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