ANGLO PLATINUM'S APPROACH TO INTER-SECTORAL USER INTEGRATION: THE ORWRDP1 AS CASE STUDY

摘要

Water is recognized as a fundamental key to Anglo Platinum's business and placed on the same strategic level as minerals. The company acts within the broader strategic framework of the "One Anglo" which supports the notion that every operation in South Africa must comply with the South African legal and regulatory frameworks pertaining to integrated water resource management (IWRM). One of the most significant approaches embraced in the management strategy of Anglo Platinum and aligned with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's IWRM solutions within a complex system, is user integration. Conceptually, user integration links the fundamental principles of social equity, environmental sustainability, redress and economic efficiency with the objectives of water for people, for food, for the environment and for economic development. Within this ground-breaking paradigm Anglo Platinum played a pivotal role in creating cohesion amongst the mining sector in the Bushveld Igneous Complex. They strategically assisted in integrating the mining industry's bulk water needs with the urgent need of rural domestic users located in the area - resulting in the announcement of R9-billion Presidential project known as the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project (ORWRDP) during 2003. Twenty-two (22) mining companies, established as the Olifants River Joint Water Forum (JWF), collectively positioned themselves over a period of 5 years as primary stakeholders and commercial contributors to ORWRDP. Through discussions on economic realities, the business environment and government's role as economic enabler, the JWF, under the strategic-, legal- and technical leadership of Anglo Platinum and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (now known as the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs) came to a historic agreement, known as the ORWRDP Memorandum of Agreement (MO A) signed between the parties on 26 May 2008. The principles of the agreement encapsulated the intention by both parties to ensure sustainable economic development and provide relief towards an urgent domestic water need. The implementation of the Anglo Platinum approach towards user integration has provided the mining industry and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry ("DWAF"), as IWRM obligator with a workable model to ensure that the fundamental principles of the IWRM i.e. equity and sustainability are successfully reached.