Platinum brings riches to tribe

PHOKENG, South Africa - South Africa's Bafokeng people live on the biggest platinum deposits in the world, a resource that has transformed the once-traditional tribe into a mini-state with its own investment company.

The Royal Bafokeng Nation - a kingdom of some 300,000 people about 120 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg - has its own professionally designed web site, a majority stake in a listed platinum firm and a two-percent share in telecoms giant Vodacom.

The kingdom's capital, Phokeng, is also home to the newly renovated Royal Bafokeng Stadium, which hosted six matches in the 2010 World Cup.