A chrome mine in Limpopo, potentially one of the richest in South Africa, has sat idle while a series of arcane court battles ensue between local and Chinese business interests.
A development agency tasked with bringing employment to the area has lost its stake in the mine, and about 1,200 employees have lost their jobs. While many parties must shoulder parts of the blame, indifference by the national Department of Mineral Resources and energy appears to have contributed.
The Dilokong Chrome Mine is in the mineral-rich Burgersfort district, north of the border between Limpopo and Mpumalanga and west of the Kruger National Park.