal action, but the activist lawyer hit right back calling the company a “thug and a bully”.

Anglo Platinum has come under sustained criticism from Spoor, who says the world’s largest platinum miner has been treating communities on the eastern limb of the Bushveld Complex badly when establishing their operations there.

Spoor has had a recent blaze of publicity, scoring front-page stories in his quest to highlight what he and some in the affected communities see as injustices.

Anglo Platinum has had enough.

“We felt that this was unfair to us because we are really doing a lot with those communities. We are not refusing to sit down and negotiate or consult with those communities. Unfortunately this gentlemen is not helping the process,” said Simon Tabele, Anglo Platinum spokesman.
Defamatory statements
Anglo Platinum and its partner at the Modikwa mine African Rainbow Minerals will seek an urgent interdict in the High Court to stop him from repeating his defamatory conduct if he does not undertake by 10 July this year to desist from repeating his remarks.

Ralf Havenstein, CEO of Anglo Platinum, told reporters last month one of the reasons at the root of the very public unhappiness by some members of the community was a struggle for leadership of those groups as well as rivalries between different groups in the area.

Anglo Platinum has moved more than 1,300 households at a cost of R600m to make way for its mines near Burgersfort. It has built roads, schools, homes and even a brickyard, Havenstein said.

Anglo Platinum is still trying to acquire land for grazing and crops, he said.

“The companies have reserved their rights to claim damages from Mr Spoor in respect of defamatory statements,” Anglo Platinum said in a statement.

Spoor reacted furiously.

“I’m not going to be bullied and intimidated by Anglo Platinum. This type of tactic is entirely consistent with their culture and approach to the world,” he told Miningmx. “These are the tactics of a thug and a bully. I’m not going to be gagged by Anglo Platinum.”

He said he would stand by whatever he has said about the way communities have been treated by Anglo Platinum.

“I’m really angry that they dare attack me and impugn my integrity when their own hands are absolutely filthy.”
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He is leading a group that will write to Mark Moody-Stuart, chairman of Anglo American, which owns 78% of Anglo Platinum, to ask him to rein in the subsidiary and “compel them to bring their practices in line with what is acceptable in a civilised and democratic society.”

There are also plans to bring communities’ plights to the attention of global non-governmental organisations and campaigners concerned with indigenous communities’ rights when dealing with corporates.

“We intend internationalising this dispute,” Spoor said. “The disparity between what the community gets and what Anglo Platinum takes and the harm it inflicts on the community is so gross that it is an obscenity that shouts out to the heavens.”

Spoor says communities have lost their land, had houses damaged by blasting, seen their ground water depleted and had their social structures disrupted. He has named the Potgietersrust Platinum Ltd mine, and the Modikwa and Two Rivers Platinum mines as having problems with neighbouring communities.

Tony Harding, who worked with the Land Claims Commission in Mpumalanga and dealt with claims on mining property, said Anglo Platinum appeared to be coming off second best in its public battle with Spoor and disaffected community members.

“The way Anglo Platinum deals with people is so disrespectful that people just get crazy,” Harding told Miningmx. “The fact that they’ve decided to target Richard is so cowardly.”