WEBVTT
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(gentle music)
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The Magaliesberg Biosphere is a very sacred site.
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It is a UNESCO World Heritage site,
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but it also houses the cradle of humanity.
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And this doesn't just belong to South Africa,
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it belongs to the world.
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It's important not only from a biodiversity
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and a cultural heritage point of view,
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it's also important because it creates life and livelihoods
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for tens of thousands of people in both Gauteng
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and in the Northwest province.
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You know, I saw an ecosystem that was being destroyed.
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I saw ecological degradation is poisoning our soil
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and our water supplies.
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And for decades now, we have been protesting.
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What I know today from my experience is that
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what we need is concerted action from all of us,
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from you and from me.
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It needs partnerships.
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It needs a shared vision and a strategy.
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I found a willingness in a partner
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like Neal Froneman and Sibanye Stillwater
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where we could work together
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in spite of our different backgrounds
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and find solutions to the challenges that face us there.
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So, Sibanye Stillwater is an organization
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powered by purpose,
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and our purpose is to safeguard global sustainability
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through the critical metals we produce.
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As such, we embrace mining's role
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in supporting the global initiative
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to combat the loss of nature,
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which impacts communities and livelihoods.
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This co-created initiative in the Magaliesberg Biosphere
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will represent a landscape opportunity
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in an area which is both a hotspot for biodiversity
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and encompasses the cradle of humankind.
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Because we are in a crisis and time is running out,
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the northwest province and Gauteng
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where mining is taking place
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is both the citrus and the bread basket of Gauteng
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and the Northwest.
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And so I think that what we have to do is
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ensure that people are not forced into survivalists
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and illegal mining by creating diversion
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that is able to create jobs, for example,
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in regenerative agriculture,
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and also to support social enterprises
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that we can create across the whole of the platinum belt.
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You know, we don't want to see any more Marikanas
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that are staining our democracy
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because people are desperate, because they're hungry,
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because they lack livelihoods.
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Now, this cannot be the legacy of our country, South Africa.
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We all have to act together and today to act with urgency.
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Well, despite sustainability
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having always been an imperative, we note that the impacts
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and inequalities for nature and people are increasing
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and urgent action is required to reverse the trend.
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We also recognize that not only do we need to be deliberate
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and urgent in our response,
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but collective action is required to set an example
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for global change.
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Well, firstly, we are addressing these issues
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on a regional scale beyond our direct operations.
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Secondly, we are taking our stakeholder shared value model
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to the next level by collaborating with communities
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and activists to ensure we build a good neighbor doctrine,
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ensuring that the critical metals
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that are required by society
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to address global warming are produced responsibly.
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Well, I think this partnership works
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because we have honesty in it.
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We have a shared responsibility of building
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and co-creating something together.
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Mining is an integral part of our economy.
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It's not going away,
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but it must exist in terms of thriving ecosystem
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and empowered communities.
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That means we have to bring together our different sectors,
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the different paradigms of thinking,
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the different communities and ecosystems,
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and find the common ground to protect our ecosystems
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and to protect also our communities.
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We also, not just about token gestures,
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creating a model where industries where nature,
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where people can thrive alongside each other.
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That is our goal. This is the only way to start.
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We need more partners, more experts, more activists,
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more youth, more farmers and farm workers,
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miners and mine workers to work together
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to take us forward to a place where,
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from a grassroots level
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to a national, continental and global level,
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we are building an alternative
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to a new radical collaboration.
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The future of the Magaliesberg biosphere
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is all our responsibility.
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You know, I've said it often.
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When I was tackling problems, Mandela often said to me,
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'cause I was a minister in his office.
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He said, "It may seem impossible, but it can be done."
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Bring the farmers and the farm workers together.
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Bring the mine owners and the mine workers
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into this process.
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Bring youth, women communities
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so that we can create a legacy
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that reignites the passion, the optimism
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that we had in 1994 when President Mandela was inaugurated
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as the first founding president of our democracy.
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We have to create a nature positive future
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that protects and benefits everyone,
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and that is sustainable in the long term.
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That is our goal.
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Well, for me, it's about showing what's possible
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when we work together.
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The Magaliesberg can be a global model for industries,
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governments, and communities.
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This initiative will be a proof point
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that we can create a nature positive future
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that not only benefits everyone,
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but is sustainable in the long term.
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(light music)